South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou has revealed who will take over the club’s starting halfback role after star playmaker Adam Reynolds departed for Brisbane.
While he’ll have big shoes to fill after the former captain headed north, Demetriou is confident that rookie Lahclan Ilias will be able to fill the role that Reynolds held for the best part of a decade.
Describing Ilias as a “genuine number seven”, Demetriou told The Sydney Morning Herald that the youngster is ready to “take the mantle”.
“I’m not in any rush to put any pressure on him, but at the same time I know he’s ready to take the mantle and do the job we need him to do,” Demetriou said.
“The best thing about Lachie is his temperament, he’s a genuine number seven and I’m excited to work with him.
“With him being in Queensland (last season), and being around the players 24/7, he got an understanding about the work that needs to be done on and off the field.”
Demetriou also shut down chatter that star fullback Latrell Mitchell could be set for a position switch after the superstar floated the idea of Blake Taaffe replacing him at the back.
Despite describing Blake as a “great young kid”, Demetriou says Mitchell simply has to be picked in the number one jersey.
“I think Latrell is one of the top fullbacks in the game, we’ve looked at the data from last season and he’s easily one of the top fullbacks,” he said.
“We missed him during the finals series, Blake is a great young kid who is learning his trade, but Latrell will be our number one.
“It’s a transition a lot of players have done from number one to number six Latrell could do it on his ear, but we’re not thinking about it in the short term.”
Demetriou will take over the Rabbitohs for his first season in charge of the club in the 2022 campaign.
He’ll hope to go one better than his predecessor Wayne Bennett in 2021 after the Bunnies fell just short in the Grand Final to eventual winners Penrith.