NRL best 17s for 2025: South Sydney Rabbitohs

Wayne Bennett commences his second stint at the South Sydney Rabbitohs under enormous pressure to produce a turnaround in fortunes from the word go.

Bennett guided South Sydney to the grand final last time he was at the club, but there has barely been a moment of success since.

Now the NRL's most experienced coach arrives back at Maroubra with a mountain to climb and a squad who should be capable of doing it if they hit their stride, although there are plenty of questions over the way they will perform, and who will be picked to try and produce it.

2024 was a land of mix ups on the selection front for South Sydney, and while they weren't helped by injury at any stage, Bennett will be hoping for a lot more stability than what was on display last year.

Here is how we see the Rabbitohs lining up throughout the 2025 campaign.

Recruitment report

Ins: Euan Aitken (The Dolphins, 2027), Lewis Dodd (St Helens Saints, 2027), Lachlan Hubner (The Dolphins, 2026), Jamie Humphreys (Manly Sea Eagles, 2026), Josh Schuster (Manly Sea Eagles, 2025), Jayden Sullivan (Wests Tigers, 2027)

Outs: Thomas Burgess (Huddersfield Giants), Damien Cook (St George Illawarra Dragons), Jacob Gagai (Huddersfield Giants), Dean Hawkins (Parramatta Eels), Lachlan Ilias (St George Illawarra Dragons), Taane Milne (Huddersfield Giants), Leon Te Hau (Brisbane Tigers), Izaac Thompson (Canberra Raiders)

Re-signed: Jye Gray (2026), Ben Lovett (2025), Peter Mamouzelos (2027), Shaquai Mitchell (2025), Isaiah Tass (2027)

Off-contract at end of 2025: Thomas Fletcher, Siliva Havili, Jacob Host, Alex Johnson, Ben Lovett, Haizyn Mellars, Shaquai Mitchell, Davvy Moale, Tyrone Munro, Josh Schuster, Cody Walker

Full squad

Euan Aitken, Jai Arrow, Lewis Dodd, Tallis Duncan, Thomas Fletcher, Campbell Graham, Jye Gray, Siliva Havili, Jacob Host, Lachlan Hubner, Jamie Humphreys, Alex Johnston, Sean Keppie, Keaon Koloamatangi, Ben Lovett, Peter Mamouzelos, Haizyn Mellars, Latrell Mitchell, Shaquai Mitchell, Davvy Moale, Tyrone Munro, Cameron Murray, Fletcher Myers, Josh Schuster, Jayden Sullivan, Isaiah Tass, Tevita Tatola, Cody Walker, Jack Wighton

Supplementary contracts: Gerome Burns, Liam Le Blanc, Max McCarthy, Fletcher Myers, Nazareth Taua

South Sydney Rabbitohs Training Session — SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 13: Isaiah Tass passes during a South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL training session at Redfern Oval on March 13, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Who plays where?

Fullback
Latrell Mitchell has spent more time either injured, suspended, or facing controversy than he has playing free flowing, attacking rugby league in the last couple of seasons.

South Sydney desperately need him at his best though, because when he is on that level, there are few fullbacks who can match his output across the competition.

That all said, there is little to no doubt he is the Rabbitohs' first-choice fullback again coming into 2025.

If he does run into injury problems, then Jye Gray is next in line, having filled in well for him throughout 2024.

Wingers
Alex Johnston might be heading towards the end of his time at the Rabbitohs, but he will look to prove that not to be the case when he bounces back from injury throughout this season.

A better than average chance of going past Ken Irvine's miraculous try-scoring record this year, he will be a walk up starter for South Sydney.

Tyrone Munro, who was set to become the other winger last year but faced injury set backs before he could really find a permanent spot in the second half of the year, should again line up as the first-choice for 2025.

That keeps Isaiah Tass out of the side but he is the first outside back in as soon as injuries strike. There isn't a great deal of depth beyond that for South Sydney.

NRL Rd 3 - Rabbitohs v Roosters — SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 25: Latrell Mitchell of the Rabbitohs celebrates with Alex Johnston of the Rabbitohs after scoring a try during the round three NRL match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Sydney Roosters at Accor Stadium, on March 25, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Centres
Campbell Graham didn't play a single game in 2024. That was as big a blow as any club faced anywhere in the competition. Centre has fast become one of the most important spots on the field, and Graham would have made an Origin debut by now if not for injury.

He will line up one one side of the field in 2025, and will be joined on the other by former Canberra star five-eighth Jack Wighton.

Centre was the role he was supposed to play in 2024, but it didn't wind up happening all that often given how often he shuffled into the halves.

With more depth there this year, Wighton will be a permanent fixture at centre instead.

Euan Aitken's arrival from the Dolphins adds handy depth in more than one position, and the Rabbitohs also have Isaiah Tass and young gun Haizyn Mellars waiting in the wings.

Halves
Cody Walker is battling a calf injury through the run into the season, but once he is fit, he will be on the park and wearing the number six as one of the most influential players for South Sydney.

He should be joined in the halves by Englishman Lewis Dodd, who will be out to prove his Super League form can translate into the Australian competition.

Make no mistake though - he is under big pressure.

Jamie Humphreys has arrived from the Sea Eagles and, while he can play multiple positions, will be pushing for a run. So too will Jayden Sullivan, who is at South Sydney on a one-year lona deal from the Wests Tigers and needs to put himself in the shop window as often as possible.

Jye Gray can also slot in at five-eighth, so there are absolutely no issues when it comes to depth in the halves for South Sydney.

St Helens v Warrington Wolves - Betfred Super League Play-Off — ST HELENS, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 30: Lewis Dodd of St.Helens applauds the fans after the Betfred Super League Play-Off match between St Helens and Warrington Wolves at Totally Wicked Stadium on September 30, 2023 in St Helens, England. (Photo by Jess Hornby/Getty Images)

Middle forwards
The Rabbitohs head into 2025 with middle forwards hoping to avoid injury issues that plagued them throughout 2024.

Tevita Tatola - the club's enforcer - is at the head of that list after a foot injury threatened his career last year.

He will be a walk up starter at prop this year.

Cameron Murray also missed games last year. The club captain is the best lock forward in the game at his best, but is now out of the game for much of the season after rupturing his Achilles.

We have Tallis Duncan to take over at lock, but Keaon Koloamatangi could also be an option here.

Who partners Tatola at prop is a little bit more of a question. Jai Arrow could play there, but we are suggesting he will be utilised elsewhere. Keaon Koloamatangi also spent time in the middle this year, but Wayne Bennett should revert him back to his former role.

Instead, youngster Davvy Moale wins the spot ahead of Sean Keppie and Shaquai Mitchell, with both players certainly in the mix for game time this year.

Siliva Havili will add more as a back up option.

Hooker
At hooker, it's a new dawn for South Sydney following the departure of long-term club stalwart Damien Cook who has joined the St George Illawarra Dragons.

Peter Mamouzelos, who has been waiting in the wings for some years, will take over the number nine jumper for Wayne Bennett.

Maybe the biggest concern though is the lack of back-up options. Siliva Havili can play dummy half and may be required to at times, with utilities Jamie Humphreys and Jayden Sullivan also likely to be called on off the bench if not in starting roles.

53787024162_879482b170_o — Peter Mamouzelos in action. (Photo: Flickr- @NAPARAZZI)

Edge forwards
The two players most likely to start in the second-row for South Sydney have already been mentioned here, with Keaon Koloamatangi and Jai Arrow likely leading the race for Wayne Bennett.

Both players bring significant club and representative experience, and must line up in the best 17 somewhere. The best fit does appear to be on the edge though.

South Sydney do have back-up options here, led by Euan Aitken and Tallis Duncan, who can both player other positions.

Jacob Host has had plenty of game time for the Rabbitohs in recent years and will be in the mix, while Ben Lovett is also in the squad.

Interchange
The Rabbitohs should be leaning towards picking an exceptionally versatile bench for 2025 given the number of players on the fringe of their 13 who can play multiple positions.

With no standout second dummy half, Jamie Humphreys, who can play there as well as in the halves, should beat out Jayden Sullivan Sullivan and Jye Gray for the utility spot.

Euan Aitken is also an automatic inclusion on the bench with his abilities to play either centre or second-row.

Tallis Duncan moving into the starting team means the final two spots are less certain, but we are going with Sean Keppie to add some aggression through the middle third, and Jacob Host as the other given he can play in the middle and on the edge, edging out Shaquai Mitchell.