Aaaaah, The Rabbitohs: Everything's Going Wrong

They probably burn their sausages as well.

As all eyes were trained on Parramatta's ongoing woes and State Of Origin's game three, South Sydney Rabbitohs terminated two contracts. Most clubs barely get the joy of terminating a single contract in a season, let alone two in a matter of days so we can consider it great timing from the Rabbitohs; slide in a few terminations under the radar.

Kirisome Auva'a had his contract ripped up for falling on the wrong side of the NRL's drug policy while Paul Carter had his contract ripped up for once again abusing alcohol. An interesting note here is the idea of alcohol being a drug, or alcohol having a borderline worse influence on NRL players than actual drug use. I don't hear of NRL players getting into trouble when they are high off the herb, while alcohol-related shenanigans are as just as regular as an anti-marijuana headline.

This isn't about Carter and/or Auva'a. Carter was picked up off the scrap-heap after being flicked by the Titans under similar circumstances so this is a troubling case of history repeating itself for Carter. Auva'a had only recently come back from a ban at the hands of the NRL for thinking he was Terry-toughnuts with his girlfriend at the time. Both Carter and Auva'a have spent their young NRL careers walking that fine-line and that the Rabbitohs couldn't steer two troubled characters in the right direction is more a tale about the decline of the Bunnies.

We hear a lot about the 'cultures' at NRL clubs and there would be many NRL clubs and coaches who would back themselves to turn the careers of either Carter or Auva'a around. Every coach believes that he has instilled the right culture at his club but the proof is always in the pudding here as some clubs are successful, some aren't and some simply can't get the best out of players with a history of antics.

Michael Maguire arrived at the Rabbitohs and swiftly had them competing at a high level, winning a Premiership in 2014. This serves as an example as to why the salary cap is good and just how hard it is to stay at the top of the NRL, just how small that Premiership window can be as the Bunnies have lost key contributors like Ben Te'o, Issac Luke, Apisai Koroisau, Chris McQueen and Dylan Walker since then. 

The best NRL clubs find a way to reinvigorate their roster from season to season, key cogs of the wheel stay in place while role-players come and go. Crucial to that is a club's culture as the culture of the club is what brings new players in and has them quickly fitting it, playing at the adequate level and generally doing their very best for their new club. Unfortunately for the Rabbitohs, everything has gone down-hill since that Premiership and it doesn't really look like there's a light at the end of this tunnel.

Remember the hooplah that came when Sam Burgess announced that he'd return to Redfern? Sam has been strong this season and always gets through a mountain of work through the middle of the field, it's an interesting coincidence though that the return of Sam has seen the Rabbitohs fall to 14th on the NRL ladder - after finishing the regular season in 3rd, 2nd, 3rd and 7th through their past four seasons.

Sam's return has also coincided with George and Tom Burgess slipping back into the pack of NRL props. You can almost guarantee that one Burgess will drop the Steeden at least once in a game this season and it looks as though the reduced interchange, or general style of play in the NRL has left the younger Burgess twins in the rear-view. There's no shortage of middle forwards who are just as big as them, who have more skill, better footwork and can play bigger minutes. Maybe that NFL move doesn't look so bad now?

There has also been the constant noise about a potential move north to Brisbane for Greg Inglis. We hear a bunch of NRL rumours and I tend to take them with a grain of salt until - as is the case with Inglis - the rumours pop up again and again. Of course, everything from Inglis, the Bunnies and Broncos pushes this noise aside but only a fool would trust NRL players and coaches as we get lied to on regular basis.

All I am doing here is connecting dots; there's a Inglis to Brisbane rumour, Inglis has played No.6, fullback and centre this season and Inglis didn't appear to have the Rabbitohs in mind when he put that late high shot on Josh Dugan in game three of Origin.

Inglis exists in the NRL's upper echelon - he's one of the very best players in the NRL. Not too many NRL clubs would shift their best player around like Maguire has with Inglis and this season, Inglis has done to job of filling holes instead of being the focal point of the Rabbitohs play. Sam Burgess and Inglis playing through the middle, with run-and-gun players like Cameron McInnes and Cody Walker is/was the Rabbitohs' best chance of NRL success this year, so I found it odd when Maguire reacted to Inglis' dominant performances at left centre for Queensland this year by putting him there for the Rabbitohs. That stunk of Maguire hoping that Inglis would respond, play for the Bunnies as he does for Queensland.

Inglis responded kindly by not only hitting Dugan late, but also high. Copping an NRL ban for a high shot or a late shot ... or a tipping tackle etc in Origin is all good as it's Origin and there's plenty of emotion there. In hitting Dugan late and high, Inglis basically accepted that he'd take a break from the NRL, when his Rabbitohs need him most.

The pot is simmering, our meat and vege are almost cooked so it's time to add the some flavour in; let's sprinkling the anti-Maguire narrative in. It was there last season with players complaining that Maguire worked them into the ground and that anti-Maguire noise has lingered throughout this season as well. 

Maguire has failed to get the best out of Burgess Bros Inc, Inglis, Luke Keary is clearly not the flavour of the month/year, Carter and Auva'a couldn't be led down a better path and Maguire isn't improving battlers like David Tyrell and Jason Clark. 

Under Maguire as coach, the Rabbitohs only have Sam Burgess as a big-name signing in the past year. Burgess was only ever going to return to the Rabbitohs so that's a bit of an illusion, while Carter was snapped up last year after being sacked by the Titans and the signings of Michael Oldfield and Damien Cook weren't exactly exciting for 2016. 

For next season, the Rabbitohs have signed Tyrell Fuimaono (a promising youngster from Parramatta) while snapping up Brett Greinke from Brisbane and Joe Burgess (en route back to England) from the Roosters mid-season. While other NRL clubs lure big names in, it seems as though Redfern is the last spot any above-average NRL player wants to go.

Maybe that constant noise about Maguire floats throughout NRL-land in player circles. I don't really know, I just know that there's not many inspiring signings happening with the Rabbitohs and once again; the proof is in the pudding. 

There's time for the Rabbitohs to finish their season on a high and if the stars somehow align, they could make a crazy run at Finals footy. Perhaps the best thing right now though is for their season to keep going down the drain, so that there is no false-hope whatsoever and that some sort of change takes place.