South Sydney Rabbitohs sack head coach Jason Demetriou after disappointing season

Jason Demetriou has been sacked as head coach of the South Sydney Rabbitohs after a disastrous start to the 2023 NRL season. The Australian coach, who took over the reins at the start of the 2022 season, failed to replicate the success of his first year in charge, where the Rabbitohs finished seventh and made it to the preliminary finals.

Despite impressive away wins against strong teams like the Sydney Roosters and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Demetriou’s side struggled last season, finishing ninth and missing out on the Finals Series by just one win. This season has been even worse, with the Rabbitohs currently sitting at the bottom of the table with just one win from their first seven games.

Demetriou’s coaching career has been an interesting one, with his only previous head coach roles being with Keighley in the English third tier and South Sydney in the NRL. He had success with Keighley, leading them to a runners-up finish in Championship 1 and earning promotion to the second tier.

After returning to Australia, Demetriou had coaching stints with the Northern Pride in the Queensland Cup and as an assistant coach at the North Queensland Cowboys and St George Illawarra Dragons. He also won a Grand Final with the Illawarra Cutters in 2016 before joining the Brisbane Broncos as their attacking coach.

In 2020, Demetriou was announced as the successor to Wayne Bennett at South Sydney, but his tenure has now come to an end after winning just 29 of his 58 games in charge of the club. The Rabbitohs will now be on the lookout for a new head coach to turn their season around and get them back on track for a shot at the Finals Series.