A long list of candidates have been revealed to take over at South Sydney Rabbitohs, with England head coach Shaun Wane and two Super League coaches on the radar of the NRL club.
It comes after Jason Demetriou was relieved of his duties on Tuesday, with Souths bottom of the NRL ladder having picked up just one win from seven games.
Attentions now turn to who will be Demetriou’s successor and the shortlist, which has been reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, has thrown up some interesting names.
Another former England coach Wayne Bennett remains the favourite to take the hot seat in Redfern, with the 74-year-old expected to leave the Dolphins at the end of this season.
Warrington head coach and South Sydney legend Sam Burgess was initially the front-runner for the Souths job, however, he is now seen as the long-term successor after confirming he would see out his two-year contract with the Wolves.
The most likely route for the Rabbitohs now appears to be that of Bennett, with Burgess lined up as his replacement with the next couple of seasons.
However, despite Bennett’s rumoured return, there are still several other names in the running and the shortlist drawn up by Souths includes some interesting names.
Shaun Wane on South Sydney Rabbitohs’ shortlist
Perhaps the most interesting name linked to the Rabbitohs role is that of current England head coach Shaun Wane, who has a strong reputation in Australia.
Wane is rated highly down under and with Souths’ General Manager Mark Ellison currently in England to complete a deal for St Helens’ star Lewis Dodd, there are rumours his time on these shores may involve a meeting with Wane.
While in Lancashire, could Ellison be interested in another conversation with Leigh boss Adrian Lam? Andrew Voss stated yesterday that the Rabbitohs could look towards Lam as their new coach.
Another current Super League boss mentioned is Steve McNamara. The former England head coach has previously had spells as an assistant coach in the NRL with the Sydney Roosters and New Zealand Warriors.
His impressive stint in charge at Catalans, where he’s led them to a Challenge Cup, League Leaders’ Shield and two Grand Finals, has enhanced his reputation further.
Justin Holbrook has also been touted in some circles for the Bunnies, with the former St Helens boss currently the assistant coach at the Sydney Roosters.
It remains to be seen which way Blake Solly will turn, with the Rabbitohs CEO, who is ironically also the former CEO of Super League, clearly interested in candidates from the UK and France.
