The South Sydney Rabbitohs head into 2026 as one of the competition's most intriguing wildcards.
Not surprisingly, many pundits have them marked as a genuine smokey for the finals, with Zero Tackle even naming them among five teams capable of winning the premiership. With Wayne Bennett back in charge, that belief carries weight.
Souths remain stacked with star power, and the biggest upside is that many of those stars have barely played together at full fitness over the past few seasons. Cameron Murray's season-ending pre-season injury in 2025 came at a time when he was shouldering an enormous workload, often playing fatigued without losing his class. As frustrating as that year out would have been, it may prove a blessing in disguise. A player of his calibre will not take long to get back to his best.
Campbell Graham, after sternum issues and repeated setbacks, looks set to finally get a clean run. Latrell Mitchell's shift to centre could be pivotal. Reducing his fullback workload may allow him to stay on the park longer, after struggling to string together extended injury-free runs. Cody Walker, used sparingly off the bench late last season, may also benefit from that freshen-up, while the arrival of a fit and motivated Brandon Smith and a reinvigorated David Fifita adds serious punch through the middle.
There have been setbacks, including the loss of Tyrrell Munro to off-field issues, but the Rabbitohs still boast elite class across the park. Alex Johnston is closing in on the all-time try-scoring record held by Ken Irvine, a milestone he could realistically pass early in the season. Add a hardened forward pack, emerging youth, and Wayne Bennett's ruthless standards, and South Sydney have all the ingredients to be a genuine problem in 2026.
For that to happen, though, these five players must lift their impact, consistency, and availability.
2. David Fifita
Why his role is so important
David Fifita arrives at South Sydney after being one of the highest paid forwards in the game at the Gold Coast Titans and not delivering on that investment. His move to Redfern reunites him with Wayne Bennett, the coach who oversaw the best football of his career at the Brisbane Broncos and understands exactly how to get the most out of him. That context matters. Bennett was the coach when Fifita debuted in 2018 and during his early breakout years, when his role was simplified and his strengths were used properly.
At South Sydney, Fifita will not be asked to be the centrepiece of the attack the way he was at the Titans. Instead, his role will be clearly defined within a structured system that values pressure, patience and repeat effort. He will be expected to defend his edge, run strong direct lines, and use his size, speed and power to bend the defensive line. His lateral movement and footwork make him extremely difficult to handle one on one, particularly when fatigue sets in.
Although he has played most of his career on the left edge, Fifita has also spent time on the right edge, including earlier in his career at Brisbane. That gives South Sydney flexibility. Whether he lines up on the left or right, his ability to draw defenders and force compressed defensive reads opens space for others.
With players like Latrell Mitchell, Jack Wighton, Campbell Graham, Alex Johnston and Cody Walker around him, Fifita's role becomes even more important. He does not need to dominate touches. He just needs to be present, physical and direct, which alone changes how opposition teams defend South Sydney.
What needs to improve
The biggest improvement areas for Fifita are discipline, consistency, fitness and decision making. At the Titans he was often asked to do too much and at times became frustrated when the team struggled, which led to dips in effort and execution. His defensive concentration cannot waver, especially when defending against elite edge runners. He must make his tackles, communicate with his edge partners and hold his structure.
Offensively, he needs to resist forcing plays that are outside the system. His job is not to look for miracle offloads or to dominate every set. His job is to run hard, physical lines that create momentum and space for his halves and outside backs. Staying healthy is also critical. Fifita has struggled to stay on the park consistently in recent seasons, and to justify his value he must contribute week after week without long injury interruptions.
Why his improvement matters
South Sydney do not need David Fifita to be the superstar focal point of their attack every set. They need him to be a consistent, physically dominant edge forward who plays his role every week. If Fifita gets fit, stays on the park and buys into Wayne Bennett's simplified approach, he immediately makes South Sydney a much tougher side to defend.
His presence alone changes how teams structure their edge defence, opens up space for Latrell Mitchell and others, and forces opposition forwards into uncomfortable matchups.
If he reaches even close to his peak form within this system, South Sydney go from being predictable in attack to one of the most dangerous attacking sides in the competition.
If he does not, it becomes another high profile signing that promised much and delivered little. In a season where the Rabbitohs are being tipped as a genuine premiership smoky, Fifita's output could be the difference between hype and reality.
