The 2026 NRL season is set to kick-off on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas, with 16 teams out to chase the Brisbane Broncos in the new campaign.
Every club will see key reasons why they can and can't perform in 2026, and Zero Tackle have pulled the key one on each side of the coin.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Why they can: The left edge
Souths welcome David Fifita into the side for their 2026 campaign, a massive get from Wayne Bennett. With Bennett being notorious for getting the best out of players under him, we should see Fifita explode on the left edge.
That same left edge features a fit-looking Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and try-scoring machine in Alex Johnston. If they can piece that all together this year, they will be very hard to stop.
The right edge is also strong, and defensively, teams are going to spend their week getting ready to match up with everything being thrown left.
Points will come in bunches for the Maroubra-based outfit this year.
Why they can't: Questions in the halves
There are still question marks around who is the long-term halfback for the South Sydney club, with Humphreys given the reins last year but hasn't done enough to solidify his position.
However, with Jonah Glover's jaw injury ruling him out for an extended period, it'll be back at a fight between Ashton Ward or Humphreys to prove they're the best choice for the team.
Question marks around such a key position lead us to believe they need to stick to one player and build around them. With Lewis Dodd coming and going in a matter of months, they should lock in Humphreys and get him confident enough to lead the team around.
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