Latrell Mitchell is back. Cameron Murray is back. South Sydney are finally back.
It was hardly a vintage Sunday afternoon performance, but the Rabbitohs were too good for an ill-disciplined Dolphins, winning 40-30.
And if Souths can keep their star power on the park, which they failed to do last year, who knows what they might do this season.
Mitchell shifted to left centre over the summer to accommodate Jye Gray at fullback, and the powerhouse proved exactly that at Suncorp Stadium.
He was always going to be impossible to stop from close range when bagging his first try midway through the first half, almost had a second, only to give himself up when he knocked on a Cody Walker kick, and finished a simple move to all but seal the game with 10 minutes remaining.
Mitchell also kicked six goals, and was happy to engage with the crowd after nearly every attempt.
Arguably the biggest Indigenous star is yet to complete a full season for Souths, and played just 11 games last season and the same in 2024. It is frightening to think what Mitchell could be capable of is he can stay on the park and build some momentum.
Latrell Mitchell’s move to centre proved a winner against the Dolphins.Credit: Getty Images
The same can be said for captain Murray, who was restricted to one game last year – the final match of the season – because of a ruptured Achilles.
Murray is even more vital than Mitchell because of his work-rate in the middle, speed and physicality.
He was in everything in the first half against the Dolphins. Souths look a different side when he is heavily involved.
The Bunnies raced to a 28-10 lead at half-time when Alex Johnston scored in the left corner. He only needs one try to draw level with Ken Irvine’s long-serving record of 212 tries. He is every chance to draw level – and possible set a new mark – against the Roosters next Friday.
Campbell Graham, another Souths representative player who has had a shocking run with injuries, bagged a double on the right wing. David Fifita was solid in his first match in the red and green, albeit being sin-binned for a run-in with Tom Gilbert late in the game, while evergreen playmaker Cody Walker snapped a vital 40/20 in the second half when the Dolphins looked to be mounting an unlikely comeback.
The only bad news for the Bunnies was the sight of featherweight playmaker Ashton Ward on the sidelines in a moonboot. The one position Souths are skinny in is the halves with Jonah Glover out with a broken jaw and Jamie Humphreys suspended for one more match.
While coach Wayne Bennett would have boarded the flight back to Sydney a happy man, the same could not be said for Dolphins mentor – and Bennett’s one-time deputy – Kristian Woolf.
After welcoming back some of his own heavyweight personnel in Gilbert and Tom Flegler, Woolf was entitled to feel confident about his side’s hopes of making the finals.
Based on what they dished up in their own backyard – the Dolphins completed only 25 of 37 sets –they will not come anywhere near September if they produce similar limp performances.
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