South Sydney’s new halfback for this season, whoever that might be, would be well advised not to spend time thinking about the man who has vacated the No.7 jersey at Redfern, Chris Sandow.
However Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire does want his new general studying the work of another NRL opposition halfback, Manly’s Daly Cherry-Evans.
Souths local junior Adam Reynolds is tipped to get first crack at the key position, but Redcliffe signing Ryan Carr is also under consideration.
Every step they take this year, they’ll be compared to the mercurial Sandow, who dramatically left the club that gave him his chance to join Parramatta for 2012.
The backdrop is Souths haven’t won a premiership since 1971 and over the past three years they’ve made an unfortunate habit of just falling short of the top eight.
However, Super League super coach Maguire prefers not to get caught up in the past and instead focus on someone like Cherry-Evans, a story of optimism.
Cherry-Evans was himself following a classy young half, Trent Hodkinson into the role at Manly in 2011.
But he proved as the Dally M Rookie of the Year and grand final-winning halfback that it’s not impossible for debutants to rise above the odds.
“Of course you can. The likes of Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk, all those players started somewhere and they’ve gone on to be great players in the game,” Maguire told AAP.
“Once they’ve been given an opportunity, it’s up to the player.
“I don’t know whether you call it pressure (taking over from Sandow) … their jobs are pretty clear with what they need to do.”
The burden for the new halfback will certainly be lessened if enigmatic five-eighth John Sutton can find consistency.
Sutton has been appointed one of five captains in Maguire’s outside-the-square leadership plan, and the coach has high hopes for what his charger can achieve with added responsibility.
“I came here with an open mind on however they perform (in training) is what’s in front of us and John’s been training outstandingly,” said Maguire.
“The team itself has really pushed for him to be that type of leader.”
Despite the serious question mark hanging over their halves, Souths have the squad to make the top eight.
The game’s best try-scorer Nathan Merritt finally gets a start at his best position of fullback and Sam Burgess, Dave Taylor, Issac Luke and Michael Crocker form the basis of a formidable pack.
Greg Inglis suffered an ankle injury in the All-Stars match, but he’s only expected to miss the opening weeks of the competition.
Maguire and Inglis worked closely together as assistant coach and star player at the Melbourne Storm and it’s thought the highly-regarded mentor can get the best out of the freakishly talented centre.
The pair have been in frequent contact since last year when Maguire signed from Wigan, where he enjoyed grand final and Challenge Cup success during his two-year stint.
The Rabbitohs have lost experience in the forwards, with Luke Stuart retiring and Ben Ross and Shannan McPherson moving on.
Co-captain Roy Asotasi returns from injury, and the Rabbitohs need the former New Zealand skipper to recapture his best form up front.
