South Sydney chief executive Blake Solly says the club has no regrets about sacking Jason Demetriou as head coach.
The last-place Rabbitohs fired Demetriou on Tuesday night following a failed 2023 campaign and a 1-6 win-loss record so far this season.
The board met from 8am on Tuesday to hear Demetriou propose his position, before meeting again in the evening and unanimously deciding to terminate his contract.
Having been backed to remain coach after a brave round six loss to Cronulla, Demetriou was confident in his ability to inspire the Rabbitohs out of their slump.
But the club’s powers-that-be were convinced otherwise by Melbourne Storm’s 54-20 rout of the Rabbitohs on Anzac Day.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t think Jason’s coaching style would be able to bring about the change we needed or the improvement we needed,” Solly said.
“Given that we are 17th in the table and our pros and cons are 50 points worse than 16th, now was the time to make the change.”
Solly said Demetriou handled his dismissal with dignity.
“There were no explosions, there was no anger, (Demetriou) deals with that kind of adversity very well. It’s a credit to him,” Solly said.
Solly addressed the Rabbitohs playing group on Wednesday morning, having informed them of the decision to sack Demetriou via text message the night before.
He said he did not believe Demetriou had lost the locker room, but said the coach could no longer get the best out of his players.
“I want to say Jason is an incredibly hard-working coach,” Solly said.
“But in our opinion, we just felt that the style of play and probably Jason’s handling of players needed to change.
“I’m talking about the entire team and making sure that every player on the team can perform at their best.”
The Rabbitohs had announced a contract extension for Demetriou last October that tied him to the club until 2026, although a clause in that deal entitled him to just nine months’ wages in return.
Solly defended the new contract and the decision to sack Demetriou after the Storm defeat, despite backing it a fortnight earlier.
“Our view was that one game (against Melbourne) was indicative of an inability to turn the situation around,” Solly said.
“We felt it (the contract extension) was important given that we were a threat for the premiership and we felt we had a campaign and a team to hopefully go and win that premiership.
“We gave Jason what we thought he deserved.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a Rabbitohs supporter, paid tribute to Demetriou, describing him as a “decent man”.
“He made an extraordinary effort as a coach,” he said.
“Yesterday would have been a difficult day for him, but I wish him all the best.”
Ben Hornby, who was Demetriou’s assistant, will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
(Getty Images: Chris Hyde)
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett has been linked with a return to the Rabbitohs as Demetriou’s permanent replacement.
Bennett coached the Rabbitohs from 2019 to 2021, guiding the club to the grand final in his final season in charge.
Demetriou, who was an assistant coach under Bennett, took over the following season and led the Rabbitohs to a preliminary final appearance in 2022.
After a promising start to 2023, the Rabbitohs capitulated in the second half of the season to finish ninth with a 12-12 win-loss record.
AAP/ABC
Aware , updated