- Former South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou takes on new role
- The football coach will continue in his position with the PNG national team
- He was sacked by the South in May amid the Rabbitohs’ poor run of form.
After being sacked by the South Sydney Rabbitohs in May, Jason Demetriou has taken on a new role.
After replacing Wayne Bennett in 2022, the 48-year-old would remain at the club for a season and a half, with the club falling to the bottom of the NRL ladder this season before he was sacked.
While he is expected to continue in his role with PNG, Bennett has taken up a head coaching role with the Westfields Sports High School rugby league program, according to the Courier Mail.
The school, based in Fairfield West, Sydney, has a rich history of sporting pedigree and has produced some of the country’s best athletes.
Some of those names include Australian cricket greats Michael Clarke and Usman Khawaja.
Former Premier League football star Harry Kewell was also enrolled at the school.
Former Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou will take on a new role in addition to his role as PNG head coach.
He will now become the head coach of Westfields Sports High School in western Sydney.
Demetriou will bring a wealth of experience to help the league’s emerging talents develop their skills at school, and Westfields revealed the announcement on social media.
“We are excited to announce that Jason Demetriou heads up the coaching staff for the Westfields Sports High School Rugby League program,” the school wrote.
‘With his wealth of experience and proven track record in the NRL, Jason brings invaluable experience to our players, helping to develop the next generation of rugby league talent.
‘Jason’s leadership and dedication to developing players will be a great asset as we continue to build on the legacy of excellence at Westfields Sports.
“We look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on our program and student-athletes.”
Since taking over as PNG coach, Demetriou has enjoyed a successful year in charge of the national team, having won two matches against Fiji and the Cook Islands, but suffered a defeat against New Zealand.
While he harbors no resentment towards the Sydney hierarchy, Demetriou claimed in May that his experiences with the South will have made him a much better coach.
“In fact, I know I will be a better coach for having experienced this challenge,” he said.
Demetriou was sacked by Souths at the beginning of May but says he has no hard feelings towards the club.
“In recent days I have been able to reflect on many things that I am proud of as a coach and the other side of the coin is that there are many learnings that I take away from difficult moments.
‘What I’m not going to do is stay still, I’m going to continue learning.
‘I’m going to be watching every game, analyzing the trends both technically and tactically.
“I am confident that when the next opportunity presents itself, I will be ready to hit the ground running.”