- The coach is under pressure after a shocking start to the season
- The Souths are at the bottom of the standings with just one win
Jason Demetriou says it’s “not easy” to be the subject of continued scrutiny after South Sydney postponed making a call on his future at the club.
The Rabbitohs board met for more than three hours at their Maroubra headquarters on Tuesday morning to discuss the future of embattled third-year coach Demetriou, who has led the South’s bottom-placed team to just one win in seven games this season.
But the perennial heavyweights have deferred any public announcement until after 5pm (AEST), when chairman Nick Pappas can be reached from London for a second meeting.
Demetriou presided over training on Tuesday morning as the board mulled their options and faced a media scrum as he left Heffron Park just after lunchtime, possibly for the last time.
Demetriou led the players through training on Tuesday morning as usual before leaving the Rabbitoh headquarters, possibly for the last time.
South Sydney president Nick Pappas (right) is in London and the club is waiting for him to be available this afternoon AEST to make a decision.
A decision on Demetriou’s immediate future is likely to be made on Tuesday night.
“It’s not easy, but it is what it is,” Demetriou said of the pressure.
“It’s a big club, we don’t act, so you have to ask questions. I understand it, I respect it.”
Demetriou remains in limbo ahead of Thursday’s clash against incumbents Penrith and told reporters he had not yet been informed of any coaching change.
Assistants David Furner and Ben Hornby are waiting in the wings to take over on an interim basis if Demetriou is sacked.
“I’m getting ready for training tomorrow,” Demetriou said.
“I want to continue coaching the football team, that’s what they pay me to do.”
Considered a head coach in waiting, Hornby dodged reporters by leaving Heffron Park through a side exit shortly before Demetriou emerged through the front door.
The Rabbitohs’ slow start to the year came after they capitulated from finals contention last season by losing seven of their last 10 games.
Club legend and assistant coach Sam Burgess resigned amid the crisis, dogged by claims he disagreed with what Demetriou described as preferential treatment given to star players.
The pressure has been building on Demetriou, who has had to put on a brave face despite an uncertain future at the club.
The coach led Souths to the grand final in 2021 and a preliminary final in 2022, but the club missed the final in 2023 and look certain to miss out again this season.
Demetriou has been accused of favoritism with some of the club’s main players, creating division
This year, Demetriou survived rumors about his job security before the club’s round seven bye, leading the Rabbitohs to a spirited 34-22 loss to high-flying Cronulla in the face of three mid-game injuries.
But Souths failed to achieve similar composure in round eight, when they were thrashed 54-20 by Melbourne on Anzac Day.
Demetriou was pictured hugging several players at training on Tuesday as the pressure continued to mount.
“The boys have been exceptional, that’s never been a problem,” Demetriou said.
‘They are united, it is a united group. They are battling injuries at the moment, half the team is missing and they keep turning up.
—They will also appear on Thursday night.
But it remains to be seen under whom they will appear.
South Sydney have been heavily linked with Wayne Bennett, Demetriou’s former mentor at the Rabbitohs, who will leave the Dolphins at the end of the season.
Bennett, who led South Sydney to the 2021 grand final, was coy when asked about his coaching future beyond this year.
