a long season beckons

It always is for souths.

Losing Stuart, Macpherson and probably Ross is a strange one with the amount of props avaiable and the main injuries were this year.

Better hope Maguire can work some of his pie magic at Souths then. I have a nagging feeling he wont though as Souths seem to be one of those perenially underachieving clubs..... a bit like Hull eh

What is the set up like at Souths Sheldon? Does the coach have the most influence or do the senior players with Crowe? Is Maguire seen as coming in and exerting some discipline and a bit more steel?

I couldn't tell you tbh.

I'd presume Lang gets the respect he deserves but you never know with a out going coach. Crowe's great for RL and Souths but now and again he can put his foot in his mouth, the Inglis signing and Sandow leaving to name 2 incidents.

Maguires first job is to bring structure to the team.

I only ask because i have only started watching the games this year on Premier sports and Souths must be the most frustrating team in the comp. They do in all fairness seem to have a rotating list of injuries to contend with but withthe rosta they have it seems crazy they cannot make the 8 and i wondered if there was a bad core at the club or some internal probs.

Injuries and loss of form to a couple of players have been key, I actually get the impression there's a great team spirit, especially when the players get interviewed after the game.

Thats good to hear then. Hope they can improve next year and get some luck with injuries.

Souths at present are losing 2 props (Ross and Stuart), McPherson, who filled in at prop and have replaced them with no new signings.

Their overall squad for next season is smaller than this current one, but they are issuing a few "summer" contracts to a few players who will train with them in the off season. This includes a couple of forwards from other clubs. So they may give full contracts later. We'll hear in a few months no doubt.

There is a real possibility though that next season, we will see a game with all three Burgess brothers playing in an NRL game together. George will now be seen in the first grade radar after being 18th man on a couple of occasions. He was deliberately put into the NSW Cup team this season, rather than playing in a weaker Toyota Cup comp, so he could play against men he'd face in first grade and not boys, most of whom won't make it into NRL.

They have a major disability, it's called John Sutton! Think Paul Cooke but not as talented!

I really want to see Justin Hunt get a go in 6 for the bunnies. Fingers crossed. He's only about 50 times a better defender than Sandow is in the halves.

How's Luke been getting on?