South Sydney are set to decide the future of coach Jason Demetriou at a board meeting on Tuesday morning.
The Rabbitohs board will gather at the club’s Maroubra headquarters at 8am to discuss options available to them, as the club tries to climb off the bottom of the NRL ladder after only one win from their opening seven games.
One option will be the immediate termination of Demetriou’s contract two days before a clash with Penrith at Accor Stadium.
It comes as the club gave halfback Lachlan Ilias permission to chase a deal elsewhere.
Ilias’ agent Braith Anasta confirmed to the Herald on Monday he had sought permission to shop his client to rival clubs for next year following the club’s pursuit of St Helens halfback Lewis Dodd.
Demetriou last year predicted Ilias was “going to be the best halfback the club has had for a long time” – a not-so-subtle dig at Adam Reynolds, who Ilias has struggled to replace in the No. 7 jersey.
South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou has been forced to call on his assistants to make up the numbers at training.Credit: Getty
The playmaker is currently out with a broken leg, having been dropped to reserve grade after just two rounds this year. He is due to earn around $450,000 next year.
Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly, meanwhile, is expected to provide the board with a recommendation regarding Demetriou’s future on behalf of management, having undertaken a thorough review of the football operations.
Chairman Nick Pappas is believed to be overseas on a business trip but will dial into the meeting.
If the South Sydney board part ways with Demetriou, who is protected by a nine-month termination pay-out worth about $350,000, it’s expected assistant coaches Ben Hornby and David Furner will take charge of the team against the Panthers on Thursday night.
Lachlan Ilias will seek a deal elsewhere.Credit: Getty Images
One of the key talking points will be whether players are developing under Demetriou’s watch in light of private concerns agents have raised.
Rabbitohs recruitment manager Mark Ellison has flown to England to get Dodd’s signature on a deal worth about $600,000 a season. The St Helens halfback, who kicked the winning field goal against Penrith in last year’s World Club Challenge, informed Saints on Friday he would not take up an option in his favour for 2025.
Ilias’ release request came on the same day Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary announced he would retire at the end of the year. Ilias has a relationship with Roosters supremo Nick Politis because of their ties with Greece at the World Cup.
Ilias cheekily asked Politis to put aside his hatred of Souths to fly him business class to England for the 2022 tournament to help with his back problems.
After the Anzac Day loss to Melbourne, Demetriou conceded: “I’ll turn up and keep giving my best, and if someone taps me on the shoulder and says, ‘Time’s up’, then I can’t control that.”
Demetriou has been hamstrung by a shocking casualty ward, which includes 13 players unavailable through injury or suspension – and even required club assistants John Sutton, Hornby and Jason Clark to make up the numbers at an opposed session last week. The trio are expected to feature at training again on Tuesday.
Latrell Mitchell and Taane Milne are both suspended, while Alex Johnston (hamstring), Tyrone Munro (collarbone), Campbell Graham (sternum), Ilias (leg), Richie Kennar (foot), Shaq Mitchell (calf), Junior Tatola (foot), Haizyn Mellars (hamstring) and Ben Lovett (knee) are all unavailable. Leon Te Hau and Liam Le Blanc have both struggled with heart issues.
Souths have only signed 28 players to their top-30 roster. Two more players need to be signed by June.
Clubs regularly rely on reserve-graders to help out at training, but not all players are available because of work commitments. Fringe players who train at least twice a week are paid $1000 a week.
The strongest South Sydney back line on paper – Mitchell, Johnston, Graham, Wighton, Munro, Cody Walker and Ilias – has not played together all year.
Demetriou has not used injuries or suspension as an excuse, and Mitchell will return next week.
Souths CEO Blake Solly could not be contacted on Monday, but said over the weekend of the board meeting: “There is nothing extraordinary or irregular about Tuesday.
“Like any board meeting, the performance of the NRL team will be reviewed, along with all other aspects of our business. We are 17th on the table. Clearly, that is not good enough for the club.
“Everyone involved is fully invested in turning the performances around, and getting wins on the board as soon as we can.”
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