Many NRL young guns have been hit by the dreaded second year syndrome as they get targeted after their rookie campaigns, but Souths’ No.7 Lachlan Ilias is ready to meet the challenges head on.
The talented halfback helped lead Souths to a preliminary final in his rookie season and looks set to again don the Rabbitohs No.7 jersey in 2023.
Ilias admits he hadn’t heard of the term “second year syndrome” heading into his second full NRL season, but is confident he can make improvements to handle any extra attention in 2023.
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“I haven’t really heard about it to be honest, but I’m just trying to get better each and every day,” Ilias told foxsports.com.au.
“I think we are training really well at the moment. Round 1 is not far away, so I think we are in good shape and hopefully we can go a couple of games better this year.”
Halfback is one of the most important positions on the field and Ilias has been working on trying to be more assertive after admitting he was slow to get going in 2022.
“I’m just trying to work on being more dominant,” Ilias said.
“I was probably a little bit slow to start off last season and I really found my feet leading into the back end of the year and into the finals series.
“I just want to start the year better and be more dominant and take control with my kicking game.
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“I reckon those are areas I can improve and also trying to be a reliable defender.
“I think I finished well last year and I gained confidence with my defence, so if I can start well and defend well then everything will flow off that.”
Helping Ilias deal with the ongoing pressure of being an NRL playmaker is a star-studded spine that includes representative players Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Damien Cook.
All four Souths’ playmakers are now locked in long-term and Ilias is thankful for the support of the veteran trio and is excited to see where their combination can go.
“It is unreal,” Ilias said of working with the three superstars.
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“I am learning something new off them every day and they are really supportive of me and they have been since day one.
“I’m really humbled and grateful to play in a spine with the calibre of those people and I look forward to doing it again this year and hopefully a few more years to come.”
Souths have not recruited from outside the club this off-season, but Ilias is confident the young players coming through the ranks can make the step up and he backed a young gun outside back to make a splash in 2023.
“I think Josiah Karapani is in for a breakout year,” Ilias said.
“He hasn’t debuted yet, but he has been knocking on the door for a couple of years.
“He was a development player last year and unfortunately had an illness midway through last season, so he could have played a few games already.
“He is killing it at training and he has got us a few times in opposed sessions. He is someone definitely to watch out for this year.”
Ilias is coming off a maiden World Cup campaign with Greece and despite some heavy defeats to semi-finalists England and Samoa, he believes he can take plenty away from the experience of mixing it with the best players on the world stage.
“It was an unreal experience,” Ilias said of the tournament.
“It was the first time Greece has played at the World Cup and it was such a great experience for everyone in the team.
“Everyone was just so chuffed to be there and to play against England and Samoa, who went on to play against each other in the semis and one of them made the final was huge.
“It gives you confidence playing the best teams in the world and they are the best of the best, so it was a very memorable trip.
“Hopefully I can take some confidence and leadership from the World Cup into the 2023 season with Souths.”
The Rabbitohs finished 2023 with a number of players in the casualty ward, but Ilias believes a new head of performance has them at peak fitness heading into 2023.
“JD (Demetriou) has been working us hard,” Ilias said.
“We have got a new head of performance as well Andrew Croll and he has been really good for us so far.
“He has been pushing us. I think he is an ex-triathlete, so he is teaching us how to run and I reckon we are as fit as we have ever been, so we are in really good shape heading into Round 1.”
