The South Sydney Rabbitohs are delighted to announce the football department coaching structure and new staff appointments ahead of the 2025 season.
As per the announcement made in May this year, Wayne Bennett will be the NRL Head Coach for at least season 2025 through to 2027.
Supporting Coach Bennett will be NRL Assistant Coaches Ben Hornby and Steve Antonelli. Hornby continues his tenure with the Rabbitohs which began in 2020 as a Development Coach before being promoted to senior Assistant Coach in 2022. Hornby took the reins of the first grade side as NRL Interim Head Coach midway through the 2024 season. Antonelli returns to the Rabbitohs following a brief stint with the Parramatta Eels, having coached the Rabbitohs NSW Cup side in 2021 and becoming an NRL Assistant Coach in 2022.
South Sydney legend John Sutton will continue in his role as Development Coach, working with the Club’s elite young talent to ensure integration and alignment across all grades from NRL to under 17s. Former Rabbitohs premiership-winning Assistant Coach, Wayne Collins, will return to the Club in 2025 as NSW Cup Head Coach.
The Rabbitohs have appointed a new Head of Performance for season 2025, with Trent Elkin joining the Club. Elkin has extensive experience in Rugby League high performance programs including stints at the Bulldogs, Eels, Sharks and with the NRL Referees, most recently with Parramatta as Head of Performance. Tom Watkins also joins the Club as Pathways Head of High Performance.
Former Rabbitohs Head of Football, Mark Ellison, will shift into the Head of Recruitment and Retention role at the Club, focussing on the recruitment and retention of full-time players to the South Sydney Club.
Former NRL Assistant Coach David Furner has moved into the Head of Pathways position, taking control of the Club’s playing, coaching and staffing talent outside of the full-time playing and football staff, from open age down to under 17s, development squads and working with Souths Juniors on Junior Bunnies squads. Tyrone McCarthy will work closely with Furner as the Club’s Pathways Skill Acquisition Coach.
Former Rabbitohs premiership-winning player and former Pathways Wellbeing Manager Jason Clark has been promoted into the Football Manager role, and will work closely with Football Logistics and Facilities Manager Kyle Furner on managing the day-to-day requirements of the full-time playing, coaching and football staff. Rob Capizzi returns to the Rabbitohs as Pathways and Women’s Operations Manager, with a particular focus on preparing the Club for an NRLW team in future years.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Andrew McDonald, Strength and Conditioning Coach Jack Milligan, Head of Wellbeing Ian Reeves, Head Physiotherapist Crawford Quinn, Rehabilitation Physiotherapist Vicki Locke, Elite Athlete Rehabilitation Program Physiotherapist Cuan Neyland, Strength and Conditioning Coach and Athlete Rehabilitation Sam Pervan, Sports Science Advisor Brendan Fahrner, Football and Recruitment Analyst Leigh Richardson, Pathways Head of Medical Bernie Chau, NRL Career Coach Ryan Gonsalves and Recruitment Manager Brent Hill will all continue in their roles for the new season.
Rabbitohs CEO, Blake Solly“We have great faith that the decisions we have made around our football department will bear fruit for us in season 2025, Wayne is the game’s greatest coach and he will lead a team of talented and dedicated coaches and staff who will get the best out of our playing group, whether they be NRL players or amongst the up-and-coming talent in our pathways.”
“We thank those coaches and staff who departed at the end of, or during, the 2024 season for their commitment and dedication to our Club, particularly Jason Demetriou, Brock Schaefer, Joe O’Callaghan, Andrew Croll, Alice Sharples, Ross Tesoriero, Liam Gough and Donna Smith who made enormous contributions to our full-time football program.
“Members of the playing group start to return for pre-season in November. We know that the pre-season under Wayne’s guidance will be crucial to returning the Rabbitohs to the right end of the competition table. 2025 will be an exciting season and everyone at the Club cannot wait for it to start.”
Biographies:
Wayne Bennett
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Coaching Role: NRL Head Coach
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Club Coach Appointments:
- Head Coach – Dolphins (2023-24 – 48 games, 20 wins)
- Head Coach – South Sydney Rabbitohs (2019-21 – 77 games, 53 wins, one Grand Final)
- Head Coach – Brisbane Broncos (1988-08, 2015-18 – 631 games, 402 wins, seven Grand Finals, six Premierships)
- Head Coach – Newcastle Knights (2012-14 - 75 games, 34 wins)
- Head Coach – St George Illawarra Dragons (2009-11 - 79 games, 51 wins, one Grand Final, one Premiership)
- Head Coach – Canberra Raiders (1987 - 28 games, 17 wins, one Grand Final)
- Head Coach – Brisbane Souths (1977-79, 1984-85 – 113 games, 63 wins, three Grand Finals, one Premiership)
- Head Coach – Brisbane Brothers (1980-82 – 57 games, 23 wins)
- Head Coach – Ipswich (1976)
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NSWRL/ARL/SL/NRL Coach Win %: 61.5% (577 wins from 938 games)
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Rep Coach Appointments:
- Head Coach – Great Britain (2019)
- Head Coach – England (2016-2019)
- Head Coach – World All Stars (2016)
- Head Coach – NRL All Stars (2010-13)
- Assistant Coach – New Zealand (2008)
- Head Coach – All Golds (2007)
- Head Coach – Australia (1988, 2004-05)
- Head Coach – Queensland (1986-88, 1998, 2001-03, 2020 – six State of Origin series wins)
- Head Coach – Queensland Tri-Series (1997)
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Coaching Achievements:
- Seven premierships (1992-93, 1997{SL}-98, 2000, 2006, 2010)
- 30 Finals appearances (1987, 1990, 1992-2011, 2013, 2015-21)
- Six Origin Series wins (1987-88, 1998, 2001-02, 2020)
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Playing Record:
- Warwick, Toowoomba, Brisbane Brothers
- Ipswich (1976)
- Brisbane Souths (1977-79)
- Seven games for Queensland (1971-73)
- Australian tour of New Zealand (1971)
Ben Hornby
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Position: NRL Assistant Coach
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Coaching Record:
- NRL Interim Head Coach – South Sydney Rabbitohs (2024)
- NRL Assistant Coach – South Sydney Rabbitohs (2022-current)
- Development Coach – South Sydney Rabbitohs (2020-21)
- Assistant Coach – Tonga (2022-23)
- NRL Assistant Coach – St George Illawarra Dragons (2015-19)
- Assistant Coach – World All Stars (2016-17)
- Head Coach – NYC Under 20s St George Illawarra Dragons (2014)
- Head Coach – SG Ball Cup Under 18s St George Illawarra Dragons (2013)
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Playing Record:
- 273 NRL games (all for the Dragons 2000-12)
- One Test for Australia (2006)
- Three State of Origin matches for New South Wales (2004, 2006, 2008)
- Three games for Country Origin (2005-06, 2008)
- One NRL Premiership (Dragons captain – 2010)
Steve Antonelli
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Position: NRL Assistant Coach
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Coaching Record:
- NRL Assistant Coach – Parramatta Eels (2023-24)
- NRL Assistant Coach – South Sydney Rabbitohs (2022)
- NSW Cup Head Coach – South Sydney Rabbitohs (2021)
- Senior NRL Assistant Coach – Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (2018-20)
- NRL Assistant Coach – Canberra Raiders (2014-17)
- NSW Cup Head Coach – Mounties (2013-17)
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Playing Record:
- First grade squad – Western Suburbs Magpies (1988-90)
- Five first grade games for Penrith Panthers (1985-88)
- NSW under 18s (1985)
- City under 18s (1985)
- Australian Schoolboys rugby union (1984)
- Australian Schoolboys under 17s rugby union (1983)
John Sutton
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Position: Development Coach
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Coaching Record:
- Development Coach – South Sydney Rabbitohs (2020-current)
- Assistant Coach – Fiji (2024-current)
- Head Coach – SG Ball South Sydney Rabbitohs (2022-23)
- Assistant Coach – SG Ball South Sydney Rabbitohs (2021)
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Playing Record:
- 336 NRL games (all for the Rabbitohs 2004-19)
- One NRL Premiership (Rabbitohs captain - 2014)
- Two games for City Origin (2008-09)
- One game for Australian Prime Minister’s XIII (2005)
