Interim Rabbitohs mentor Ben Hornby has been named the NRL’s next coach in waiting after an impressive stint as South Sydney’s caretaker.
The 44-year-old took the reigns in Redfern following the sacking of Jason Demetriou at the end of April, with the Rabbitohs winning one of their first seven games.
Since his departure, Hornby has steered South Sydney to six wins in their next 12 appearances, which included a five-game winning streak from Round 12 to Round 18.
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Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Hornby explained he has thoroughly enjoyed his time as the Rabbitohs’ head coach.
“I’ve learnt a lot of things… dealing with all the stuff off the field, dealing with the injuries, trying to get the boys up,” Hornby said.
“Trying to stay consistent with my messaging is something I’ve really worked hard on, it’s been a great learning experience for me moving forward.
“It’s something I’ve looked forward and I’ve waited for this opportunity for a long time now and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
“The injuries haven’t been ideal and you’ve seen when we were able to put the same team on the park for multiple weeks, we were able to win those games.
“And that’s the confidence we’ve got to take into next year, that we get our best players on the field, we can be competitive with any team in the comp.”
Hornby’s short tenure in 2024 has turned heads according to The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis who made a bold claim.
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He believes the Rabbitohs caretaker is now in the box seat to become the NRL’s next head coach when a job arises across the competition.
“He was a bit unknown, he’s gone a bit under the radar the last couple of years despite quietly building his CV,” Carayannis said on NRL360 on Wednesday.
“The next crop of coaches, you know Craig Fitzgibbon, Jason Ryles and Cameron Ciraldo, they’ve all got jobs now.
“So when we look at guys potentially in line for NRL jobs, he’s at the top of the list for sure.
“They could have imploded, we’ve seen Parramatta implode, South Sydney could have imploded if it wasn’t for Hornby.”
Meanwhile, Fox League’s James Hooper added: “He deserves a wrap, he deserves enormous plaudits and kudos for the job he’s been able to do with the Bunnies. They were nowhere.”
Carayannis also denied suggestions incoming coach Wayne Bennett was pulling the strings, explaining he was of the belief the Rabbitohs players were responding directly to Hornby.
“Who’s saying he’s not talking? He doesn’t have his fingerprints on what’s happening day in, day out in that dressing room,” he said.
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“He’s obviously had conversations with people, but if they weren’t responding to what Hornby was saying, they’d have imploded.”
Hornby also revealed that the club were yet to make a decision on Latrell Mitchell’s return, with the superstar fullback set for further scans once he’s out of his moon boot.
Carayannis explained that South Sydney officials would likely sit their marquee man out for the rest of the year with finals only a slim possibility.
For Hornby, he’s only focus is on improving the current Rabbitohs team, not whether his side can make the finals.
“I don’t know where the mathematics are at, but I am assuming we can’t make it,” he said.
“I’m not looking forward and thinking about next week, I am looking forward to this week.
“We thought last week we went toe-to-toe with the Sharks for long periods. Our passes just didn’t hit the mark, so we weren’t good enough.
“I thought it was probably one of our better performances in the last month, but we’re playing a top-four side that are pretty much fully fit, so it makes it hard.
“But I’m just so happy with the boys, their effort.”
Source Agencies
