Here's a stat that might surprise you: South Sydney Rabbitohs fielded 11 different halves pairings across the 2025 NRL season. Not 11 players through injury rotation, but 11 distinct combinations in a single year. For a club of South Sydney's history and resources, that number tells a story of structural dysfunction that no amount of star power on the left edge could paper over.
The early signs suggest 2026 may open with similar turbulence, even if the causes are different. With Jamie Humphreys suspended, new recruit Jonah Glover sidelined by a broken jaw, and Bud Sullivan battling an infection ahead of the March 8 season opener against the Dolphins at home, the Rabbitohs are preparing to apply to the NRL for a roster exemption that would allow Ashton Ward to play in round one despite sitting outside their registered top-30 squad and the six supplementary players permitted beyond that.
Under current NRL rules, a player contracted outside those limits cannot appear in first grade before round 12 without a formal exemption. Club officials are reportedly confident the application will succeed given the circumstances, though approval is never guaranteed. The fact that such an application is necessary at all reflects how thin the Rabbitohs' halves stocks remain heading into a new season.
Context matters here: twelve months ago, Ward was on a bargain under-21s Jersey Flegg contract. He weighed 74 kilograms, had never played NRL, and was largely unknown outside the club's development system. A round 21 debut followed by six games to close the season changed that picture quickly. Ward re-signed on a NSW Cup deal for 2026, a contract structure that now creates the administrative complication the club is working to resolve.
What the pre-season metrics reveal is that Ward has earned his opportunity on form, not just by default. Champion halfbacks Cooper Cronk and Greg Alexander have both spoken positively about his performances against the Dragons and Sea Eagles. Veteran centre Jack Wighton, who has spent time on Ward's edge in training and trial games, offered a grounded assessment. "He's talking and growing. He's organising the team. He's pushing the forwards around and he's getting repeat sets as well," Wighton said. "It can be a little bit daunting to be playing next to such a dominant half like Cody, but he's been really good to work with."
That reference to Cody Walker is significant. Beyond the scoreboard, the real story entering 2026 is whether Walker can sustain the form and fitness that has eluded him for two seasons. Restricted to just 11 games in 2025, the veteran five-eighth has spoken candidly about how his injury absence affected his mental state. "When you're in and out, you feel like you're letting the team down and you start to feel like you're a bit of a burden," Walker said at a Souths Cares event on Friday, where the club's charitable arm received a $50,000 donation from the USANA True Health Foundation for food and nutrition programmes for participants.
After his first complete pre-season in years, Walker looked sharper against Manly, displaying the running game and offload work that has been missing from his repertoire. "I don't think I've played that style of footy for a while," he acknowledged. The caveat is that pre-season form, as any honest analyst will tell you, only goes so far. The question of whether Walker can play 20-plus games at his best level remains genuinely open.
Elsewhere in the squad, forward Jai Arrow is on a modified training programme due to a shoulder complaint, while Brandon Smith will miss the first two rounds including the Dolphins opener and the round two clash against the Sydney Roosters due to a calf strain. Recruits Adam Elliott and Alex Johnston are both expected to be available for round one, providing some good news for coach Wayne Bennett as he assembles his best available side.
When you dig into the data, the Rabbitohs' 2025 season was less a failure of talent than a failure of availability. The failed $600,000-a-season Lewis Dodd experiment, compounded by an unrelenting injury toll through the spine, meant the team could never build the combination football that successful NRL sides depend on. A full pre-season for their bigger names is a genuine advantage heading into 2026, even if the halves puzzle remains unsolved before the first whistle blows.
Ward's story, from Jersey Flegg obscurity to potential round one starter inside 12 months, is the kind of development arc that makes the NSW Rugby League pathway worth watching. Whether South Sydney's administrative hurdle is cleared in time, and whether a 74-kilogram kid from Gerringong can hold his own in NRL's most scrutinised halves partnership, are questions that round one will begin to answer.