I would guess that plenty of pundits saw the Rabbitohs battling for a spot in the top eight in 2025, or at least missing the finals narrowly under returning coach Wayne Bennett.

Few believed the Bunnies were a threat to lift the trophy on the final day, yet despite some death-knelling their season and over stating their weaknesses, the talent in the squad and the presence of a coach who rarely misses finals, meant the savvy would have held them safe in the betting market.

If you tossed the question the way of AI at the start of the season, the result suggested South Sydney were a fringe top eight team, potentially making the cut by a game or two.

A few wrote them off, some thought far too much of them. Yet a team with a frightfully fit Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker, Campbell Graham, Jack Wighton, Jai Arrow, Cameron Murray and Keaon Koloamatangi on the books should always be respected, particularly with Bennett at the helm.

Sadly for the fans in the burrow, it has turned a little ugly for the famous club, with just 33 for and against points keeping them off the bottom of the ladder after 17 rounds of play.

Injuries have not helped, close losses have hurt, but all teams could sight the same, as Souths prepare for what will be a season defining match-up with the Sea Eagles on Sunday.

Lose this one and the cellar looms, something that will be a new experience for Bennett after 37 previous seasons where he has never once managed to claim a wooden spoon.

It would be a novel twist on the great man’s career; returning to a premiership winning club after a handful of seasons away and now looming into the frame as the next coach of the Kangaroos.

Bennett only ever missed finals twice in his first 21-year stint with the Broncos. Frankly, he was never even near coaching a team that finished bottom of the ladder. When he returned from 2015-18 it was much of the same.

Wayne Bennett rarely misses the finals. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

By then, his legendary reputation had been well established and his career turning into something of a gun for hire arrangement. Three successful years at the Dragons and a premiership in the second of those continued the pattern, before the Knights called and even with a limited pool of talent with which to work, a preliminary final sandwiched two average seasons in the Hunter.

His arrival at South Sydney in 2019 was lauded as the trigger for a premiership to follow the 2014 win and three strong seasons of finals representation followed, with a loss in the big dance in 2021 after a 20 win and four loss season creditable.

Maybe only an expansion club could test him and see the supercoach struggle. Yet even at the Dolphins, Bennet was clear of the bottom, challenging for the top eight in his second season in charge and missing by a close margin.

The Dolphins were set up for success under Wayne Bennett and the expansion team impressed almost immediately. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Since 1987, Bennett has taken just a season off and now at the age of 75, oversees a squad in awful trouble and one he would prefer not gift him a first and embarrassing wooden spoon. There are plenty of excuses/reasons for the current state of affairs, yet after sneaking home in Round 1 and 2 by the slimmest of margins and battling well early, the season has been horrible since.

In fact, the Bunnies did manage four wins from their first five. After that, the Cowboys, Bulldogs, Storm, Knights, Raiders and Dolphins have towelled them up handily and after clinging on to a top eight spot at Round 12, the following slide has been epic.

A trip to Brookvale and a loss to the Sea Eagles on Sunday could end it all for 2025 and perhaps the Titans are the last hope for Souths and Bennett when it comes to avoiding a rare trip to the foot of the NRL ladder.

Almost all the good coaches have one; Craig Bellamy, Brad Fittler, Tim Sheens, just to name a few. After so many years in the sunshine, perhaps it is time Bennett added a spoon to his trophy cabinet.

After the Sea Eagles, Souths have Penrith, Cronulla and Brisbane to deal with and a poor month would almost certainly see the spoon in range. The clash with the Titans in early August could be the decider, unless either can string together a few wins beforehand.