Michael Maguire – the only man alive to coach South Sydney to a premiership – is shaping as the favourite to take over the reins at the club in 2025.
The Rabbitohs are backing besieged coach Jason Demetriou to keep his job – for the moment.
But if Souths don’t pull out of the slump that threatens to see then miss the finals for a second straight year, they will be moving in a different direction next season.
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Test coach Mal Meninga was touted as the early favourite to replace Demetriou, ex-Sharks coach John Morris was also mentioned, former Canberra coach Dave Furner is set to join the staff as defence coach in coming days – but Wide World of Sports has learned senior figures at the club want Maguire.
The current NSW Blues coach led Souths from 2012 until his sacking in 2017, famously taking the club to premiership glory in 2014, ending a drought of more than four decades.
Many of the figures involved in Maguire’s sacking are no longer at the club, and almost all the playing staff from that last season are gone – so if given the job, he would start with a clean slate.
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A senior Souths source – speaking on the condition of anonymity – confirmed Maguire was in Souths’ sights.
“Right now we are backing ‘JD’ (Demetriou) to get us back on track,” the source said.
“But you have to look at your options and we know ‘Madge’ (Maguire) can coach … no one will ever forget what he did for this club.”
Wide World of Sports reached out to Maguire but he declined to comment on his future beyond this year.
“Right now all I am thinking about is State of Origin and getting New South Wales back as the premier state,” he said.
FORMER KNIGHTS STAR EYEING NRL COMEBACK
Former Newcastle Knight Tex Hoy could be headed back to the NRL after parting ways with English club Hull FC this week.
Hoy left only days before coach Tony Smith was sacked, and fellow NRL import Fa’amanu Brown was given a release to join the Dragons yesterday.
Hoy, 24, is a Newcastle Knights junior who played 29 games for the club from 2020 to 2022. His stint at Hull FC, who won only one of their first seven games this year, was not a great success but he is a talented player who can fill in at fullback or five-eighth and would be a good squad member for struggling NRL clubs.
The 29-year-old Brown, a smart dummy-half, signed with the Dragons on Tuesday. Brown, who debuted in the NRL 10 years ago, has certainly done the rounds.
He’s played for the Sharks, Bulldogs, Featherstone Rovers, the Tigers, Bulldogs, Knights and Hull.
WHY THE DRAGONS WON’T MISS LOMAX
Zac Lomax is a class player – and a great signing for the Eels for the next four years.
But several members of the playing group at the Dragons won’t be sorry to see him leave the Big Red V in 2025.
Lomax is a different sort of bloke to the average footballer and is not among the more popular players in the Dragons’ camp. The fact he has been so vocal about wanting out for months also caused some angst with team-mates.
“He’s a great player, no doubt, but he won’t be missed,” one Dragons source told me.
REP FORWARD EYEING QUEENSLAND MOVE
Which big name player at a Sydney club could be headed to a Queensland club for a fresh start in 2025?
The star forward isn’t a well-liked figure at his current club – nor does he like the hustle and bustle of the big city.
A third party is mentioning his name to the four Queensland-based clubs looking for interest as the player has a get-out clause in his contract for 2025.
The player has representative honours to his name and would be a great pick-up for any club.
