Hornby captained the Bennett-coached Dragons to their drought-breaking 2010 premiership, before he retired in 2012.

A coach at the Dragons for the past seven years, Hornby was relieved of his duties following this year's disastrous campaign.

The Rabbitohs have pounced on the 39-year-old, with Hornby to fill the role of development coach for the next two seasons.

The announcement comes just a day after St George Illawarra confirmed the signing of former Sharks coach Shane Flanagan.

The position will see Hornby focus on the skill development of emerging players both within the Rabbitohs top 30 and the club's development players. He will also mentor retired South Sydney stars Greg Inglis and John Sutton as they transition away from football.

Hornby will reunite with Rabbitohs assistant coach Jason Demetriou, the pair working together as assistant coaches at the Dragons in 2016.

Read more: St George Illawarra five-eighth Corey Norman keen to put previous disappointment behind him

Rabbitohs football manager Shane Richardson said Hornby will play a key role in helping produce the next crop of South Sydney first grade players.

"Ben is a tremendous person with a sharp football mind and his appointment will be very beneficial for our players and the coaching ranks at our Club," Richardson said.

"He has worked under Wayne (Bennett) and Jason (Demetriou) previously and they speak very highly of him as a coach and as a person.

"He is building a strong coaching base at all levels of the game and he will be a great mentor for both Greg and John as they begin their coaching journeys this year.

"Ben was a first class player, is regarded as one of the top young coaches in the game, and we're delighted to have him join our team for the coming season."

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