Jason Demetriou believes his tight-knit bond with the playing group makes him the right man to guide South Sydney out of the slump that threatens to derail their 2024 season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But after three losses to start the year, the beleaguered coach admits no level of confidence will ease the pressure if his side cannot click into gear quickly.
The Sydney Roosters handed Souths the biggest loss of Demetriou's tenure on Friday night, scoring eight tries in a 48-6 mauling that pushed their rivals to the bottom of the ladder.
The clash at Allianz Stadium followed a similar story to the Rabbitohs' first two losses of the season, with errors both putting the side under pressure defensively and thwarting their attack.
"It's probably the lowest point in my career right now," Demetriou said of the loss.
The trio of defeats to begin 2024 came after the Rabbitohs lost seven of their final 10 games last year and crashed out of finals contention despite leading the premiership through 11 rounds.
At the time, rumours swirled that Demetriou had been giving preferential treatment to superstar players Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker
Demetriou was again in the spotlight this week for his decision to axe Lachlan Ilias as halfback, and after ex-Rabbitohs winger Josh Mansour made a public critique of his communication style.
But on Friday night, Wayne Bennett's former protege Demetriou insisted he was "extremely confident" he could inspire the Rabbitohs out of their latest funk.
"That's my job, it's on me to guide the boys this week and make sure we're fighting hard and getting ready to play (against Canterbury) on Good Friday," he said.
"I've been with this group for a long time. I understand the group and I'm confident that we're on the same page and we're working together.
"I've got no doubt I'm the man who can turn it around but ultimately, what I sit here and say makes no difference to what people are going to say.
"The noise is there. It's there because we're not winning and we're not playing well.
"The only thing that's going to make a difference is get our training right, get our performance right next week, get some results on the board."
Neither Demetriou's move to promote Dean Hawkins to halfback nor the call to bench hooker Damien Cook could spark the Rabbitohs.
"We brought Deano in, who I thought did a pretty good job for us," Demetriou said.
"He'll get better for having the run but 'Cookie' came into the season underdone with a calf injury, so it was a matter of trying to get the best out of him and get him running the footy again."
The coach was unsure whether next week's first-grade team would feature Ilias, who was hailed as "outstanding" by Demetriou in a 28-12 NSW Cup win over the Roosters
"No idea. We'll be looking at the tapes and we'll make the decision next week," Demetriou said.
Australian Associated Press
