By Christopher Sutton
foxsports.com.au
March 05, 2010

Foxsports.com.au and Greg Alexander bring you all you need to know about South Sydney, Brandy's tip to finish 7th in the 2010 NRL premiership season.

New faces: Sam Burgess (Bradford Bulls), Ben Ross (Cronulla), David Taylor (Brisbane Broncos)

Shown the door: David Fa'alogo (Huddersfield Giants), Michael Greenfield (St George Illawarra), David Kidwell (retired), Jaiman Lowe (Queensland Cup), Craig Wing (Japanese Rugby Union)

Last year: The Rabbitohs started strong and finished even stronger in 2009, sadly they were crippled by a midseason slump that rendered their run to the finals impotent. All the while the Rabbitohs maintained their status as the league's top try-scoring and point-scoring team and hinted at what could have been.

Room for improvement: Overhauling team culture has been on the to-do list since the club imploded in 1990. Despite the arrival of Russell Crowe the team is still cursed by an inability to turn cash and player stocks into on-field performance. The case has never been stronger for a play-off charge, so long as the club can back it up.

Game breaker: Dave Taylor - only marginally ahead of Sam Burgess and they both possess the same threat. Taylor is either the craftiest prop forward or the biggest centre three-quarter in the game depending on who you talk to. Regardless of where he plays, he must be given room to move and a licence to kill.

Rising star: Pulled out of the Queensland Cup in 2008, Chris McQueen had to wait until late 2009 before making his NRL debut. He made an immediate impact, picking up a try in his first outing, the 36-22 destruction of Manly at Brookvale. McQueen played four games for three wins to see out the season and got his hands on plenty of ball, racking up over 100 metres on two occasions.

Last chance: It's the last chance Ben Ross thought he would never get. A year ago the reality was he may never play again after rupturing a disc in his neck and the scary truth is that another injury could make this a last chance for Ross's career and well being. Playing for a pittance at Rabbitohs could just as easily make him the feel-good story of the year.

Coach factor: John Lang has been brought out of retirement to try and work his magic with another club. After taking Cronulla to a grand final and Penrith to a premiership he has a track record of turning zeroes into heroes, can he do the same under the spotlight of the NRL’s highest-profile owner?

Key stat: If the Rabbitohs are to become serious Premiership contenders they will need to improve their record away from home. Since their return to the NRL in 2002, they have won just 23 of their 97 away matches (24%).

Greg Alexander says: "They’ve made some terrific buys in Sam Burgess and Dave Taylor. I think they have the forward pack to lay a platform, but the question mark will be whether their halves can deliver on the back of it."

The Adjudicator says: "It's a classic diversion technique, the "if we spend our entire salary cap on building the league's strongest forward pack maybe no one will notice we have a NSW Cup-calibre backline" theory. And it might just work, especially if you believe the rumours that Dave Taylor and Sam Burgess were brought to the club as part of a genetic engineering experiment whereby all future juniors will be exclusively cloned." 

Fantasy banker/darkhorse: John Sutton’s all-round game makes him a legitimate Fantasy heavyweight. Whether lining up in the back row or at five-eighth his work rate will be high on both sides of the ball. While the uncertainty around where Luke Capewell will line up makes him a risky acquisition, his Fantasy worth tripled in 2009 and could sky-rocket again this year.

Greg Alexander's 2010 NRL Ladder:

1st: ?
2nd: ?
3rd: ?
4th: ?
5th: ?
6th: ?

• 7th: 'Souths have the forward pack to lay a platform'
• 8th: 'Sea Eagles have lost depth but still have class'
• 9th: 'It will all rest on Farah and Marshall for the Tigers'
• 10th: 'Knights have a balanced squad across their list'
• 11th: 'Cowboys season sits on the back of Thurston'
• 12th: 'Broncos will miss finals for first time in 19 years'
• 13th: 'The Roosters will improve with their signings'
• 14th: 'The Raiders have got to learn how to travel'
• 15th: 'The Sharks don't have enough go-to men'
• 16th: 'The Warriors are in for a tough season'

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Brandy's crystal ball: Return tomorrow to see which team Greg Alexander thinks will fill the next rung on the NRL ladder - all the way to the first game of the season on March 12 when we'll preview the team he's tipping to win the premiership. That day, Greg will be on hand from 1pm (EDT) to answer your questions on all things league.