The South Sydney Rabbitohs have confirmed that two of the club’s brightest young prospects will spend the next two months on the sidelines after sustaining injuries during their remarkable Charity Shield victory over the Dragons.
Leaving the field within the opening minutes of the contest, Jonah Glover will miss the next two months on the sidelines and will undergo surgery on Tuesday.
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The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for the young playmaker who made the switch to the Rabbitohs from the Dragons in the hope of new opportunities after being named in the 2025 NSW Cup Team of the Year.
Rising rookie centre Talanoa Penitani will also join him on the sidelines.
The younger brother of NRLW star Tiana Penitani, Talanoa, suffered a torn hamstring during the match last weekend and was in the running to start in the outside backs come Round 1.
“Halfback Jonah Glover sustained a broken jaw in the opening minutes of Saturday night’s Charity Shield victory. Glover will undergo surgery on Tuesday and will be sidelined for approximately eight weeks,” the club said on Monday.
“Centre Talanoa Penitani sustained a torn right hamstring while scoring a try against the Dragons in the Charity Shield and is expected to be sidelined for up to eight weeks.
“Junior Tatola and Max McCarthy both made successful returns to the field against the Dragons.
“Tatola returned from shoulder reconstruction surgery and played 20 minutes on Saturday night, while McCarthy made his return from an ACL reconstruction, also playing 20 minutes in his return match.”
Jonah Glover made the move to Souths ahead of 2026.Source: Getty Images
TITANS LOCK DOWN EXCITING YOUNG TALENT
The Titans have locked down an exciting young gun long-term who has drawn comparisons to Kalyn Ponga.
Fynn Laffranchi, son of the Titans’ inaugural player of the year Anthony Laffranchi, has agreed to terms on a deal with the club until the end of the 2030 season.
The 17-year-old is a talented fullback who Titans football chief has likened to Knights ace Ponga.
“Fynn has a bit of Kalyn Ponga in the way he moves,” Sattler told Code Sports.
“He has a great understanding of the game and reads the game so well. He is a footy nerd. He loves to study the game, which I like, he has great speed and his positioning is amazing.
“I’m excited he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps here at the Titans. Anthony wanted to stay out of negotiations out of respect to the process as his father.”
As per a club statement, Sattler said extending Laffranchi was the latest of a string of talented young Titans to re-sign with the Gold Coast.
“Fynn’s long-term commitment alongside several other pathways products like Zane Harrison, Cooper Bai, Jai Bilish and Viliami Fifita allows us to form a generational playing group that is exciting for the future of our club and region,” Sattler said via a club-issued statement.
“What makes Fynn’s signature even more special is Anthony’s rich history with the club as the inaugural Paul Broughton Medallist in the Titans’ foundation team, and we’re proud to have another Laffranchi continue to wear our colours.”
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Laffranchi is set to join the Titans’ NRL squad full time from 2027.
It’s another win for the club, who are committing to take full advantage of the amount of talented juniors who come from the Gold Coast area – one of the first assignments for new co-owner Matty Johns.
“I have not been brought in to interfere, but I want my active involvement to be the juniors. I want to cultivate the local juniors so when they come through they all want to play for the Titans,” Johns told Code Sports.
“This club can be a juggernaut. This area is producing an extraordinary amount of juniors coming out of those powerhouse schools which are sitting here on the Gold Coast.”
BENJI GIVES TIGERS STAR THE GREEN LIGHT FOR NEW ROLE
— Martin Gabor, Newswire
Adam Doueihi has ditched the utility belt and is ready to be Batman at the Wests Tigers this season after halves partner Jarome Luai said he was willing to relinquish the role.
“I’m not sure what Batman’s strengths are, but it sounds like he’s a pretty smart, strong dude. So I guess I’ll be Batman and he can be Robin,” Doueihi said.
Having a clear role is something new for Doueihi who has played halfback, five-eighth, centre, fullback and even lock forward since he made his debut in 2018.
Jarome Luai has given the main attacking role to Adam Doueihi. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
But he heads into the new season knowing the No. 7 jersey is his if he plays well enough, with Doueihi to take control of yardage sets, kick planning and doing most of the talking to give Luai the time and space to work his magic.
“At a younger age it’s a pretty cool thing to be versatile,” he said, with youngster Latu Fainu set to be the new everywhere man.
“I debuted at Souths in 2018 when Seibs (Anthony Seibold) was our coach. He played me pretty much every position in the backline so I got to learn all the different positions like half, five-eighth, fullback and centre – I even landed on the wing one game.
“As you grow up and mature and put some games under your belt, you grow into an older player and more of a senior leader in the group.
“I’ve finally settled on a position that I like, and I feel as though halfback brings out my strengths and will also suit our style of play this year.
“Benji (Tigers coach Benji Marshall) spoke to me earlier in the pre-season about wanting to give me a go there, and it’s worked well this pre-season.”
Doueihi will be the club’s new chief playmaker.Source: Supplied
Being versatile can have its negatives, with Doueihi unable to nail down a position for long enough to properly flourish.
Serious knee injuries didn’t help his cause, but he was always mentally strong enough to deal with the new challenges in a different role each week.
“It’s hard at times (playing different roles) and injuries don’t help that either,” he said.
“I’ve been out for a few seasons and have been thrown into different positions, but I love having my hands on the ball and dictating play.
“It’s a bit of an easier headspace mentality to go into the season with knowing that as long as I’m playing good footy that I’ll have that position.”
The stability on the field has been helped by the club’s decision to re-sign Marshall long term, with the Hall of Famer playing a key role in helping Doueihi to elevate his playmaking skills to the next level.
Doueihi has learnt plenty off Tigers coach Benji Marshall.Source: Supplied
“Benji is one of the greatest halves to ever play the game,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to play alongside him in 2020 at the Tigers in his last season. For him to transition into the coaching role … the way that he sees the game from a halfback’s perspective and can break down the opposition with little trick plays is great for me.
“I’m all ears whenever he talks. Me and ‘Romey’ (Luai) sit down with him and our attack coach Brett Hodgson about coming up with different game plans and styles of footy that suit our team.”