South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett has given the clearest indication as to whether Rabbitohs half Cody Walker will play on in 2027.

The 36-year-old was a pivotal figure for the red and green in their 32-12 win over the Parramatta Eels on Thursday night, once again showing his craftiness against rival half Mitchell Moses in what was the latter’s 250th NRL game.

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On the night though, it was Walker’s time to celebrate. Two tries, two line breaks and two tackle breaks were just some of the key numbers showcasing the veteran’s class as the Rabbitohs pushed into the top four for the time being.

Walker’s future has been a point of discussion with his contract up at the end of 2026, and the half turning 37 in January next year.

While there’s no signing on the dotted line just yet, Bennett made his and Walker’s intentions clear.

“I think he’d like to play on if he could and we’d like him to play on if he can, so right now it’s looking good for him,” Bennett said in his post-match press conference.

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“I just enjoy coaching him, he’s a pleasure to have in the team. He’s a bit slow learning what ‘six-to-go’s’ mean and being onside, but we’ll win that battle with him.

“He’s got things you can’t coach, he’s a great competitor… I don’t see any real problems about him not being with us next year

“Let’s get through this year and we can make better decisions when we look at what we’ve done.”

Bennett said age isn’t a factor in extending — despite Walker pushing into his late 30’s and twighlight of his career.

“Cody would tell you he’s a lot younger than that because he didn’t play NRL until he was 25 or something.”

Walker kick started the party early for the Rabbitohs, crossing in the fourth minute before Evan Aitken’s try stretched their early lead to 12 points.

NRL 2026 RD17NRL 2026 RD17 Parramatta Eels v South Sydney Rabbitohs – Cody Walker, try, celeb. Picture: NRL PhotosSource: Supplied

However from there it was all defence for the visitors, continuing to hold out the Parramatta attack ahead of the half-time break – letting in just one try during that period.

It would prove crucial in the end with South Sydney leading 12-6 at the break and despite letting in an early Tallyn Da Silva try in the second half, the Rabbitohs reaped the rewards of their hard work.

Four-straight tries to finish the contest rounding out a resounding win for South Sydney, but it was the first half which impressed their coach the most.

“I think we did seven sets in a row on the try line when we were giving away ‘six-to-go’s’,” Bennett said.

“That was pretty impressive, (we) kept the scoreboard away from getting out of our control.

“We did a lot of defence in the last 20 minutes of the first half and that probably won us the game.”

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Dayne Jennings made a surprise debut off the bench for South Sydney midway through the second half. It wasn’t to plan.

“You kind of prepare for that (injuries) before you pick the team… so that’s why we brought Dayne in, just in case we had those problems,” Bennett added

“We haven’t even done a jersey presentation for him yet, because it wasn’t my intention to play him unless we absolutely had to.

“But we absolutely had to tonight, so he did a really good job for us.”

Thursday night’s win continues to solidify South Sydney’s status as the Parramatta Eels’ ‘bogey team’.

Parramatta still haven’t defeated the Rabbitohs at Commbank Stadium since 2019, with South Sydney now winning 10 of their last 11 games against the Eels.

The Rabbitohs will now have eight days facing their toughest test yet next Friday night when they face the ladder-leading Panthers, once again at Commbank Stadium.