Matty Johns says that South Sydney’s decision to allow Adam Reynolds leave the club is one of the biggest mistakes in the club’s history.
The Rabbitohs' halves looked all at sea in their shock 11-4 loss against the Brisbane Broncos on Friday night and only managed the one try.
Johns said that Reynolds’ departure to Red Hill has meant that a lot of pressure has now fallen on new Bunnies halfback Lachlan Ilias.
“What we saw again from Souths (on Friday) was the crazy decision to allow Adam Reynolds to leave the club,” Johns said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“It just changes the whole dynamic of the football side.
“Ilias is a very good player and he’ll end up going on to play 200 games.
“But it takes you 30 to 40 games to not just get used to the pace of NRL football but then on top of that to organise other guys into shape.
“They were saying he’s a very good talker and a good organiser, but this is another step up.
“It just puts a huge strain (and) you can see how much adjusting they have to do.
“I couldn’t understand the Adam Reynolds decision back then and I don’t understand it now.”
The loss of Reynolds also put pressure on five-eighth Cody Walker who went missing when Souths were desperate for someone to create something special in the dying moments.
NRL legend Cameron Smith said that it was a frustrating night for Walker but if he is to become the Rabbitohs’ number one playmaker, his attitude in tight games must improve.
“You could actually see the frustration build with Cody as the game went on,” Smith said.
“He withdrew from the game even earlier than 10 minutes to go.
“He looked like he wasn’t interested.
“He’s going to have to learn how to adapt (because) the unfortunate thing is that Adam Reynolds isn’t coming back.
“He’s going to have to be a little more patient within those 80 minutes that he’s playing.”
The Rabbitohs will look to register their first win when they take on the Melbourne Storm on Thursday night.