A “deep review” is looming for the Rabbitohs after South Sydney’s season ended with a 26-12 loss at home to the Roosters.
A heartbroken Jason Demetriou struggled to put his finger on just what went wrong for the Bunnies amid a spectacular collapse from earlier this season.
His side is the first in the NRL era to lead the competition after 11 rounds and miss finals, highlighting the extent to which the Rabbitohs have fallen off the wagon.
While the on-field performances have got no better, South Sydney has been plagued by off-field issues in the past fortnight.
Sam Burgess was let go as assistant coach in controversial circumstances, while a leaked text from Clive Churchill’s son Rod labelled Latrell Mitchell – who missed Friday night through suspension - a “cancer”.
Demetriou suggested the brewing tension was all part of the club’s failures.
“It’s disappointing because as a club we haven’t had that the last few years,” Demetriou said post-game.
“We’re a pretty tight ship. Like any club, we work on our things together and inside the four walls so it’s disappointing that things are getting out or are being said. A lot of it isn’t true but at the end of the day, we can’t change it.
“It’s a small part of probably a lot of little things that have added to where we are at.”
The Rabbitohs have fallen apart across the field since Origin and Demetriou pledged to find out the cause.
“It’s hard, I’m not going to lie,” Demetriou added.
“It’s going to be a part of a deep review, for sure.
“I’ve got to hold my hands up there. I’m the head coach, it’s on me to make sure we’re better (and) we’re not falling like we were.
“I could sit here and make excuses, but it hurts. It’s a tough lesson to learn but I’ll learn it.
“I’ve got to have a deep look at how I handled that situation, that mid-part especially through the Origin period and how we came out of it.
“Like I said it hurts now and there’s tough lessons but I’ll learn it.”
Souths captain Cameron Murray added on ABC Sport: “I don’t have many words.
“We were good this week, we did well to block out the noise, guess it just wasn’t to be.
“Sorry to all our fans. We promise we’ll do better next season.”
The Roosters require either a Cowboys or Raiders loss if they are to play finals.