The Rabbitohs celebrated with great confidence and clarity following their impressive 30-6 victory over the Manly Sea Eagles in Mudgee last night.
While the explosive attacking prowess and dynamic combinations developed during the offseason were hard to miss, the real change lay in the players' refreshed mentality and determination.
Brandon Smith shared insights into his transformative offseason after a challenging previous year that included recovery from injury, being let go by the Roosters, and facing legal issues related to drugs and gambling.
This offseason, Smith dedicated himself to personal development, spending time in rehabilitation and attending Alcoholics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous meetings.
He attributes his new outlook and focus for the 2026 season to the supportive environment at South Sydney.
"Mentally I've worked really hard ... I've done a lot of focusing on myself over the off-season and [I've been] enjoying the pre-season," he explained.
"I've had tremendous support from this organisation of the Bunnies and Wayne (Bennett) and (football manager) Jason Clark and Blake (Solly), the CEO, they've been so bloody good to me, and I'm very blessed that I've joined this club because I was going down a dark road and thankfully I'm on the way out. It's still early days for me.
"I'm just looking forward to enjoying my life, enjoying my football, and this club has helped me so much because every day I come in, I'm so happy. Wayne creates a great environment, and I'm blessed to be part of it.
"You've got people like Cam Murray, who's an absolute leader and a role model for me, even though I'm older than him."