There are plenty of question marks around South Sydney heading into the 2025 season.
Can the enigmatic Latrell Mitchell stay fit and firing? Is the supercoach Wayne Bennett still able to weave his magic? What does Josh Schuster's role look like?
Those are perhaps the questions that are being asked most frequently, but there is one glaring issue that the Rabbitohs seemingly haven't addressed.
While a star-studded backline should win them plenty of games, the make-up of the club's forward pack – in particular their front-row rotation – remains a bit of a mystery.
Junior Tatola is coming off a lengthy injury layoff and it remains to be seen whether the Tongan international will return to the same level he was at.
Tevita Tatola is coming back from a serious foot injury. Â Getty
Davvy Moale, for all his upside, still has plenty of improvement left in him and at just 21 years of age, can't be expected to carry the load in the middle.
If those are the top two recognised props at the Bunnies, it's a steep decline after that to the likes of Sean Keppie and Shaq Mitchell.
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The likelihood is that Jai Arrow and Keaon Koloamatangi, who are not out-and-out props by any means, could spend a lot of their time playing there this season.
Koloamantagi was a State of Origin edge back-rower not too long ago and was regarded as one of the best players in his position, while Arrow has spent the majority of his career at lock but has been shuffled around the pack during his time at Redfern.
If you look at some of the top clubs such as Melbourne, Cronulla, Brisbane and Penrith, there is nowhere near that level of uncertainty around such a crucial position.
Craig Bellamy recognised the need to complement Nelson Asofa-Solomona, so he went out and signed one of the best young forwards in the game in Stefano Utoikamanu.
It gives the Storm depth in a crucial position as they look to go one better after losing the grand final against four-time champs Penrith in devastating fashion.
In the Shire, consistent finals shortcomings saw Craig Fitzgibbon go after Addin Fonua-Blake in what looms as one of the best signings of the year.
Addin Fonua-Blake has joined the Sharks. Â Sharks Instagram
His arrival will see him lead the way alongside the likes of Toby Rudolf, Tom Hazelton, Braden Hamlin-Uele and Oregon Kaufusi, which is a pretty handy group.
Canterbury were a little light up front last year despite exceeding expectations, so they went ahead and snared Tom Amone for this season and Leo Thompson from 2026.
Those quality picks-ups come after the likes of Samuel Hughes and Max King enjoyed breakout campaigns under the tutelage of Cameron Ciraldo.
Even the Dragons, who have been criticised for some of their recruitment calls, pushed hard to land a big bopper and finally did so in the form of Canberra's Emre Guler.
The departure of Tom Burgess only added to South Sydney's need to bolster their front-row stocks, but they instead signed three utilities – Schuster, Jayden Sullivan and Jamie Humphreys – as well as back-rower Euan Aitken and halfback Lewis Dodd.
Tom Burgess was a stalwart at the Bunnies for a decade. Â Getty
Despite these potential concerns, Rabbitohs boss Blake Solly said the club aren't actively targeting a prop and shut down the "mythology" surrounding their engine room.
"We're at 27 of the top 30 signed and we usually start the season with 28," he told SEN.
"It's a slight mythology about us needing a big middle.
"Junior Tatola missed most of last season and he should be back. Davvy Moale is growing in terms of his presence as a front-row forward.
"We've got Sean Keppie and Jai Arrow and a number of other players.
Jai Arrow remains a crucial part of the forward pack. Â Bradley Kanaris via Getty Images
"We've got a forward pack that would be the envy of most others when you look at Keaon, Cameron [Murray], Euan Aitken, Josh Schuster – there's a lot of depth.
"We are pretty confident not only in our forward depth, but our depth generally and we'll keep that cap space available for as long as we can."Â
While the modern fast-paced game lends itself to more mobile forwards, the top teams all have a genuine enforcer in the middle of the park who lays the foundation.
Tatola could possibly be that man and Moale isn't short on potential – but neither man is at the level of a James Fisher-Harris, Payne Haas or the aforementioned Fonua-Blake.
