Grand final stars come through local ranks in South Sydney …
Here are some standout South Sydney Rabbitohs stars who came up through the local ranks and delivered big performances in grand finals:
A Rabbitohs junior star, Blake Taaffe was named Player of the Match in the 2023 NSW Cup Grand Final. His acceleration and critical final pass set up Tyrone Munro’s game-winning try in the 21–18 victory over North Sydney .
Another local Rabbitohs junior, Tyrone Munro, sealed the 2023 NSW Cup win with that dramatic try in the final five minutes. His performance was the culmination of a remarkable season .
Jayden Sullivan came through the Rabbitohs’ SG Ball system and earlier Koori Knockout success. Although he’s been carving out a comeback in the NRL, he remains a community-grown talent who debuted with South Sydney in 2025, aiming to rekindle his NRL career .
Souths have a proud tradition of promoting juniors through their local pathways, including SG Ball, Harold Matthews, and community competitions like the Koori Knockout. These development systems consistently feed talent into both the NSW Cup and NRL levels.
From Reddit discussions, there’s notable societal pride in Rabbitohs juniors stepping up on grand-final day:
> **“MUNRO IN THE GRAND FINAL!”**
**“The sky is blue, Munro scoring tries.”**
Taaffe & Munro were central to South Sydney’s 2023 NSW Cup triumph, showcasing local development success.
Sullivan, rising from junior levels, continues pursuing NRL impact in 2025.
This underlines South Sydney’s commitment to nurturing talent from within the community and advancing them through their system to perform on big stages.
Would you like to dive deeper into specific juniors, club development programs, or stats from these finals?
