Adam Reynolds' confession about Latrell Mitchell amid ugly NRL dramas at South Sydney

Adam Reynolds has lifted the lid on his experiences with Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker at Souths, saying he believes they're not to blame for the club's troubles. The Rabbitohs have started the year 1-4 and have won just five of their last 20 games.

Mitchell will now miss the next month of football after copping a three-game suspension, while Walker has been well below his best and doesn't appear to be at full fitness. Reynolds played with both of them during his time at the Rabbitohs, and opened up about the dramas engulfing Souths on Wednesday.

"That's people from outside looking in," Reynolds said of the criticism of Mitchell and Walker. "When I was there they were terrific team players and got the job done.

"I had no problems when I was there with them. When you aren't playing your best football, it's easy for outsiders to make judgement on these players, but their teammates and ex-teammates would love to have them in the team every day."

Reynolds played 231 games for Souths and won a premiership at the club in 2014, before moving to the Broncos in acrimonious circumstances in 2022. The halfback also played under current coach Jason Demetriou when he was an assistant under Wayne Bennett for three seasons, and moved to back the under-fire Souths mentor on Wednesday.

Demetriou is reportedly facing the sack, with Souths officials on the hunt for a new coach. Reynolds said it was not his business to sort out the Rabbitohs' problems, but he had high praise for the coach.

"I'm not down there so I don't know (what is going wrong), but I feel for the boys and JD," Reynolds said. "I worked with JD before and I know he is a great coach. I don't know what is exactly happening but it's never easy to see your old team and mates go through that sort of stuff.

"You want to see your mates do well, no matter who they are playing for. I still love a lot of the boys there. I know most of them and it's never good to see them not playing good footy or being criticised in the media. I feel for them but it's different now that I'm up in Brisbane. It's not my job to worry or fix their problems."

Adam Reynolds addresses Wayne Bennett to Souths speculation

Bennett has been touted as a potential replacement for Demetriou, but the Dolphins also want to keep the master-coach beyond his current deal which expires at the end of this season - most likely in a head of football role. "I don't know. It's been written and it's been talked about," Reynolds said of Bennett's potential return to the Rabbitohs.

"Wayne is pretty comfortable up here in Redcliffe. He is building a team up here. I'm not too sure what's in the plans for Wayne, but wherever he is he is a great addition."

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Sam Burgess has also been touted as a possible replacement for Demetriou, while some have suggested he should return to the club as an assistant under Bennett before taking the reins at a later stage. But Souths officials are said to be keen on Burgess continuing his 'apprenticeship' at Warrington before coming back to a head coaching role in the NRL.

with AAP