NRL world slams the Rabbitohs over 'awful' move in Anzac Day defeat to the Storm

NRL fans were left baffled on Anzac Day after tuning in to the Souths and Melbourne clash only to find the Rabbitohs side looked unrecognisable. In a run-on side without star player Latrell Mitchell and with a host of players who didn't feature in the team until this season, you would be forgiven for not knowing the table-topping Storm's opponents were the Bunnies, largely due to their choice of jersey.

In what was the third NRL game on Anzac Day, the Storm wore a commemorative purple and black striped jersey with a red poppy on the chest. But the Rabbitohs looked like a completely different team, deciding against going with their iconic red and green stripes.

Instead, the only green or red that was seen was on the club's socks, with their usual jersey replaced entirely with a predominately white and navy blue strip. In a kit that looked more like that of the Storm than Souths, the NRL world was left confused by the choice.

The jersey selection was even more confusing for fans due to the Rabbitohs replacing the Warriors in the annual Anzac Day fixture against Melbourne. Many footy fans were also left angry that whoever was in charge of the kit choice decided to not respect the colours of what is the NRL's oldest team. And social media was abuzz as viewers tuned in for the game and had to do a double take to check who was actually playing.

Souths released the commemorative jersey earlier this week, stating that it had been made in honour of their ongoing partnership with the Royal Australian Navy. The club said: "The jersey underscores our enduring commitment to the values we share with the Royal Australian Navy, including mateship, high performance, commitment to the team and achieving success.

"The 2024 ANZAC Jersey proudly mirrors the Navy’s ‘sailor suits’ ceremonial uniform, similar to those worn by Royal Australian Navy personnel in the Second World War."

It has become increasingly common in recent years for NRL and AFL teams to play in a commemorative kit for their Anzac Round games. While these jerseys can differ from the club's home kits, they often look more like their away jerseys or alternative jerseys.

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Storm thrash Rabbitohs in Anzac Day clash

A Cameron Munster masterclass helped Melbourne sweep past Souths 54-20 on Thursday night to continue the Rabbitohs' winless record in Victoria and add to the pressure on embattled coach Jason Demetriou.

With Gold Coast beating the Warriors earlier on Thursday, the loss saw Souths fall back to the bottom of the NRL ladder. Following the match Demetriou said the team is showing glimpses of what they can produce but aren't putting together complete 80-minute performances.

"It's very disappointing, especially with the two weeks lead-in that we've had and the detail in how we wanted to play, especially defensively," Demetriou said. "It's just a myriad of errors defensively ...around our ruck, around our decision on our edges, we're just not nailing them when the pressure is on.

"You see periods where the team looks like the team we're capable of being but we need to buy into doing it for longer periods." The Bunnies could also be without winger Taane Milne for a few weeks after a brain snap in the final minute of the match. The winger was sin-binned and put on report for attacking Munster's legs, which Demetriou described as a "dumb note to end a dumb night".

with AAP