South Sydney have confirmed seven players will depart the club as they embark on a rebuild under incoming coach Wayne Bennett.
Tom Burgess (Huddersfield) and Damien Cook (Dragons) bid farewell after Friday night’s loss to the Roosters with the pair’s departure to new clubs already known.
But haflbacks Dean Hawkins and Dion Teaupa, winger Izaac Thompson and forwards Leon Te Hau and Michael Chee-Kam will also leave the club.
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Hawkins and Chee-Kam have both been linked to other clubs, but it remains to be seen whether they will remain in the NRL.
The club flashed up a graphic thanking the seven players after their season ended with a 36-28 loss.
Burgess barged over for a late try in his last game for Souths, while Cook landed two of three conversions while moonlighting as goalkicker.
Burgess also landed his awkward conversion from close range.
Interim coach Ben Hornby paid tribute to the club greats after the match.
“Cooky is everything you want in a player. He trains hard, he’s a great teammate, he does whatever the team needs,” he said.
“And Tom’s exactly the same. Tom’s experienced pretty much everything in rugby league so he adds that to our forward pack, who’s quite young at the moment.
“He’s not afraid to have a joke and keep it pretty light around the group as well.
“They’re going to be huge losses to the club, we’ve known that for weeks by how much the boys want to go out there and finish off the year with these blokes.
“You couldn’t find two better teammates or players to be involved in a club.”
Cook farewelled fans out on the pitch before joining Hornby in the post-match media conference.
And Burgess also made an appearance in the conference after barging in with a beer in hand to join Cook and Hornby at the table.
“I was happy to get that (try) in my last game… It opened up, I was surprised actually. I think they let me in to be honest,” Burgess said.
“Then Cooky said I had the kicking duties. I’m glad it wasn’t any further out to be honest.
“I suppose I’ve reflected (on my career) throughout the week. I’m just really grateful for what I’ve been able to do over here.
“I came over as a young lad on a one-year deal, not really knowing what to expect. The game has given me a lot more than I’ve given it.
“I love Australia. I’ll be back here when I retire. I just can’t thank the Bunnies enough for everything they’ve done for me and my family.”
The Rabbitohs endured a nightmare season, winning just seven matches to finish second-last, only one win ahead of Wests Tigers.
Bennett will return as head coach after signing a three-year deal.
The master coach famously led the Bunnies to a grand final in 2021, which was his final year at the club.
