Former Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has been signed by Wayne Bennett to mentor the South Sydney goalkickers in the 2025 NRL season.
Arnold will start working immediately in a coaching capacity to assist Latrell Mitchell and the backup goalkickers to improve their accuracy.
Mitchell landed 33 from 46 in 11 games last year for a strike rate of 71.74 per cent, well below the best kickers such as Penrith maestro Nathan Cleary, who is regularly striking at over 80 per cent.
Arnold has a high regard for the Rabbitohs as an organisation and a long and close association with Rabbitohs coach Bennett.
He credited the master coach for his advice before deciding to step away from the Socceroos coaching job last year.
Wayne Bennett begins his second stint as head coach of the South Sydney Rabbitohs against his previous club, the Dolphins, in round one. (AAP Image: Dave Hunt)
Bennett, who returned to Souths after his stint setting up the Dolphins, wants to improve the Rabbitohs in every facet after their 16th-placed finish last year and told AAP that Arnold was the man for a key role.
“Graham will be doing some work with our goalkickers. He knows what he is talking about,” Bennett told AAP.
“He is a good person and a very good coach. All of our goalkickers can improve. Latrell will be our goalkicker this year but the back-up wasn’t where it should have been last season.
“Graham will work with the backup goalkickers as well. He will be taking over our goalkickers.”
Arnold has a long history of assisting NRL players with their kicking. He is highly regarded for his wisdom and it is of note that elite goalkickers have sought him out for guidance.
Former Manly skipper Jamie Lyon called on Arnold during the 2013 finals series after his usually reliable boot had let him down in several matches, including landing just two from seven against Melbourne late in the season.
He was kicking at just 67 per cent for the year before Arnold diagnosed that he was laying the ball too flat on the kicking tee. With a few other adjustments to his run-up Lyon landed five from five and then four from four in finals wins over Cronulla and South Sydney respectively, before landing four from five in the grand final against Sydney Roosters.
Former Wests Tigers stars Brett Hodgson and Benji Marshall are others Arnold has assisted.
Throughout his coaching career Bennett has been prepared to delegate responsibilities to those he trusts in order to improve his players.
He appointed former Brisbane Lions gun Daniel Rich as the Dolphins kicking coach most recently. Rich has had a positive influence on the general kicking of rising half Isaiya Katoa in particular.
AAP
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