New Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire has introduced more discipline

Under the new mentor, Rabbitohs winger Chris McQueen told2KY that the squad has grown tighter off field as well as reducing their error rate at training.

McQueen said the discipline thrust onto the team has been the major difference in coaches following the appointment of Maguire as John Lang’s successor.

“Definitely the unity and also the discipline,” McQueen said of the differences in coaches.

“I think this year we’re a lot more of one unit. We make sure we do everything together.

“We spend more time together outside of football and definitely the discipline, that’s something Michael Maguire’s really enforced with the boys.

“It’s just the little things is you make errors at training there’s going to be penalties - so everything that we do we have to really make sure you’re concentrating and do things right.”

Last week, 24-year-old McQueen joined Queensland’s emerging Origin squad, capping off a stellar season of NRL.

With the experience now a memory he has been named on the wing for the Bunnies first chance to demonstrate their new found discipline in Saturday’s return to Redfern trial against Warrington.

“I’ll be playing on the wing this weekend but I wouldn’t mind having a run around in the back row as well,” he said.

“I liked my time that I got there last year so I wouldn’t mind playing either.

“I like playing on the wing, you get to score a couple more tries playing on the wing but playing in the forwards was a good experience too getting a bit more ball in the hands and a bit more in defence as well.”

The squad boasts a mixture of first grade, Toyota Cup and NSW Cup players including rookie halves Adam Reynolds and new recruit Ryan Carr.

McQueen said with the first game under Maguire’s leadership set to for this weekend, everyone is desperate to make a great first impression.

“We’ve got a couple of young guys who have come into the squad, one from the Under 20’s Adam Reynolds,” McQueen said.

“He’ll have a run around this weekend and we’ve got a few guys from Redcliffe as well in the QLD Cup, they’ll all get their shot during the trials and I guess whoever impresses and leaves their mark the most they’ll get the job.

“We have a new coach and I think everyone’s really looking to impress.

“Everyone’s been really working hard this pre-season and trying to impress him but this is our first chance to really impress him on the field.”