Gal: What we can't see that is sinking Rabbitohs

NRL great PAUL GALLEN will appear on Nine's 100% FOOTY every Monday night of the NRL season, debating rugby league's hottest topics alongside Phil Gould and James Bracey. Tune in tonight at 10pm (AEDT) following a bumper round two!

I get the interest around South Sydney and the pressure that comes with being the glamour club of the NRL.

But in all honesty I reckon critics are hitting the panic button a little too early on the Bunnies.

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In reality they have lost three games to teams that I think should be around the top four this year - Manly, Brisbane, and the Roosters.

I haven't actually tipped the Rabbitohs in any of their games yet.

Yes, I understand the loss on Friday night was concerning and obviously there are issues with the team at the moment.

But I'm certainly not going to write them off after three games, and they still have talent all across the park so there's plenty of time to turn things around.

My take on the situation is they are playing as individuals at the moment, not as a team.

It's tricky, because all of their stats individually are probably fine - they might be hitting their markers requested by the coaching staff and I'm sure they all think they are performing well individually.

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But the stats the crowd doesn't see are the ones that can really matter.

It's things like pushing up in support of a teammate, getting players to the kick chase to put pressure on the opposition, or putting pressure on their kicker.

They won't be seen on any stat sheet but they are what the Bunnies seem to be missing at the moment and it's making a big difference.

Cameron Murray is probably the only player who can hold his head high after his performances so far this season.

The team's form has already cost Lachlan Ilias his spot at halfback, and some are calling for more key players to be axed.

But guys like Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell aren't reserve grade players. Yes they might be down on form at the moment, but you won't fix the issues the team has by dropping players like that.

The concerning thing at the moment is the rumours that Sam Burgess brought to light last year haven't been put to bed yet.

Claims that Walker and Latrell were getting preferential treatment from the coach still seem to be hanging over the team, and probably won't leave until they start winning.

I thought the story was a bit ridiculous when it first came out - trust me, senior players at every club are afforded a bit more leeway than others.

As long as you've done the fitness work, you might ask the coach if you can start the weights session half an hour early so you can finish early and take your kids to an appointment.

It's not about cutting corners but it does happen, and there's no issue with it as long as the players and the team are performing well.

Cody is adamant they have put all the hard work in over the off-season, and I think we're going to find out if that's true in the next few weeks.

If some of the players haven't done the hard work, they are going to get found out in the NRL.

You can't cut corners and expect to suddenly play yourself back into form. There are no shortcuts at this level.

Winning starts on Monday - you have to show up at the start of every week prepared to train like you're going to win every day.

I'm not inside the four walls of South Sydney so I have no idea how hard they are working, all we can do is trust the message coming out of the club.

They've got games against the Bulldogs, Warriors, and Sharks coming up before their bye.

If they are still winless after the next couple of weeks, then we'll know there are bigger problems inside the club.