After winning nine straight matches, Southern Districts were the form side of the competition at the back end of last season but came undone in the opening week of the playoffs, losing to Norths 47-18. Manly's loss to Eastwood a day earlier meant that Souths' season was over, despite finishing second, and the Rebels had let another premiership opportunity slip through their fingers. The majority of Matt Barr's squad have returned in 2018 and a few key recruits could help the Rebels find what they've been looking for over a number of years. Overview with Matt Barr: "We’ve had a good preseason. Our attention has been strong, which I think is a good sign for our culture and our program. We’ve picked up a few new recruits and added some new faces from our colts program as well and that’s created a lot of competition for spots," Matt Barr told Rugby News. "To end last year as we did, it was extremely disappointing. To win nine games straight heading into the playoffs a