By Adam Sheldon

Souths have appointed Adrian Thompson as head coach for the 2026 Hospital Cup season, following a period of significant change at the club.

Thompson takes on the role amid a major rebuild at Souths, which finished fifth last season, with former head coach Rama Chand, assistant coach Garrick Morgan and director of rugby Jason Jones all departing.

Thompson brings an impressive coaching CV to the Magpies, including a Premier Grade premiership with Easts, as well as experience with the Queensland Reds, Australia A, the Junior Wallabies and time in Japan.

Speaking to Rugby News, Thompson said his early assessment of his new squad was of a young playing group with the potential to take significant steps forward over the coming seasons.

“They’re probably a team that has the potential to achieve a lot more than what they’ve done over the last few years,” Thompson said.

“I think they’re going to be a really young group from what I’ve seen, but I’m quite excited about where they could head over the next couple of years.

“There are boys coming through who were involved in strong colts programs a few years ago, and they’re now getting to that age where you can start to win games at this level. That’s what’s exciting about it.”

Thompson acknowledged the 2026 season may require patience, describing it as one that could involve “going backwards to go forwards” as the club focused on development.

“I think like any team, the aim is to make the top four, but we’re also realistic,” he said.

One of the key areas for improvement, Thompson said, was attack, identifying Souths’ scoring output as a decisive factor in their late-season fade.

“There was a stretch last year where they scored 71 points across six games and lost all six,” he said.

“You can’t win games averaging 12 points a game. We need to get an attack system that everyone works harder at – that’s important.

“There were probably three or four games last year where, had they scored eight more points, they would’ve finished third in the competition. They weren’t far off, but they’ve got to improve that.”

Off the field, Thompson confirmed Souths entered the 2026 season without any paid rugby staff or a director of rugby, with the club relying heavily on volunteers as it looked to rebuild its resources.

He said he would help cover parts of the director of rugby role alongside board members.

“At the moment, there’s no director of rugby and no paid staff,” he said.

“That’s where success becomes important. One of my hopes is that some success at the top level can help build the resources of the club.”

Asked about the turnover of key staff at the club, Thompson said he had largely stayed out of those discussions, noting that Garrick Morgan had stepped back from coaching after last season due to health concerns.

“I don’t know what happened in regards to the turnover, to be honest – I’ve tried to stay out of it,” he said.

“I’ve had a couple of chats to Garrick and he’s been really supportive of everything that we’re doing.”

Despite the changes, Thompson said player retention had been strong, with a core group remaining intact through school and junior pathways.

He added Souths’ long-term success would hinge on strengthening its junior links, pointing to the advantages enjoyed by clubs with deep grassroots relationships.

“If you look at clubs like GPS, Brothers or Easts, the strong junior base provides so many resources to the senior club,” Souths’ head coach said.