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 back-up 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 mastercoach for his advice before making the tough decision of stepping away from the Socceroos coaching job last year. 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 felt Arnold was the man for a key role.

Former Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has been signed by Wayne Bennett to mentor the South Sydney goalkickers this NRL season. Supercoach Wayne Bennett convinced Graham Arnold it was time to move on from the Socceroos last year. 'Graham will be doing some work with our goalkickers. He knows what he is talking about,' Bennett said. '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 back-up 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 Sea Eagles skipper Jamie Lyon called on Arnold during the 2013 NRL 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. Sharp shooter Hodgson often called on the soccer great to fine-tune his craft.

Latrell Mitchell will look to improve his strike rate of 71.74 per cent from last season. 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.