In amongst the rubble of South Sydney's season from hell, Andrew Johns believes the club may have uncovered a gem in 21-year-old halfback Ashton Ward.
His first appearance in the NRL was against the Sharks in round 21, where he played 23-minutes in a dour defensive game.
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The following week, Ward was handed the reins to the side, starting at halfback against a powerhouse Broncos outfit.
The Rabbitohs would go on to lose by 46-points, but Ward did enough to grab the attention of Johns according to Maroons coach Billy Slater, who worked on commentary that night with the eighth immortal.
"I was actually sitting next to Andrew Johns calling the game and you could tell how excited Joey was getting," he said on a recent episode of Nine's Billy Slater Podcast.
"He's only a really small guy, he's got plenty of development left in him.
"He was the shining light for the Bunnies in that 60-point loss."
Ward has impressed during his stint with the Rabbitohs New South Wales Cup side, after joining from the Dragons Cup side at the start of the season.
So far in his 2025 campaign, he's played 17-games and crossed for five tries - as well as kicking goals at a 75% clip.
However, he likely wouldn't have been brought in to Bennett's side if the Rabbitohs hadn't undergone one of the most significant injury tolls in NRL history.
With his performance against the Broncos, Ward may have propelled himself into the discussion of being South Sydney's long-term solution at halfback.
"Without doubt [he could be the long-term halfback]," said Slater.
"There were a couple of moments where he straightened the attack.
"Nothing was happening outside it, but he was actually creating some opportunities through the straightness and directness of his play."
Ward will have the opportunity to continue building his first grade resume against a down on their luck Titans team in round 23.