Rabbitohs and Dragons launch 33rd Charity Shield today

The South Sydney Rabbitohs and St George Illawarra Dragons will play the 33rd Charity Shield at ANZ Stadium on Saturday 13 February, at the family-friendly kick off time of 5:30pm.

The Charity Shield, one of the traditional clashes on the Rugby League calendar each season, was launched today at ANZ Stadium with Rabbitohs Head Coach Michael Maguire and South Sydney hooker Cameron McInnes being joined by the Dragons’ Assistant Coach Dean Young and player Benji Marshall.

Traditionally, both Clubs support charity with proceeds from the match, with both Clubs providing focus to the good work conducted by Souths Cares and the St George Foundation in 2016.

The Rabbitohs will be aiming to secure their fourth-straight Charity Shield title in 2016, having defeated the Dragons in 2013 and 2014, then retaining the Shield following a 12-all draw at ANZ Stadium in 2015.

Coach Maguire is looking forward to getting the 2016 season underway with the annual Charity Shield match.

“As a group we’re looking forward to playing in the Charity Shield because it will give us an indication where we stand less than a month out from the start of the season proper,” Coach Maguire said.

“Our Members love this game as well and we’re expecting a strong turnout from our Members and supporters to our first 13-a-side game for the year.

“Our focus is getting ready for the season ahead and the Charity Shield is a great way for us to get a look at a number of players and assess where we need to improve in the lead up to round one.

“There’s also a trophy on the line and that trophy has stood for 33 years now, so we’ll be putting our best foot forward come February 13.

“Another positive is the focus we get to bring to the work of Souths Cares, and help them raise funds for the excellent programs they run as well.

“South Cares, and the players as part of that, do so much good work in the community and it’s great to be able to showcase that at the Charity Shield.”

Rabbitohs hooker Cameron McInnes is excited about getting the footy in his hands and getting back out on the field.

“We’ve put in a lot of work in the pre-season and it’s been really enjoyable this year, but there’s nothing like getting out there on the field and playing footy,” McInnes said.

“I grew up in the South Sydney area and I know that this game really signals the start of the footy season.

“Everyone is keen to play some footy and there’s plenty of competition for spots at our Club so we’ll all be doing our best to get things started in the right way for 2016.”