Rabbitohs halfback Lachlan Ilias has revealed Broncos captain Adam Reynolds has been a rock of support this season.
The former teammates remain tight and Reynolds was quick to contact Ilias after he was dramatically hooked inside 30 minutes against the Dragons in Round 15.
Ilias’ future was scrutinized with plenty of attention focusing on why coach Jason Demetriou decided to bench Ilias.
But Reynolds came to the 22-year-old’s support and helped him get his season back on track.
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“Reyno has been really supportive this whole season,” Ilias told The Daily Telegraph.
“Through the ups and downs, Reyno is Reyno… he is a really good bloke.
“He’s experienced it all. He made sure I was OK and said to stay positive.
“I was really close to him last year and we still message each other all the time.
“If something happens good or bad he is there with messages of support.
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“Obviously in previous seasons I spent a lot of time learning from him and this season he has been really good to me. He is massive in my development.”
While the 22-year-old was anxious about his immediate future in the seven jersey, he has since realized it was the wake up call that he needed.
“There was a bit of the unknown, wondering what it means… and thinking about what the chat with the coach might be like to see where he is at and where I’m at in the team,” Ilias said.
“We’ve both bounced back from that now. There has been a lot of articles of people talking about it.
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“But I didn’t want to feel like the victim in that situation. It was hard at the time and I had to sit down with JD a couple of days after the game. It was a positive chat.
“Ever since then I have been positive and changed my mindset.
“I’m hungrier now than I was before. It was probably the kick up the backside I needed. I’m loving my footy at the moment.”
Ilias has been named to start for the Rabbitohs for their Friday night clash against the Eels at CommBank Stadium.
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