Jason Demetriou says he was “disappointed” Anthony Milford did not have the chance to play for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and has thrown his supportxjmtzyw behind the beleaguered former Bronco as he hopes to get his career back on track.
Following a turbulent seven years at Brisbane, Milford signed a one-year deal with the Rabbitohs for 2022 but when he was charged with three counts of assault in September, the NRL refused to register the contract.
Two of those charges alleged violence against women, which the NRL said was a major reason it would not consider an application for registration until criminal proceedings had been completed.
Milford’s assault charges were dropped earlier this week but the league has still yet to clear his return to play, pending its own investigation.
Demetriou worked with Milford during his days as an assistant coach at the Broncos and was looking forward to linking up with him at Redfern.
The coach said on Thursday it was a shame the reunion never came to pass.
“I was disappointed he didn’t get an opportunity to play for Souths due to the incident,” said Demetriou.
“I’ve been in regular contact with him, making sure that he’s OK, first and foremost.
“He’s a human, he makes mistakes. I’m not just his coach, I’m his friend and I’ll continue to be there for the future.”
In recent weeks, speculation has grown that the Newcastle Knights or Dolphins could be keen on securing Milford’s services.
When asked whether he would support Milford’s return to the NRL, even at a rival club, Demetriou answered with no hesitation.
“One hundred per cent,” he said.
Demetriou said the Rabbitohs had confidence in Blake Taaffe’s ability to fill in for the injured Latrell Mitchell for Friday night’s clash with the Bulldogs.
Mitchell is set to miss approximately eight weeks of footy after injuring a tendon in his hamstring last weekend.
“Blake’s played nine games and we’ve lost one, which was the Grand Final,” said Demetriou.
“We’re confident as a group in Blake and Blake is confident in himself. We move on and crack on.”
Demetriou said the Rabbitohs would need to put in an 80-minute performance to defeat a Bulldogs side hungry for its first win since round one.
“I thought we were really good in the first half last week and we were poor in the second half,” he said.
“If we can put two halves together and prepare for what’s going to be a tough game … I think the Bulldogs have shown a lot more fight this season and we’ve got to prepare ourselves to be in a battle.”
