South Sydney have signed Sean Keppie on a three-year deal after the prop was granted an early release from his Manly contract.
The 25-year-old will add depth to the Rabbitohs’ pack after Jason Demetriou’s men struggled through the middle in 2023 due to injury and suspension issues with Tevita Tatola and Tom Burgess.
Sean Keppie signs with South Sydney after being granted Manly exit
Keppie debuted for the Sea Eagles in 2019 but despite averaging 19 games in four straight seasons, the forward has been unable to establish himself as a regular starter on the Northern Beaches.
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The prop will head to the Bunnies and add some much-needed starch through the middle after the departures of Hame Sele and Liam Knight, as he competes for a place in the side with the likes of Shaq Mitchell and Davvy Moale.
“We’ve been watching Sean for a number of seasons and he has developed into a strong front rower with controlled aggression in both defence and attack,” Rabbitohs football boss Mark Ellison said.
“Manly has had one of the more formidable forward packs in recent seasons and Sean has played a big role in that.
“We’re looking forward to Sean joining our squad in November for pre-season training and to seeing him pull on the red and green jersey in 2024 and beyond.”
Keppie played 20 times for Anthony Seibold in what turned out to be his final year with the Sea Eagles.
After coming off the bench in his first seven games, Keppie ended the season as a starting prop as Manly grappled with an injury crisis up front.
It marked Keppie’s most productive campaign to date, where he clocked more run metres, post contact metres, tackle busts and tackles than ever before.
Despite inking a contract extension with Manly last year which tied him to the club until the end of the 2026 season, he was informed that he was free to negotiate with rivals.
Keppie was rumoured to initially be a target of Wests Tigers, who are undergoing a rebuild under rookie coach Benji Marshall, but South Sydney managed to get the deal done in the end.
Sean Keppie NRL stats 2023
| Games | 20 |
| Tries | 1 |
| Avg. Run Metres | 90m |
| Post Contact Metres | 747m |
| Tackle Busts | 22 |
| Tackle Efficiency | 90% |
