to explain his conduct and subsequent dismay at his sacking. 2010s 2011 Following the sacking of Taylor, South Sydney appointed former premiership winning coach John Lang as replacement. Lang's two years in charge ended with the club narrowly missing the finals in 2010 and 2011. At the end of 2011, Lang retired from coaching and was replaced by Michael Maguire. In Maguire's first season at Souths, the club finished 3rd on the table, which was their best finish to a regular season since finishing as minor premiers in 1989. Souths reached the preliminary final but were defeat by Canterbury-Bankstown 32–8. 2013 In 2013, Souths finished 2nd on the table. Souths reached the preliminary final for a second year running and led Manly-Warringah 14–6 at half time before a second half capitulation ended in a 30–20 defeat. 2014 In 2014, South Sydney finished third on the table at the end of the regular season. They defeated Manly and arch rivals Eastern Suburbs in the preliminary final 32–22 to reach their first grand final in 43 years. The following week, South Sydney defeated Canterbury 30–6 in the 2014 grand final winning their first premiership in 43 years. The match is best remembered for the fractured cheekbone that Sam Burgess sustained in the first tackle of the match. Burgess stayed on the field for the entire match against the advice of the training staff who advised him to come off the field. A second half try to his brother George Burgess was another highlight as he bumped off several Canterbury players including Tony Williams to score. After the match, Sam Burgess was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal. 2015 In 2015, South Sydney won the preseason Auckland Nines competition and started the season off strongly before injuries and suspensions set in with the club finishing 7th on the table. Souths were eliminated in the opening week of the finals series against Cronulla-Sutherland ending their premiership defense. 2016 & 2017 In 2016 and 2017, Souths missed out on the finals after finishing 12th in both seasons. In September 2017, Maguire was terminated as coach of South Sydney despite having two years remaining on his contract. 2018 At the end of 2017, Anthony Seibold was appointed as the new South Sydney head coach. For the 2018 NRL season, many experts predicted Souths to finish outside the top 8 but the club performed strongly throughout the year