Walker hopes Latrell's return for Indigenous Round provides spark

Latrell Mitchell's return for South Sydney on Thursday night will see the club's first-string spine on the park together for the eighth time this season - but five-eighth Cody Walker says they're still to settle as a unit.

Expected to fire under the new six-again rule and faster ruck speed, the Rabbitohs are languishing in 10th spot. Discipline has been a major issue during that period.

South Sydney are ranked third-worst behind cellar-dwellers Canterbury and the Gold Coast Titans for handling errors - an area that has been a growing issue for the side since Wayne Bennett's arrival in 2018.

"It's obviously not where we want it to be," Walker said when asked of the spine's cohesion on Monday.

"For me, personally, I'm not happy with my form at the moment but it comes back to we're making a lot of errors, giving away a lot of penalties so we're having to make a lot of tackles.

"The skill level in our side is unbelievable. We've got great players with wonderful skillsets but if we're making errors and failing to get out of our end and relieving the pressure we've built then it's hard to gain any sort of momentum in attack.

"We're putting ourselves under the pump. If we can nut out those areas in our game it will go a long way to picking up our attack and all those things."

For me, personally, I'm not happy with my form at the moment

Rabbitohs five-eighth Cody Walker

Walker and Mitchell's two-week suspensions in 2020 have resulted in four losses for the Rabbitohs against top-eight sides Sydney Roosters, Melbourne, Canberra and Newcastle.

Reynolds said the 1-4 record against top-eight teams was a concern but the small margins in defeat were a positive.

"We haven't lived up to our own expectations, which is the main thing," Reynolds said.

"We're not worried about anyone else's thoughts or expectations on ourselves but about what we value as a team and what the coaching staff see in us.

"We've hurt ourselves in a couple of games and made it tough [but] I think we're building, we're getting better every week and understanding what works for us and what doesn't.

"If you look at those games we've been in every single one and were probably in a position to win them.

"I thought the weekend was a step in the right direction, we just need to fix our attack and ice a few plays that would've made the result a bit different."

Utility back Alex Johnston is in doubt to play the Dragons due to a five-day turnaround after picking up a head knock in last week's loss to the Raiders.

Mitchell's return is a timely boost for the Rabbitohs, who have an impressive 8-1 record in Indigenous round.

"He's been good in the weeks off, helped us prepare and is jumping out the back running shapes against us," Reynolds said of Mitchell.

"It's good to have the big fella back on our side. He's a valuable member of this team and adds a lot."