There have been moments when Jayden “Bud” Sullivan could only have dreamed of wearing the No.7 jersey for a finals-bound football team.

Like when he fell out of love with rugby league. Or when, six months ago, he was fighting a staph infection in his right ankle, bedridden save for a few laps of a hospital hallway just to stay sane.

But thanks to the support of South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett – “he took me under his wing” – Sullivan is happy on and off the field.

“Me and Wayne have a pretty good relationship. I opened up to Wayne and just showed him what I was about,” Sullivan said.

“One thing about Wayne, he doesn’t like lies and I told him some personal stuff. I’ve probably trusted him ever since as well. So I see him as a really good role model in my life.”

Sullivan says this after playing a key role in Souths’ 22-6 victory over Canterbury, a result that likely extends his side’s season while ending that of the vanquished. It is a far cry from the disillusioned soul who struggled during stints at the Dragons and Tigers.

“I don’t really know when I lost the love of the game,” he said. “It just all happened so fast, and I was just in a shit place outside of football, just doing stupid things that I shouldn’t have been doing.

“Once I got that out of my life … I moved up to Sydney and just focused on football. And that’s credit to Wayne. He just said, ‘If you want to be a first-grader, this is what you’ve got to do.’

“I feel like I’ve done those things, but I’ve still done nothing, if that makes sense. Like, I haven’t done anything in the game. I played one [good] game this year and I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”

Sullivan initially came to Souths on a loan deal last year, but impressed sufficiently to earn a contract extension until the end of 2027. However, his time in the cardinal and myrtle has not been without its challenges. After fracturing his fibula playing in the NSW Cup last year – “I snapped my leg in half” – there were complications upon returning to pre-season training.

“It was a bit of a running joke, like the boys saying I was running with a rock in my shoe because I couldn’t really run properly,” he said.

“I got all the way to the last week of pre-season, and I couldn’t do it any more. And I said to the physios, ‘There’s something wrong with my leg.’ Long story short, I had a staph infection in my right ankle, I spent four weeks in hospital over Christmas … it was pretty lonely in there. Doing laps, laps of the hospital, just trying to stay sane.”

Now, Sullivan is not only the Rabbitohs’ halfback, but also – duty to a slew of injuries – also its first-choice goal-kicker. The 24-year-old appeared to injure his groin during one ungainly attempt, but emerged relatively unscathed.

“I’ll do anything the team needs me to do,” he said. “If that’s playing front row or doing anything, I’ll do it. And if that’s goal kicking, I’ll practice and do my best.”

Sullivan has a long-standing joke with Bennett; the player is forever asking the coach to buy him a boat.

“He’s been through a lot,” Bennett said of Sullivan. “The moment came, the opportunity came, and he’s grabbed it. He’s a quality football player. I’m really pleased for him.”