Rabbitohs captain Greg Inglis has warned his Finals opponents that he is feeling fresh and has backed South Sydney coach Michael Maguire despite the champions spluttering into the playoffs and face Cronulla in an elimination final in Week One.

“I feel fresh and the boys feel fresh,” Inglis said.

“We have the right people in place to give us the necessary time away from footy when we need to and nothing has changed since Madge first took over.

“Madge has been holding up fine because he has a strong belief in our squad.

“I’ve been a part of teams where poor preparation has led to good performances and vice-versa so we still have the belief that we are capable of [defending their title] and it’s in our hands.

“There are no panic stations whatsoever. We just have to turn up in the right state of mind to get going from the start.”

The representative fullback believes he is back to full fitness and his team still has what it takes to win the title.

“We still have that desire, hunger and belief within the group.”