Kennedy, wearing number 17, started on the bench in the victory, during which Souths played a very strong starting 13.

Kennedy said it was a "pretty unbelievable" experience.

"Watching Sammy Burgess and those guys you've seen play in big games, and getting to run out there in the same jersey as them, is surreal," he said. 

"I'm feeling closer to first grade than I have before, and I've definitely got a lot more confidence this year.

"The fact I've got that game means I'm in the mix for a bench spot. I don't think I'll play round one, but if I get the call up, I'm definitely ready to go."

The match was played at the Glen Willow Stadium in Mudgee.

"It was good to take it out to a small country area where people don't usually get the chance to travel into the cities," Kennedy said. "A few of our boys went a visited schools and did a bit of promotional work."

Kennedy admitted to being a little jealous of the Bulldogs and Raiders playing in Bega.

"I'd love to play near where I grew up, that'd be an awesome feeling," he said. "Adam Elliott's from Tathra, and I saw how much the match meant to him."

The Rabbitohs open their NRL campaign against the Sydney Roosters on Friday, March 15, and Kennedy said he would work hard to try and get an opportunity in first grade as soon as possible.

"All I can control is trying to play the best footy I can," he said. "I'll have to play a bit of reserve grade, but I'll keep my head up, play my best footy, and hopefully get the opportunity.

"The coach (Wayne Bennett) has said he's very happy with the way I trialed, and if he needed me in the first-grade team, he'd be confident in what I could do.

"Wayne's been really good so far, he connects with people on a personal level. He's been around for a while, so I guess he knows how to get the best out of his players."