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The low expectations of both Rabbitoh fans and the rugby league media were summed up in their praise of the Bunnies following their run-of-the-mill 24-10 loss to the Storm in Melbourne.
Much like the Sharks ‘proud’ losing effort at Leichhardt in round one, there’s an expectation that Souths will build on two consecutive loss in coming weeks.
Am I wrong in expecting more?
I’m the last person who expected the Bunnies to beat the Storm, but the positive rhetoric stemming from a pretty convincing loss insults me as a fan.
The first two rounds showed Souths for what we are – we can lose the unloseable, but are unlikely to win the unlikely.
The individual performances of Cherry-Evans and Maloney on the weekend again show what Souths lack. John Sutton is a good footballer, but struggles (in combination with Adam Reynolds) to develop try-scoring situations for his team’s game-breakers in Inglis, Taylor and Burgess.
Souths’ two tries on Sunday night are a case in point. The first went Luke, Taylor, Inglis to McQueen, while the second was just Luke establishing room for Burgess close to the line.
I’m not saying the big boys should be on the end of every play – to be honest Taylor and Inglis get in each other’s way a fair bit when you try that. However, if your halves aren’t your best players, their job has to be to get it to those who are. This is something Souths find difficult.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Smith, Cronk and Slater are ever-present in Storm attacking situations. Maybe the blame lies with Redfern recruitment: centre, prop and second row aren’t positions that generally win games in the NRL.
Souths head to Penrith this weekend. It’s a game the Rabbitohs can win, and must, if they’re to build some early-season confidence.
Another unfortunate or acceptable loss won’t do.
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