The South Sydney Rabbitohs have come away with a hard-fought win over the Parramatta Eels after the visitors left it until late.
Souths were first to strike with Michael Oldfield going over after 12 minutes after Adam Reynolds and Alex Johnston helped to get him over the line.
Adam Reynolds then kicked a penalty goal soon after to put the Rabbitohs in front by six points before Semi Radradra struck off a Corey Norman kick with the Kangaroos international leaping high to score.
Radradra went over ten minutes later after Manu Ma’u put Michael Jennings through a hole with the State of Origin star passing to Radradra to run half of the field to score.
The momentum continued to go the way of the Eels with Vai Toutai going over on the stroke of half-time to put the Eels in front 14-6 at the break.
Semi Radradra went over again to bag a hattrick early in the second half after Corey Norman created an overlap with Kirisome Auva’a hitting back for Souths after Adam Reynolds attracted the Eels’ defensive line to give Auva’a plenty of space to score.
Reynolds had a chance of his own to score after Corey Norman had a kick charged down by Paul Carter with the backrower kicking it back into play but Reynolds knocked on in an attempt to score with the halfback being denied.
The cardinal and myrtle were firing in the last ten minutes with Luke Keary and Bryson Goodwin combining for two tries in the dying moments of the game as Adam Reynolds converted with under a minute remaining to win the game for the Rabbitohs, their first victory in five games.
Sam Burgess, Greg Inglis and Adam Reynolds all stood up for Souths while Luke Keary made a big impact late in the game.
Manu Ma’u meanwhile led the way for the Eels with Corey Norman, Beau Scott, Michael Gordon and Brad Takairangi also impressing for the blue and gold all while Semi Radradra bagged a hattrick.
The Eels will now host the Storm next Monday night and need to win 12 of their next 14 games to be any chanc of making the finals while Souths have a six-day turnaround before they take on the Dragons.
Final score:
Parramatta Eels 20
South Sydney Rabbitohs 22
The Parramatta Eels will be keen and cap compliant when they face the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Pirtek Stadium. Join The Roar from 7:50pm (AEST) for live coverage.
13 seems to be a lucky number for the people of Parramatta, with the Eels playing for points on Friday the 13th, having offloaded Nathan Peats to the Titans, while Anthony Watmough has retired.
It has been a tough fortnight for Brad Arthur’s side, with their strong start to the season being torn apart following the loss of 12 competition points for salary cap breaches.
That puts Parra in last position, needing to win 12 of their last 15 games to scrape into the finals and have a shot at the Provan-Summons Trophy.
For their part, the cardinal and myrtle desperately need something, having failed to secure a win since Round 5, when they pipped the Sea Eagles 16-12 at Brookvale Oval.
Coach Michael Maguire has made plenty of changes to his side, with Alex Johnston returning from injury at fullback, pushing Greg Inglis to five-eighth and Luke Keary to the bench.
Cameron McInnes starts at hooker, with Damien Cook dropping out of the side, while Paul Carter takes Chris Grevsmuhl’s place. Nathan Brown is starting at prop and Jason Clark comes off the bench, pushing David Tyrrell and Patrice Siolo out of the team.
Winger Aaron Gray is in doubt with Michael Oldfield likely to take his place.
Since 1998, the Bunnies and Parra have clashed on 25 occasions, with 13 wins to the Eels, 11 for Souths, and a draw.
The two sides took a win each in 2015, with the Eels winning 29-16 in Round 4, while the Rabbitohs won 14-12 in Round 11.
Prediction
Parramatta will rip into Souths, earning a big win.
Eels by 12.
Join The Roar from 7:50pm (AEST) for score updates and debate in our live blog.
Bonza
Roar Rookie
No Foran was huge for Parra, looked pretty one dimensional in attack. Souths' energy was impressive. Maybe they had 2 weeks off at the TAB every day drinking schooners away from Madge.
turbodewd
Guest
Id say the Eels lost their season tonight. I have no doubt about it. Their mental will shall be tested.
steveng
Roar Rookie
Mon, that is what we expect and want from our boys, the way they were going it looked exactly the way I called it and if they continued that way then we would of given up on them. But tonight (and I tipped them on my Roar Tipping) they were a different side, hard, persistent and they never gave up and plus they also had to (as usual) play against Parra and the refs! There were some very bad calls there which favoured the Eels (I won't go into that as it useless to do so)! But that is the effort we all want to see week in and week out and that is irrespective of the score and if they win or lose. Go the Rabbis!!!
steveng
Roar Rookie
Yeah Madge listed to what I've been saying (for a few weeks) and to what most of the Rabbitohs fans were saying and that is why he got the result tonight, because the way things were going Madge would have been going also and getting the sack.
Mon
Guest
Didn't look NEVER to me? Our defence was aggressive throughout and our fifth tackle options were quite good! Parra had some great attacking raids out wide and in the sky they were better but that's a lesson learned. Certainly not enough to say we were gone? Pretty thin skin Steve.
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Woeful match management by the Parra spine. Radradra did not see the ball after the 43rd minute, despite already having scored three tries down the left edge. Great never-say-die attitude by the Bunnies.
Mon
Guest
Oh is that you Steve? The same bloke who was writing Souths off at the beginning of the week? Lock in two points for Parra...Let's sack Madge..You've packed up your umbrella cause the sun is out? Great win Souths! Despite a few loose calls our defence and support play got us in. Reynolds and Keary continue to prove their worth. I only hope this is the beginning of the climb.
Wascally Wabbit
Guest
Scott Pryde, Eels by 30 ! Ha Ha Ha ! Thanks for the laugh !
Tom G
Guest
My thoughts precisely!!... This game actually had me doing something I have never done... cheer for the Bunnies
Wolly
Roar Guru
You should be giving Maguire a little credit after repeatedly saying he needs to go for the last four weeks.
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
That concludes The Roar's coverage of Parramatta Eels vs South Sydney Rabbitohs. Be sure to join us over the remainder of the round, with live coverage of all three games tomorrow starting with Scott Pryde taking you through Penrith Panthers vs New Zealand Warriors from 3pm (AEST). I'll be back on Sunday afternoon for live coverage of Wests Tigers vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs from 4pm (AEST). Thanks for following along.
steveng
Roar Rookie
GI the 3 points for me
steveng
Roar Rookie
Better late then NEVER, and it looked NEVER there for a while. This is a new Rabbitohs team and GI had a blinder and should never ever be at fullback! great win and we can only go up from now on!
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
MVP Nominations 3 - Sam Burgess 2 - Manu Ma'u 1 - Greg Inglis Parramatta Eels 20 South Sydney Rabbitohs 22
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
FULL-TIME Possession: 56% - 44% Completions: 33/39 (85%) - 24/31 (77%) All Runs: 173 - 137 All Run Metres: 1408 - 1200 Line Breaks: 4 - 6 Offloads: 14 - 13 Tackles: 255 - 319 Missed Tackles: 22 - 25 Penalties: 10 - 5 Errors: 7- 7 Parramatta Eels 20 South Sydney Rabbitohs 22
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
FULL-TIME The South Sydney Rabbitohs have come away with a hard-fought win over the Parramatta Eels after the visitors left it until late. Souths were first to strike with Michael Oldfield going over after 12 minutes after Adam Reynolds and Alex Johnston helped to get him over the line. Adam Reynolds then kicked a penalty goal soon after to put the Rabbitohs in front by six points before Semi Radradra struck off a Corey Norman kick with the Kangaroos international leaping high to score. Radradra went over ten minutes later after Manu Ma'u put Michael Jennings through a hole with the State of Origin star passing to Radradra to run half of the field to score. The momentum continued to go the way of the Eels with Vai Toutai going over on the stroke of half-time to put the Eels in front 14-6 at the break. Semi Radradra went over again to bag a hattrick early in the second half after Corey Norman created an overlap with Kirisome Auva'a hitting back for Souths after Adam Reynolds attracted the Eels' defensive line to give Auva'a plenty of space to score. Reynolds had a chance of his own to score after Corey Norman had a kick charged down by Paul Carter with the backrower kicking it back into play but Reynolds knocked on in an attempt to score with the halfback being denied. The cardinal and myrtle were firing in the last ten minutes with Luke Keary and Bryson Goodwin combining for two tries in the dying moments of the game as Adam Reynolds converted with under a minute remaining to win the game for the Rabbitohs, their first victory in five games. Parramatta Eels 20 South Sydney Rabbitohs 22
Pedro the Maroon
Guest
Two games and two fluke finishes. I love league. I hate tipping contests though.
Big J
Guest
Bout time though
Joe
Roar Rookie
Great game by both teams. I think Parramata will now realize the enormity of the task before them to make the finals. Hats off to the Rabbitohs who turned up to play. Burgess was outstanding as was Greg Inglis. Credit to Mcguire for making the right positional change to get the best out of him. Played 6 then moved to center when Keary came in. Clutch kick by Reynolds too for the victory deserves mention.
steveng
Roar Rookie
What a great win by the Rabbitohs, hard persistent and never say die!!! That's my Rabbits!!!!