The National Rugby League competition symbolically begins when the Roosters and the Rabbitohs belt the bejesus out of each other in Sydney on the first weekend of the season.
2019’s version of the traditional clash was laced with infrastructure interest, thanks to the rugger boys destroying the sacred Sydney Cricket Ground surface just a week before the Chooks and the Bunnies took to the field.
Thankfully, the playing surface appeared to maintain its structural integrity in wet and sodden conditions, for what proved to be a closely fought battle between two teams tipped to be somewhere in the vicinity when the whips are cracking in September.
With coaching legend Wayne Bennett at the helm, South Sydney loom as likely premiership contenders and if the first instalment of their season was anything to go by, any predictions of success appear to have some merit.
Bennett’s men took an early lead after a try to Cam Murray, before the Roosters responded with two tries of their own. It built a 12-10 lead at the break and the Chooks appeared to have the Bunnies’ measure.
However, as the rain increased in velocity early in the second half, the Rabbitohs took the initiative against an error-riddled Roosters outfit. Adam Reynolds took control of the bridge and manufactured set after set for the cardinal and myrtle.
Adam Reynolds and Souths kick off their season with a blockbuster against the Roosters. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
His adept kicking led to repeat sets and positional pressure, as well as the try to Cody Walker that skipped the Rabbitohs ahead by eight in the 60th minute after an earlier second half try to Campbell Graham.
When Alex Johnston crossed with just 12 minutes remaining on the clock the Bunnies were home and only a late Daniel Tupou try pulled the Roosters back within ten points.
In the end it was a convincing 26-16 victory for South Sydney and a perfect start to Bennett’s reign at Redfern. Far from a premiership hangover, the Roosters will lament dropped ball and missed opportunities.
The Eagles had better be ready for the Roosters next week, and Bennett’s next target will be the Dragons on Thursday night.
Earlier, two teams with many questions surrounding their fortunes in 2019 did battle at McDonald Jones Stadium.
It loomed as a potentially instructive match in terms of where the remodelled Knights and the freshly coached Sharks stood heading into the season.
It turned into something of a bumbling stalemate for much of the evening, before the contest came to life on the back of a Tim Glasby try that saw the Knights take the initiative after 68 minutes, and an 8-2 lead.
Just a penalty goal apiece had bothered the scorers prior to that point. The Sharks looked clunky in attack; making numerous errors in wonderful attacking positions and the Knights played something of a conservative game, as they struggled for combinations in a team containing a host of fresh talent.
David Klemmer of the Newcastle Knights. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
The Sharks would level the scores after a controversial Sione Katoa try and Shaun Johnson conversion, before Edrick Lee ran 80 metres from an intercepted Chad Townsend pass to seal the game for the home side.
As one of the most talked about teams heading into the season, the Knights delivered on the predictions of many around their potential finals play in 2019.
David Klemmer was simply outstanding, Kalyn Ponga looked comfortable at pivot and their defence showed signs of real improvement, particularly on their try line.
Connor Watson impressed at the back and Lee was a constant threat in both attack and defence.
Most concerning for the Sharks was the attacking play of Matt Moylan and Shaun Johnson.
As free spirited and spontaneous players with touch football in their blood, the Sharks key men played anything but direct and Cronulla’s attack took on more and more of a crab-like appearance the longer the match went and the stiffer the resolve of the Knights became.
Rookie coach John Morris will feel as though his team leaked competition points against Newcastle in Round 1 and Johnson’s assessment of the Sharks as their ‘own worst enemy’ was eloquently accurate.
They will look to bounce back against the Titans next week and the Knights do battle with the Panthers in the Hunter.
Whilst the signing of Johnson brought much excitement to the Shire and hopes of a second premiership for the club that waited so long for its first, I am far from convinced that the inclusion of Moylan and Johnson in the same team isn’t more of a hindrance than a help.
William W
Roar Rookie
The Rorters were so soft, seriously soft as melted butter. The rabbitohs exposed their weakness, just hit them hard and needle them. How many forced errors did the rabbitohs inflicted on them and all in the First 20 minutes and before the rain? Plenty! Souths did have George Burgess and Adam Doueihi out while the Rorts were at Full strength!
Albo
Roar Rookie
First picked, Baz !
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
I’ll “cut the cheese” while you pour the wine. The Roosters palate leans more towards “sour grapes” though, which is not really my taste. That’s what you get when your vines are forever in a Rabbit’s shadow. LOL
db
Guest
Would you like some cheese with your whine?
Pickett
Guest
Eastern Suburbs lives in me
steveng
Roar Rookie
You are one deluded chook with the usual no idea, listen, do you live in the eastern suburbs? Or are you the usual import!
Pickett
Guest
@Steve And you lot would know all about throwing stones...and vandalism, graffiti, break and enter...etc BTW has your vocal chords settled down after all your screaming at Sia Sia while he was lining up for the touchline conversion last year? Hope you washed your brown beanie since then. Benny's bunnies look sharp this year. Go Easts.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
No mate, Taylor got the boot from the Bunnies and the Roosters picked up one of our rejects. Unlike Angus Crichton and Luke Keary who Souths developed for the Roosters to steal from us just like they stole our juniors Nat Butcher, Egan Butcher, Grant Garvey, Brock Gray and Paul Momirovski.
db
Guest
Jason Taylor is out of place at a successful club like the Roosters. His mediocrity saw him fit in very well at Souths.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Please pass on my thanks to demoted Roosters assistant coach Jason Taylor for his role in coaching your feeder club the North Sydney Bears to a 18 - 14 loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the Rabbitohs first game in reserve grade since 2006. I'm sure Souths can only get better with more practice. LOL
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Thanks for playing db but the answers were.... 1 . & 2. - Yes 3. - 8. - Nick Politis covers his tracks better than the "other Godfather" Vito Corleone. 9. Occam never shared his razor! 10. Hanlon's razor accounts for much of the ineptitude by Greenberg, Beattie and the NRL administration except for the influence of "the Don" Nick Politis with regards to the Roosters.
db
Guest
1 and 2. I addressed these problems earlier in this thread. 3. I don't know any details of the case. The same as you. 4. Can you name one specific outcome of this alleged influence. If he really had the level of influence you suggest then he would arrange for Ben Cummins and Grant Aitkins to never officiate Roosters matches. 5. You conveniently overlook the Very Dubious calls that went Manly's way in the 2013 grand final. A penalty try being awarded to Manly for a blatant dive by a serial diver was one of the worse calls in Grand Final history. 6/7/8. None of us punters have a clue whether a club is rorting the cap until they are exposed. Some of you assertions are based on false premise. For instance, when Maloney signed in 2011 (for the 2013 season) he wasn't anything like a marquee player. Likewise, Jennings was thrown a life-line after being punted by Penrith for bad behaviour. All claims about the Roosters and the salary cap are unsubstantiated rumours in the same vein as the suggestion that Rusty has special bank accounts for GI and Sam. I'm not going to blindly believe rumours. I require evidence. The idea that there is a major conspiracy at the NRL that sees the competition result being engineered to favour a particular team is fanciful. I didn't buy the theory in 2014 that NRL management wanted Souths to win and the referees subsequently favoured Souths throughout the season. I prefer Ockam's and Hanlon's razors as more plausible explanations for why things happen the way they do. This is a serious question - do you really think that anyone at NRL headquarters is competent enough to secretly collude and conspire with the number of people required to rig an entire competition?
steveng
Roar Rookie
lol ‘Pickett’ but, with a name like ‘Pickett’ I wouldn’t be throwing stones at glass houses mate! Just to get back to the question, it was my mistake as I should have realised that the Storm had conceded 2 tries to the Bunnies 3 and that is where the advantage was. Go the Bunnies!
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
What GI did was wrong and merited something more than a slap on the wrist. Just as Billy Slater's shoulder charge was b blatant and any other player would have been suspended every day of the week for the same offence. The NRL undoubtedly influenced that decision for the marketing of the GF and Slater's fairytale farewell. Now if I can admit all that can you at least admit: 1. Latrell Mitchell is an ill-disciplined thug who should be out next week not just fined. 2. Robinson is turning a blind eye to Latrell Mitchell's ill-discipline. 3. The Roosters employee who tried to setup Sam Burgess in an elaborate sting was acting under instructions from the Roosters organisation. 4. Nick Politis has considerable influence over the NRL and Greenberg in particular. 5. The Roosters benefited from some VERY dubious calls that handed them the 2013 GF against Manly. 6. The Roosters were over the salary cap in 2013, 2014, 2018 and are again in 2019. 7. Name any other club that has signed 3 marquee players (SBW, Jennings, Maloney - 2013) and 2 marquee players (Cronk, Tedesco) won premierships the same year and were not found to be subsequently over the salary cap. 8. The NRL should be far more concerned about conducting a detailed forensic investigation and audit of the Roosters salary cap than any concern they should have over the Sharks, Tigers or Sea Eagles whose combined breaches still would not total the breaches of the Roosters in 2013 - 2014 and 2018 - 2019.
db
Guest
The inconsistencies are not club specific. Was it fair that GI was able to play in last year's preliminary final when he should have been suspended. Latrell Mitchell missed the game for the same type of tackle.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
You failed to answer my question which was quite specific. It's so hard to pin a chicken down. They run round in circles and have no tolerance for logic or fairness. But I don't expect a chicken to comprehend anything beyond it's own circumstances. Your manners, however, are not as fowl as I would otherwise have anticipated so kudos for that.
db
Guest
In a like for like situation, Burgess probably sits on the sideline for a week or two. However, the inconsistencies have nothing to do with Uncle Nick. It runs a lot deeper than that. It's to do with labeling individual players as deserving of suspension in isolation to the incident itself. And, it's not necessarily associated with a particular player's history. Do you remember Craig Smith? He was essentially rubbed out of the NRL for raising his knees into defenders whilst carrying the ball. However, another player guilty of repeatedly doing the same thing a few years later was never sanctioned. This same player had a blinder yesterday.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Tell me db, how is it fair for Sam Burgess to cop a 2 or 3 week suspension for the same offence that a serial grub like Latrell Mitchell just gets fined for? Mate Nick Politis and the game is seriously corrupt.
stevesyd
Roar Rookie
Bad mistake by Politis not having Ashley Klein ref the game. Obviously thought wouldn't need him for this one.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Mate I thought the SAME thing when I read it. Keary is a little weasel. He went crying to the media after his blow up with Russell Crowe instead of keeping it "in-house". He has the reputation on field of being a little pest himself. Like you said, what a hypocrite!