They got there in the end, but not without a fright. Apprentice beat master, Jason Demetriou beat Wayne Bennett and the Bunnies beat the Dolphins 36-14.
It took a second half clinic from the Bunnies, who trailed 14-6 at the break before blowing their dogged opponents away in a blitz that began early and went into overdrive after Kenny Bromwich was binned in the 61st minute.
While it was 13 v 12, Souths scored three and the Dolphins went seven minutes without touching the footy. Cody Walker put on all three and was excellent. Latrell Mitchell, with a try and and an assist of his own, was close behind him.
Campbell Graham, too, grabbed another and put his hand up again for an Origin jersey, though that might be an issue for Keaon Koloamatangi, who left with a lower leg injury. Demetriou said he was a chance for next week given an extended turnaround time.
Cam Murray might also find himself in trouble with the judiciary after being twice put on report, and he might be joined by Davvy Moale after an alleged trip.
“We’re lukewarm,” said Demetriou when asked if this showing, allied to last week’s 50-point performance against the Bulldogs, was a sign of his side hitting a hot streak.
“There’s still a fair bit to go. We’re building the way we want to be and we’ve got some areas we need to improve if we want to get results in those.”
The Souths coach added that his side had been put off their stride, but once they wrested back initative, they had the talent to take over.
“We weren’t getting field position and were coming out of our own end for large parts of the first half and weren’t able to get the ball into Cody and Latrell’s hands,” said Demetriou.
“When he gets the ball in position like he does, he’s the best five eighth in the game. He’s a pleasure to coach when he’s in that kind of mood.
“I was happy with their response. They’re an honest group and know when they’re not quite where they need to be.
“That’s not to discredit the Dolphins – they were great in the first half, completions were in the 80s and there was a lot of ball in play and fatigue in the game. They brought the game to us and we had to ride through that. Once we did, I thought we got some momentum.”
Bennett was at his taciturn best in the Dolphins press conference, but questioned a first half decision to award Graham a try despite a push in the back and the call to bin Bromwich.
“There’s been a lot of sin binnings this season,” he said. “I haven’t been counting but there’s been plenty of them.
“We’re all big enough to overcome that stuff. That’s the call, that’s the call.”
They say that styles make fights, and as far as that is concerned, Souths were always at risk from the Dolphins.
The Bunnies are about as far from the safety-first, controlled footy that Redcliffe play as it is possible to get in the NRL, but that has made them more vulnerable than Demetriou would like to exactly the sort of footy that they faced here.
They weren’t exactly shell-shocked in the first half, but they certainly were made to dig their way out.
Even from midway through the first half, with the game evidently going against them, there was a conscious attempt to problem solve and conquer the style in front of them.
Souths didn’t do it by altering their own: they steered into the skid, forcing the ball wide and shifting the point of attack.
The Bunnies want a game that plays to points and empowers their set moves and long, sweeping shifts, but the Dolphins were intent on keeping the ball in play and forcing the grind.
As the game edged towards their end, Souths decided to put their moves on without set points, They used Tom Burgess and – especially – Jai Arrow to win points on the floor, enabling Damien Cook to step out, Murray to dig in and all that good stuff to flow.
It wasn’t perfect initially, but it changed the direction of the contest in their favour. Even then, they went to the break trailing.
After the break, it kicked into overdrive. Two tries early in the half came off the back of pressure and the second of them, while incredibly fortunate in the execution and requiring two deflections to make it to Walker, was all about how hard they tried to spread and force the action.
Demetriou will be quietly delighted about the way that his side answered the questions asked of them. Against Melbourne, admittedly a better playing group than the Dolphins, they had no answer. It’s a skill the Bunnies will need later in the year.
We might only be seven games into the life of the Dolphins, but there’s no doubting that they have a style. Bennett’s basics might be the best way to describe it: they do lots of high percentage, high effort plays and isolate one or two key aspects of their opponents that they like to poke at.
Not many would have argued that they had the weakest roster in the comp, and that, allied to the lack of cohesion that comes with being new, makes this way of playing their best option. It’s conservative to the point of being a little bit dull, but by god, it works.
Souths have no excuse for not knowing what the Dolphins were going to do. They completed high, ruthlessly targeted the obvious weakness around Taane Milne and tried to convert their few attacking opportunities.
They nicked one early after a Milne error, then took a penalty goal, then scored after Milne had shot the line badly and let them in.
The first time Souths got any field position, they scored on their first set with relative ease. But that was the point: they barely got any in the first half.
For 40 minutes, it was perfect pressure footy from the Dolphins.
The question, however, is if they could change the script when Souths inevitably made their mark. The Bunnies are too good a side to be out of the game for 80 minutes and were always going to have their moments.
In their seven games, there have been limited occasions where Redcliffe have had to chase the game, and they weren’t able to tonight. The grind doesn’t work if you’re not winning with 20 to go and have to change the script.
It’s a limitation of the system that nearly cost them last week: as they shut up shop against the Cowboys, it invited an enormous amount of pressure that they were able to withstand.
That didn’t work tonight, and probably won’t work against the very best teams with the best attacks. But don’t forget that first half: most attacks aren’t as good as South Sydney, and Uncle Wayne’s bashathon will work plenty of times this year if they can keep it up.
There were more old masters than the Rijksmuseum on display tonight. Sure, you got Wayne in the coaches’ box and some inspirational stuff in the first half from Jesse Bromwich and Mark Nicholls in the Dolphins’ middle, but they were merely a precursor to the main event. The second half was the Cody Walker show.
Walker was well marshalled before the break as Souths were stuck in the grind, but once they got the slightest iota of space, the five eighth went to town.
It was almost as if he’d been personally offended by the closed off defending of the Dolphins, and perhaps even by the early season hype around Lachlan Ilias and Koloamatangi on the right edge. Didn’t they know about Souths’ left?
Walker got a huge slice of luck for his own try, but for the second time this year following his score against Manly, it was a case of keep chasing and you make your own.
For his three try assists, it was classic Cody: dig deep, induce contact, let the ball go. The pass to Alex Johnston could be stuck up on the wall in Amsterdam along with the Rembrandts and Vermeers and wouldn’t look out of place for a second.
Tetley
Roar Rookie
Kicking is very pedestrian. End over end kicks landing on the 20 are easy to catch and do nothing for their field position. Surely Latrell has a towering torpedo bomb in his arsenal? I'd be looking to him as a 5th tackle kick option just to mix things up.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Come on mate… you can answer about an incident in last nights game that we’ve been discussing since before I respond about an incident that occurred in a game that happened 3-4-5??? weeks ago Look at tonight’s game. Ronaldo scored in the corner. Live it looked close. Replays looked like he scored. Bunker stopped the game to look at sideline and grounding Same should have happened last night, regardless of whether it was a try or not…
Rosie
Roar Rookie
It always makes me laugh a little that Latrell can do nothing all game, then a player gets sin binned, he rightly takes advantage for 10 minutes and gets all the praise. Players like Campbell Graham outwork him 10 to 1 but don’t get their rightful praise from the drooling media.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
But he wasn’t. He was jogging back slowly trying to block the run of any potential attacker coming through
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Personally I’m glad the Aitken shove wasn’t penalised. Aitken was just loitering trying to impeded an attacker so glad it wasn’t rewarded
GB
Roar Rookie
With comments like that you only further confirm how apt it is that you are the poster child for the Dunning–Kruger effect. . A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing without the wisdom and commonsense in knowing how to apply it.
GB
Roar Rookie
Before I can answer that do you think the knock on by Garner that led to the Tago Try warranted a closer look? That would have resulted in that match winning Try being disallowed. Same question for the blatant strip by Lindsay Collins against Souths that led to a Roosters Try and the obstruction on Cody Walker that to another Roosters Try should have warranted "a closer look"?Irrespective of "milking" calls against Walker obstruction was the result of a player stopping in the defensive line which impeded the defence.
GB
Roar Rookie
No. Both Dutski (Roosters) and matth (Dolphins) looked at the side on CH9 replay and agreed Isaako was not out. Look at the replay yourself and follow your own advice.
GB
Roar Rookie
I thought that would give you a chuckle. It's all part of the working class image of Souths early beginnings that evolved over time into working class Armani suits. Imagine cousin Eddie in an Armarni suit. Picture Nick Politis. :laughing:
Dunning Kruger
Roar Rookie
I watched fox and saw those angles. Cool conspiracy theory...
Dunning Kruger
Roar Rookie
100% :laughing: Open both eyes GB.
Dunning Kruger
Roar Rookie
Disagree. His arse was clearly on the line. And the try before wasn't a try either as you know. Massive blunders turned the game. And then to compound it, a dodgy penalty gifted Souths 2 points to extend the unearned lead even further.
Dunning Kruger
Roar Rookie
I have no dog in this particular fight, but that game was utterly butchered by referee/bunker errors. Both Rabbits second half tries before the sin bin were wrong and completely turned the game. Has Annersley come out with the apology yet?
The Barry
Roar Guru
Ok, I’m happy to concede that isaako was in the field of play But do you think that given how close it was and that the ball touching Isaako’s leg is a split second moment that needs to be coordinated with the exact moment that Isaako touched the sideline, that it warranted a closer look? Given the game is regularly stopped for multiple replays of 50/50 calls like strip v loose carry, why wouldn’t we just call time to have a closer look at something like that…?
The Barry
Roar Guru
Souths are definitely cousin Eddie… :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
GB
Roar Rookie
All that may be true but Souths are clearly unfavoured by the NRL. Just look at the draw they had over the first 10 rounds this year and similar tough draws over the last 4 years or more. Look at the bogus calls that allowed 2 tries to both the Panthers and the Roosters that cost Souths 2 wins and 4 competition points . If the NRL Triumvirate (Panthers, Roosters, Storm) are NRL family Souths are the unwelcome relations. Think of the movie, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation the NRL Triumvirate are the Griswalds and Souths are cousin Eddie.
steveng
Roar Rookie
So “Muzz Manyana” in your opinion its ok that a player can intentionally go in recklessly and take another player out and off the field and the other side while having one of their best players taken out only gets a penalty? Yes I know it doesn’t happen always but by your ‘Penalty YES and Sin Bin NO” attitude, coaches will instruct players to take the oppositions best players out, how is that fair? That Ken Bromwich on Taane Milne dog act stampede was unnecessary, as Bromwich had no intentions of competing for the ball but to hurt Milne, it was the same the week before (yes I know Gould’s nonsensical rant about this incident) as Martin Taupau and Patrick Carrigan (who at least made every effort to evade Rapana) but Taupau stampeded onto a defenseless Jordan Rapana catching a bomb and what Taupau did to Rapana is just not on, as these barreling ball and all tactics at speed onto a player that is fully committed to catching the ball and is defenseless while he has 1 or 2 players stampeding him, is asking for a serious injury to happen and should be completely stamped out by the NRL out of the game. As if its not, there will be come very serious head injuries and bodily harm done, you wait and see as these guys are hitting a stationary player at speeds of at least 25kph and even up to 30kph, which and if you look at medical statistics of a direct head knock, a humans brain cannot sustain a greater impact greater than 15kph, as if its greater then its fatal and if the NRL allows these sorts of tackles to continue, unfortunately that could be on the cards of happening.
GB
Roar Rookie
"Fox showed the goal post cam last night. I’m not 100% convinced either way. I still think it looks like Isaako’s left buttock might touching the line as the ball hits him." Isaako's ass isn't that big TB. You might need to adjust the contrast settings on your TV. The corner post cam on the CH9 replay (link above) is very clear. Enough to convince Dutski and matth (who supports the Dolphins). :thumbup:
The Barry
Roar Guru
You’re not really complaining about not getting the rub of the green after the last few weeks Souths have enjoyed are you? Cook would lucky to strike at 50% passes from dummy half not being forward over the last month :laughing: You might not see it but to the rest of the comp Souths are every bit as much an NRL favourite with their rich influential owner and get as looked after as any of the other clubs you’ve mentioned I know Souths fans like the role of the battler but sorry mate, you guys are part of the big end of town these days… I’ve watched the replay multiple times. I’m still not convinced Isaako didn’t have half a butt cheek on the line. Whether it’s in or out isn’t the point I was making though. It’s that the bunker rushed the decision when it was close enough to warrant a much more thorough review
steveng
Roar Rookie
Yes the Bunnies have a long way to go before they are Red Hot and not like JD says, Luke Warm, that’s for sure! Last night’s performance in the 1st half was very ordinary and they exhibited all the traits that they have shown all year and last year, the most disappointing aspect of their game is that they have a none existent kicking game on the 5th made especially worse by using Ilias and/or Walker kicking useless bombs with no chasers (like the Dolphins did so affectively last night) they did show some intensity but with no results as there is something very wrong within what they are doing especially when Reno was at halfback and with the Bunnies., which we desperately need in 2023 Yes, they did come back in the 2nd half but, there were some lucky turns of events that got them out of trouble added by the 10min sin bin. All in all and if the Bunnies don’t pull their finger out right from the first min and do not have full intensity and mongrel for 80min, I can’t see them beating sides like the Panthers, Broncos and Storm that they are playing in the next 3 rounds or even the beat the Roosters or the Warriors :laughing:. Hopefully last night was something that is coming from the Bunnies in future rounds, as they are aware at least of what is needed to be right up there in the top 4. Go You Bunnies as I have every hope in this side to come good. :thumbup: