South Sydney, for a little while at least, were the most impressive team in the NRL. More than anyone else in the six again era, they looked like they’d cracked the Panthers code.
They’re the only side to beat a prime Penrith – no fatigue, no outs, no flukes – and managed to string together the most impressive run of the year to date, putting together six wins on the spin that included victories over the reigning champions as well as their main two competitors, Brisbane and Melbourne in consecutive weeks.
After winning a tight one over the Panthers with a pure display of Jason Demetriou-style footy, they promptly smashed the Broncos and Storm, with the results not even close. It looked like it was Souths’ comp to win.
Then it all went horribly wrong. They got rolled by Parramatta on what should have been a showpiece event, taking over enemy turf at Allianz on Indigenous Round, traditionally one that the Bunnies value more than most.
Then Origin kicked in, costing the club multiple players, who then got injured, prompting more call-ups from their squad to the Blues.
By the end, the Bunnies had Latrell Mitchell, Campbell Graham and Jai Arrow on the long-term casualty list, plus Cam Murray, Cody Walker, Keaon Koloamatangi and Damien Cook in the NSW squad.
Having gone 2-3 to start the year, then 6-0, the Origin period was a disaster, going 2-5 from Round 12 onwards.
Demetriou and his staff knew this was coming. They were well aware that they could be gutted by rep footy, and by a draw that has seen them face significantly harder opposition than other sides.
There are nine teams left in Finals competition – including themselves – but Souths’ schedule has seen them face 55% of their games against other top eight contenders, compared to 44% for Brisbane and 38% for the Raiders.
They also will have known the issues with injuries: Latrell barely makes it through a season unscathed, and the forward pack was gutted to start the year with Siliva Havili and Liam Knight missing the start, then Tevita Tatola, Hame Sele and Tom Burgess also going down.
It’s why this Friday night’s clash with Brisbane is the perfect time for the Bunnies to start to turn it around, not least because their biggest contribution in the Origin arena was in the one game that NSW actually won.
The coach himself knows this all too well.
“They are pretty big ins for us,” he said of the Origin contingent. “Origin three from our perspective couldn’t have gone better.
“Cam started for the first time at No.13 and was really impressive to watch and Cody controlled the game from start to finish. There is a lot of confidence with those guys. Keaon’s (Origin) debut couldn’t have gone much better for him.”
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
For the first time all year, they can boast a near-full strength squad, and are coming in off the back of a bye round. Many on social media pointed out that their list of returnees for their clash with the Broncos would win a lot of NRL games on its own.
Souths currently sit on the precipice of the Finals, tied on ten wins with the Cowboys, Eels and Sharks while one behind the Warriors, Raiders and Storm on 11.
With six games to play, it’s incumbent on Demetriou to replicate that 6-0 streak from the middle of the year, and it’s far from beyond the bounds of possibility that they can do it.
The Rabbitohs will start as favourites in every game from here out: they’re $1.55 to beat Brisbane at PlayUp and thereafter, face exclusively bottom eight teams save for the Sharks, who famously cannot beat anyone good.
16-8 would be good enough for the top four – 15-9 is a chance, but depends on results elsewhere – and from there, it’s a three game comp to win the Premiership.
Notably, that would be a three game comp that Souths enter on a winning streak, having also enjoyed a week off before the final round of the regular season.
Stylistically, this time is crucial too. The Bunnies are the team in the NRL who most require timing and cohesion to work, because they put the most sophisticated attacking moves that need to be inch-perfect to work.
When they’re on, it’s a sight to behold, but there’s been plenty of times in the past where they have been a beat out and suffered badly as a result. What looks like improvisation – particularly from Walker – is nothing of the sort. It’s practiced to within an inch of its life in training.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
That attack has been there for years and should be relatively easy to pick back up, but the most impressive part of their early season form was the defence.
Souths’ cohesion stemmed from a settled backline that could cope with the inevitable pressure on the goalline that came from their offensive style, which by its nature is likely to create mistakes. They bake the errors and prepare to defend them.
For that six game streak, they were conceding 11 points per game, almost half their season average. With their first choice backline now on deck – their 1-7 on Friday is the same that defeated the Panthers, save for late scratching Latrell – they can hope for that aspect to return.
The middle will actually be stronger. Tatola, Koloamatangi and Arrow were both out at that stage and have now returned, while Havili was yet to start a game. This side that will face the Broncos is the strongest that the Bunnies have fielded all year, and need to play like it.
It is set up perfectly for Demetriou to get his men back together, up to speed and ready to race downhill home.
They might well lament the luck that has hit them on the injury front, or that their draw as been palpably harder than everyone else’s so far.
But everyone gets injuries, and the upshot of a rock-hard draw to start is a softer one to finish. The Bunnies have shown the levels that they are capable of, and that most other sides cannot compete when they hit their straps.
Now the challenge is to hit them again, and when it matters. The unbeaten streak has to start here.
Leichhardt Oval looks set to get a $40 million facelift but doubts remain over whether Wests Tigers will remain at the iconic suburban ground…
The commentator says with the talented roster, players should be putting in more effort each week rather than waiting for next season when Bennett…
Dion Teaupa was also sin-binned for the infringement, but Val Holmes couldn't capitalise, only kicking one of the two conversions.
Trying the short kick, he kicked it completely wrong sending it bouncing over the dead-ball line!
Jeremiah Nanai thought he'd extended the Cowboys' lead, but his teammate got in the way denying the try.
From the sublime to the ridiculous. It’s a fair assessment of Saturday at Magic Round, where one of the games of the season, a…
