Rabbitohs Defeat Panthers in Thursday Night Boilover
The South Sydney Rabbitohs have secured their third win of the season, defeating the Penrith Panthers 28-18 off the back of an incredible first-half ambush.
Keaon Koloamatangi lead the way for the Red and Green with a first half double and some huge efforts in defence. Cody Walker was instrumental pulling the strings on the left edge in attack, while Jye Gray was impressive on both sides of the ball.
The Rabbitohs raced out of the gates at full speed to find themselves up 10-0 after as many minutes. They refused to release the pressure on Penrith, dominating their way to a 28-0 lead at the break.
The second half saw some simple errors creep into the Rabbitohs’ game, which cost them further opportunities later in the contest, while an improved second half effort from Penrith saw them put some respectability into the final score.
South Sydney signalled their intent from the get-go when they fired an early warning shot down the left hand side. Returning winger Alex Johnston found space on the wing, and then kicked back infield to force a drop out from the Panthers.
The Rabbitohs then opened the scoring in the very next set, with Walker threading a perfectly-weighted grubber through the line for Koloamatangi to capitalise on.
It would be just a few minutes before South Sydney would produce more points, this time with a left-side raid through the hands which saw Alex Johnston score his 196th NRL try with a spectacular put-down in the corner.
South Sydney extended their lead to 12-0 thanks to a penalty kick from Jamie Humphreys in the 26th minute.
The ensuing kick off saw Penrith kick dead on the full, leading to more possession in the attacking zone for South Sydney. They capitalised immediately, with Koloamatangi forcing his way over for his second try of the game.
The Rabbitohs then drew further ahead in the 33rd minute, this time through Davvy Moale who combined with Peter Mamouzelos on a crash play from close range to score next to the posts.
Already in possession of a very comfortable lead, the Rabbitohs managed to score one last try before half time.
This time it was fullback Jye Gray who caught the Penrith defenders napping with a sneaky solo effort out of dummy half.
The Rabbitohs suffered a significant setback during the break, with Johnston not returning to the field for the second half. He had unfortunately succumbed to a suspected shoulder injury sustained in the act of scoring in the 10th minute after playing through the pain for half an hour.
This forced Wayne Bennett to shuffle the deck, with Isaiah Tass moving to the left wing to replace Johnston, while Jayden Sullivan came off the bench to take Tass’s spot at right centre.
It was the Panthers who started the second half the stronger of the two sides, scoring their first try of the game in the 47th minute through Liam Martin.
They then reduced the deficit to 16 points with a try to Brad Schneider just ten minutes later.
The Panthers had a number of opportunities to press their comeback, with Moses Leota denied by the Bunker in the 63rd minute in an effort that would have made for a very stressful final 15 minutes for South Sydney.
The comeback was not to be however, and although Penrith managed one last try to Jack Cole just seconds before full time when the match was out of reach, South Sydney were able to hang on for a famous victory over the four-time defending premiers.
Match Snapshot
- The Rabbitohs opened the scoring through Keaon Koloamatangi after five minutes
- Alex Johnston bagged South Sydney’s second try in the 10th minute
- The Rabbitohs extend their lead by two through a Jamie Humphreys penalty goal
- Koloamatangi scored his second of the game in the 29th minute
- Davvy Moale crashed over for the Rabbitohs’ fourth try of the game in the 33rd minute
- Jye Gray crossed the stripe just before half time to give his side a 28-0 lead at the break
- Liam Martin opened the scoring for Penrith in the 48th minute
- The Panthers scored their second try through Brad Schneider in the 58th minute
- Penrith managed their third and final try of the game through Jack Cole on the cusp of full time
Play of the Game
This week's play of the game goes to Alex Johnston's try in the 10th minute. It was such a typical left-edge effort from the Rabbitohs, with the ball going through five sets of hands before finding Johnston who bolted to the corner and dived over in spectacular fashion to finish off the move. It was also fantastic to see Johnston in full flight, especially just 10 minutes into his comeback game having been out injured since round 21 last year.
What’s Next?
A massive clash against arch-rivals the Sydney Roosters awaits South Sydney. The Rabbitohs will do battle with their traditional foes next Friday night at Accor Stadium at 8pm (AEDT).
