Round Rewind: Rabbitohs Steal It at the Death in Good Friday Thriller

With another Good Friday clash against the Bulldogs just days away, we look back at one of our most thrilling victories in recent memory. In round five of the 2015 season, the Rabbitohs pulled off a dramatic 18-17 win at the death, silencing Accor Stadium (formerly known as ANZ Stadium) in a moment that will live long in the hearts of South Sydney fans.

The Match

It was an intense, physical battle from the opening whistle, and the Rabbitohs found themselves under pressure early.

The Bulldogs struck first through a left-side shift that saw Curtis Rona dive over in the corner to give them a 4-0 lead inside five minutes. Moments later, they went right and combined sharply to put Sam Perrett over. With Trent Hodkinson nailing the extras, the Bulldogs took control at 10-0.

For much of the first half, the Rabbitohs couldn’t find a way through. Our sets were aggressive but lacked polish, and we were being matched in the middle by a fired-up Bulldogs pack. But just before the break, everything changed.

In the 37th minute, we sent George Burgess crashing into the line on a trademark crash play. He was wrapped up by three defenders but created disarray around the ruck. Isaac Luke seized the moment. Sensing offside markers, he dummied, ducked, and forced his way over.

In the same motion, Luke copped a boot to the face from a Bulldogs player attempting to defend the try. The Rabbitohs received an eight-point try, and Adam Reynolds made no mistake from either shot. The Rabbitohs went into the sheds down just 10-8.

The second half began with another Bulldogs surge. A grubber from Hodkinson rebounded off legs, and Josh Morris scooped it up and planted the ball beside the posts. Another conversion, and the lead stretched to 16-8.

Just minutes later, Adam Reynolds produced a near carbon copy of the Bulldogs try. His grubber deflected through traffic and Dave Tyrrell was first to react, grounding the ball to bring us back within two. 16-14.

As the game ticked into its final 10 minutes, tension mounted. We pushed through the middle with George Burgess, who refused to go to ground and drew a penalty as James Graham failed to release. It was 45 metres out, but Reynolds backed himself. He stepped up, struck it sweetly, and the ball curled just inside the upright to lock the scores at 16-16.

The restart brought drama. A miscommunication between Tom Burgess and Luke Keary saw the ball go to ground, resulting in a knock-on and handing the Bulldogs a full set just 10 metres out. The Rabbitohs defended the Bulldogs attacking set strongly but eventually, Hodkinson found space and slotted a one-pointer to nudge the Bulldogs ahead 17-16 with under two minutes to play.

On the final set, we spread the ball wide and set Adam Reynolds for a 40-metre field goal attempt. As he launched the kick, James Graham came flying through in an attempt to charge it down but collided with Reynolds’ legs in the process, drawing a controversial penalty right in front of the posts.

Reynolds, injured in the contact, couldn’t take the shot. Bryson Goodwin stepped up, calm as ever, and drove it straight through the posts. The siren sounded with the Rabbitohs winning 18-17.

Key Performers

Greg Inglis – 149 run metres, 51 post contact metres, 1 forced dropout
Alex Johnston – 110 run metres, 104 kick return metres, 2 line breaks, 3 tackle breaks
Adam Reynolds – 8 points (2 conversions, 2 penalty goals), 1 try assist, 2 tackle breaks, 507 kick metres
George Burgess – 157 run metres, 61 post contact metres, 3 tackle breaks, 35 tackles (1 missed)
David Tyrrell – 1 try, 107 run metres, 42 post contact metres
Isaac Luke – 1 try, 1 line break, 4 tackle breaks, 38 dummy half run metres