The South Sydney Rabbitohs have suffered a defeat at the hands of the Canberra Raiders, going down 32-12 in the final fixture of round 21.
A fast start from the Raiders saw the home side ahead by 18-0 after just 20 minutes. This ultimately proved to be too much to overcome for South Sydney, who were simply unable to get into the contest at any stage of the game.
The Raiders’ first try came in just the fourth minute, with Jordan Rapana finishing off a break from Hudson Young to score in the left corner of the field. The pressure would continue for South Sydney, as Xavier Savage scored the second try of the game just five minutes later with a spectacular leap to gather in a high kick from Jamal Fogarty.
Things then took a sad turn for the Rabbitohs, with Alex Johnston going down with what looked to be an issue with his Achillis in the 17th minute of the game.
With Johnston leaving the field, the ensuing reshuffle saw Peter Mamouzelos enter the game in the dummy half position, with Damien Cook moving to left centre and Taane Milne pushing out to the left wing to replace Johnston. Sebastian Kris then pushed the score out even further for Canberra, beating three South Sydney defenders with some footwork close to the line to score the home side’s third try.
The Rabbitohs managed to stop the Raiders’ momentum somewhat with a 31st minute try to Milne on the wing. A high kick from Cody Walker was allowed to bounce by Savage, with Milne taking advantage of a fortuitous bounce to get his side on the scoreboard.
However, the Raiders would hit back just minutes later through Rapana, who received a lucky bounce of his own off a cross-field kick from Fogarty to score his second try of the game.
South Sydney then brought the first half to a close after Cody Walker took advantage of a Jack Wighton offload to crash over just seconds before the half-time siren, leaving his side trailing by 16 points at the break.
The Rabbitohs needed a strong start to the second half if they were to claw their way back into the contest. Unfortunately, it was the Raiders who managed the first try of the second stanza, with Fogarty sending Ata Mariota through a huge hole to score in the in the 45th minute.
Three consecutive set restarts gifted South Sydney a mountain of possession in Canberra’s red zone. They were able to capitalise through Tallis Duncan, who crashed through two Canberra defenders off a nice ball from Mamouzelos.
South Sydney were unable to trouble the scorers for the rest of the half. In what proved to be the final scoring play of the game, a penalty to the Raiders saw them draw even further ahead, with Fogarty slotting the goal in the 71st minute for a 20-point lead at 32-12.
Match Snapshot
-
The Raiders broke open the contest through Jordan Rapana, who finished off a 30m run from Hudson Young to score the first try of the game
-
Xavier Savage was next to score, gathering in a high ball to bag the Raiders’ second try
-
Sebastien Kris crossed in the 20th minute to give the Raiders an 18-0 lead
-
South Sydney scored broke their duck through Taane Milne, who took advantage of a bouncing ball off a Cody Walker kick
-
Canberra hit back with a second try to Jordan Rapana in the 37th minute
-
Cody Walker scored on the stroke of halftime after combining with Jack Wighton, leaving South Sydney trailing 24-8 at the break
-
Canberra were first to score in the second half, with Ata Mariota steaming through a gap off a Fogarty short ball close to the line
-
Tallis Duncan crossed for the Rabbitohs off a crash play in the 61st minute
-
Canberra extended their lead in the 71st minute thanks to a Fogarty penalty goal, in what wound up being the final scoring play of the match
Play of the Game
Cody Walker’s try on the stroke of halftime was certainly a highlight. The benefactor of a lovely offload from halves partner Jack Wighton, Walker crashed over just seconds before the siren to score his side’s second try of the match. It’s always a pleasure to see halves combine, and this was a timely reminder of what Walker and Wighton are capable of when things go their way, despite the disappointing result.
What’s Next?
A trip to the Cronulla next Saturday night. South Sydney will headline Super Saturday in round 22, taking on the Sharks at Shark Park in Cronulla.
