Updated: Rabbitohs 24 DEFEAT Titans 23
23 Jun 2008
The South Sydney Rabbitohs have dealt a hefty blow to the Gold Coast Titans at ANZ Stadium tonight, defeating the competition heavyweights 24-23 in front of 9827 fans.
In a game where the lead changed hands five times, the Rabbitohs showed true character and determination to fight back and defeat the Queenslanders.
And it was that fighting spirit that most pleased Rabbitohs coach Jason Taylor.
“We showed great resilience and we showed a good fight tonight,” Taylor said.
“That’s two games in a row now where we’ve continued to keep coming back, continued to fight back.
“I’m really proud of the way the guys fought tonight. We were confident we could come out the other side and we’ve done that for two games in a row.
“We’re doing the key things when they matter. I’m really happy with tonight’s performance.”
Captain Roy Asotasi also commended his troops’ fighting spirit.
“We’ve had our backs against the wall all season and we’ve learned a lot from that,” Asotasi said.
“We now can hang on in a game and not let it slip through our fingers.
“We fought right to the end which is what we need to keep doing every week.”
Both sides came out playing some attacking football from the get-go, with the ball traveling from one end of the field to the other.
The Titans were first to score through second-rower Anthony Laffranchi in the 13th minute. Scott Prince’s conversion gave the visitors a six-point lead.
Nine minutes later the Rabbitohs struck back through hooker Issac Luke. Luke crashed over from close range to bring the home side within two.
A great run and offload from Jamie Simpson set up the next try for the Rabbitohs, with that man Luke scoring again in the 29th minute. Chris Sandow converted to give the Rabbitohs a four-point lead.
The Titans snatched back the lead in the shadows of half time when captain Scott Prince scored under the posts. His conversion gave the Titans a 12-10 lead at the break.
The Rabbitohs came out firing in the second half with John Sutton scoring a strong individual try in the 44th minute. Luke converted giving the Rabbitohs 16-12 advantage early in the second stanza.
Titans winger Jordan Atkins leveled the scores in the 52nd minutes, with Laffranchi’s second try giving the Titans a solid six-point buffer after 57 minutes. Laffranchi looked to be held up over the line but the video referee awarded the four pointer.
David Fa’alogo scored for the Rabbitohs in the 69th minute after a cut-out pass from John Sutton gave Fa’alogo room to move and charge over. Luke’s conversion locked the scores up at 22-all with ten minutes to play.
In the 73rd minute, Scott Prince kicked what looked to be a match winning field goal, but the Rabbitohs spirit kicked in and they fought back hard.
In the 77th minute, Issac Luke lined up a penalty kick from 25 metres out and to the left hand side of the uprights. He struck it sweetly, and the Rabbitohs held on to win 24-23.
Captain Asotasi was inspirational with his bullocking runs throughout the match, accompanied by the ubiquitous Issac Luke and strong performances from Simpson, Sutton and Fa’alogo.
The Rabbitohs now move on to play the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday night.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 24 (Issac Luke 2, John Sutton, David Fa’alogo tries; Issac Luke 3, Chris Sandow goals)
defeated
Gold Coast Titans 23 (Anthony Laffranchi 2, Scott Prince, Jordan Atkins tries; Scott Prince 3 goals; Scott Prince field goal)
Click play on the video at the top of the page to see the Rabbitohs full post match press conference.
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In the Toyota Cup, the Gold Coast Titans defeated the South Sydney Rabbitohs 36-20.
The scores were locked up at 20-all late in the match but three late tries sealed the win for the visitors.
Gold Coast Titans 36 (Esi Tonga 2, Kingi Akaoula 2, Will Mathews, Jordan Rankin, Kevin Gordon tries; Jordan Rapana 4 goals)
defeated
South Sydney Rabbitohs 20 (Abby El-Zbaidieh 2, Andre Itula, Trent Trotter tries; Eddie Paea 2 goals)