The Penrith Panthers have dealt the South Sydney Rabbitohs a hefty blow in round 24 of the NRL premiership, winning 40 points to 10 in front of 14,214 fans at CUA Stadium.
The Panthers scored seven tries to two tonight (Saturday), after claiming 64% of the ball throughout the match, overpowering the new-look, young Rabbitohs outfit.
It was a tough first half for the Rabbitohs with the home side dominating the field position and the possession for a majority of the half.
The Panthers were denied a try by the video referee in the fourth minute when Maurice Blair was penalised for a double movement.
The Rabbitohs bounced straight back, with debutant Junior Vaivai crossing for his first try in the NRL in the sixth minute. David Fa’alogo took the ball up the middle of the field strongly and offloading to hooker Issac Luke. Luke made a lengthy break before being pulled down about ten metres short of the line. The ball was swung to the left and Vaivai beat two defenders to score his maiden four-pointer.
Four minutes later the Panthers struck back through winger Junior Tia Kilifi. A dropped bomb by the Rabbitohs gave the Panthers a repeat set of six, with Tia Kilifi touching down in the left hand corner. Michael Gordon converted from the sideline to give his side a two-point advantage.
Four minutes later Wade Graham crossed for Penrith after a beautiful offload from second-rower Frank Pritchard. Gordon converted again to give the home side a 12-4 lead.
In the 24th minute, the Rabbitohs chose to run the ball on the last tackle. The ball found Vaivai who put a great step on his opposite number and a well weighted kick gave the Rabbitohs a repeat set. From the ensuing set of six, Issac Luke crossed for the Rabbitohs second try when he crashed over from dummy half on the right hand side of the field. Chris Sandow converted to bring the Rabbitohs within two.
Tia Kilifi crossed for his second try in the 32nd minute, when he had a free run to the line on the left wing. Gordon converted to give the Panthers an 18-10 lead which they maintained until half time.
The Panthers were dominating field position and possession but the Rabbitohs were holding in there. Their effort in the first 40 minutes was excellent, with the Rabbitohs having an outstanding completion rate in the first stanza.
The Panthers struck first in the second half, when Paul Aiton dived over from dummy half in the 49th minute. Gordon converted to give the Panthers a 24-10 lead. The Panthers looked to have stepped it up a gear and the Rabbitohs needed to do the same if they were to overcome the men from the foot of the mountains.
Gordon was the next to cross for the Panthers, after Trent Waterhouse got an offload away to set up the try in the 56th minute. Gordon missed the conversion to give his side an 18-point lead with 22 minutes remaining on the clock.
Penrith scored their sixth try in the 61st minute when Brad Tighe turned the Rabbitohs left side defence inside out after another offload from Frank Pritchard. Gordon converted to give the home side a 34-10 lead.
Michael Jennings crossed in the 67th minute after slicing through on a 50 metre run. Gordon converted to bring up 40 points for Penrith.
The Rabbitohs threw the ball around in the final ten minutes of the game, trying to find a crack in the Panthers’ defensive line, however the Panthers held strong, keeping the Rabbitohs scoreless in the second half. Breaks by Chris McQueen and Colin Best came to nothing for the red and greens, with the last pass in the play finding the deck a number of times in the final minutes.
The Rabbitohs tried hard throughout the game, never giving up despite the hefty deficit on the scoreboard. The Panthers enjoyed a massive 64% of possession in the game, a statistic that the young Rabbitohs side couldn’t overcome.
The Rabbitohs move on to play the St George Illawarra Dragons next Saturday night at 7:30pm at ANZ Stadium.
Penrith Panthers 40 (Junior Tia Kilifi 2, Wade Graham, Paul Aiton, Michael Gordon, Brad Tighe, Michael Jennings tries; Michael Gordon 6 goals)
defeated
South Sydney Rabbitohs 10 (Junior Vaivai, Issac Luke tries; Chris Sandow goal)
In the Toyota Cup match tonight, the South Sydney Rabbitohs have sewn up a top-eight finish with a 48 points to 12 victory over the Penrith Panthers at CUA Stadium.
The Rabbitohs ran in nine tries to two in a completely dominant display. Malcolm Webster scored two tries for the Rabbitohs, but it was the halves combination of Adam Reynolds and Matt Mundine that controlled the game for South Sydney.
Captain Jason Clark was outstanding in defence, with the Rabbitohs looking well organised when defending their turf.
Tonight’s win cements the NYC team’s first finals birth in the competition’s second year of existence.
The South Sydney Football Club encourages all Rabbitohs Members and supporters to turn up early next Saturday night at ANZ Stadium to watch the under 20’s side take on competition heavyweights, the St George Illawarra Dragons. Kick off next Saturday will be at 5:15pm.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 48 (Malcolm Webster 2, Jason Clark, Kane Morgan, Josh Mansour, Blake Judd, Matt Mundine, Nathan Peats, Luke Capewell tries; Adam Reynolds 5, Matt Mundine goals)
defeated
Penrith Panthers 12 (Jeff Ryan, Chris Aunese tries; Stirling Siejka 2 goals)