The South Sydney Rabbitohs have gone down by 30-10 to the Brisbane Broncos in Round 19 of the Telstra Premiership this evening (Saturday) at ANZ Stadium.
Missing Origin representatives, Adam Reynolds and Greg Inglis through injury and suspension respectively, the South Sydney Rabbitohs came up short against a strong Brisbane outfit despite displaying promising signs throughout the match.
The Broncos would be the first to strike through Lachlan Maranta, with the winger capitalising on an overlap to streak away and score the opening points of the match. Jordan Kahu impressed with his first conversion attempt of the night, notching the kick over from the sideline to set up a 6-0 score line.
It would not take long for the Rabbitohs to retaliate, as Luke Keary took on the Brisbane defence close to the try-line before wrestling his way over. The extras were added by Cody Walker, leaving the scores a six apiece.
Despite the promising start, the deadlock would be short-lived as Brisbane reclaimed the lead through Ben Hunt, with the Broncos playmaker spotting an opening in the Rabbitohs defence before darting through the gap for a four-pointer. Kahu added the two points, leaving the score at 12-6 in the visitors favour.
An error from the Rabbitohs deep within their own half allowed the Broncos to extend their lead, as Corey Oates displayed spectacular athleticism to score in the corner, manipulating his body to ground the ball whilst remaining in the field of play. Once again, Kahu was sharp from the sideline, providing Brisbane with an 18-6 advantage.
Despite both sides having a number of attacking opportunities toward the back end of the first stanza, the score line would remain 18-6 in favour of the Broncos as the half-time siren sounded.
The fruitless period of play continued after the break with errors and desperate defence ensuring that either side would not better their position in the match despite having significant opportunity to do so.
The try-scoring drought would eventually be ended in the 55th minute by Broncos speedster James Roberts, who displayed blistering speed to break the line and beat fullback. Anthony Milford – who took the kicking duties from the injured Jordan Kahu – had no issues adding the extras from right in front, giving Brisbane an 18 point buffer.
Brisbane’s lead would soon be enhanced, as Corey Oates intercepted a pass on his own try-line before running 90 metres to score under the posts for his second try of the night. Milford was once again gifted with the simplest of conversions to set up a 30-6 score line.
Rabbitohs fullback, Cody Walker would provide his side with a glimmer of hope breaking through the Broncos defence to continue his strong try-scoring efforts in 2016. The custodian was unable to convert his own try as the score remained 30-10.
These would prove to be the final points of the match, as the Broncos claimed the two premiership points with a solid 20 point victory over the Red and Greens.
Broncos 30 (Corey Oates 2, Lachlan Maranta, Ben Hunt, James Roberts tries; Jordan Kahu 3, Anthony Milford 2 goals)
defeated
Rabbitohs 10 (Luke Keary, Cody Walker tries; Cody Walker 1 goal)
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