The Rabbitohs have fallen short in the dying stages in the grand final rematch against Penrith, falling 26-22 at Accor Stadium.
Leading by two points heading into the final five minutes, a late penalty and try with less than two to go effectively ended South Sydney’s top-four hopes.
But it was the half chances throughout the night that will most sting the Rabbitohs, with a number of chances that went begging, inviting the defending premiers into the game and ultimately allowing them to finish over the top.
The match was riddled with scoring opportunities that went astray, failing to build a sizeable lead against a side they needed to lift another gear for.
The Rabbitohs have made a habit of scoring first in recent weeks, but the side found themselves behind early on after a bit of déjà vu from last year’s grand final, with Stephen Crichton swooping on a loose pass to run 50 metres and score.
Relentless pressure from Penrith continued throughout the opening stages, but it was South Sydney who hit back next through Alex Johnston, who was allowed to stroll over after a stellar piece of ball-playing from Cody Walker to give him an uninterrupted passage.
A dubious error call on Latrell Mitchell was compounded by an even more questionable call on a non-obstruction, allowing Dylan Edwards to extend the lead of the Panthers.
After a pair of disallowed tries to both sides, it was the Rabbitohs fullback right in the thick of things again, producing a miracle flick pass to find Walker, who stepped Edwards to race in the second try of the night.
When given a penalty in the closing minutes of the half, Mitchell was able to slot the goal from close range to send both sides into the sheds tied at 12-all.
A pair of opportunities presented themselves to Jaxson Paulo in the opening minutes of the second half, with an intercept chance juggled and then dropped, before a Mitchell break and long pass was spilt by the winger with open space ahead.
The Rabbitohs were almost made to pay soon after as a short-side raid was capitalised upon by Liam Martin, but a desperate tackle from Isaiah Tass denied him over the line.
A penalty edged the visitors in front once again, before another try with a stroke of luck was able to push the score out to 20-12 with 25 minutes remaining.
Just as the Panthers looked to be slipping away, a big shot on Crichton forced a mistake and South Sydney hit back with a textbook backline movement, with multiple the ball going through multiple sets of hands and finished off with a Campbell Graham try in the corner.
They persisted, and another link-up between Walker and Johnston added another to his vast tally, and when Mitchell slotted the conversion from the sideline the Rabbitohs poked their noses in front 22-20 inside the final 10 minutes.
They will have a chance to bounce back at home against the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday night, as they look to secure a home final in week one of the semis.
