Round Rewind: Latrell's Delivers Hat-Trick in 150th Game as Rabbitohs Run Riot

In a milestone night that delivered one of the most complete attacking performances of the season, the Rabbitohs ran in ten tries to defeat the Bulldogs 50-16 in round 19 of 2023. Latrell Mitchell starred in his 150th NRL appearance, notching a memorable hat-trick as the Bunnies put the foot down at Accor Stadium.

The Match

It was the Bulldogs who struck first, with Jake Averillo slicing through for a full-field try in the third minute to stun the home crowd.

But once the Rabbitohs found their rhythm, all momentum shifted.

In the 17th minute, Damien Cook spotted an opportunity under the posts. Darting from dummy half, he attracted two defenders before slipping a perfectly timed pass to Cameron Murray, who surged through the gap to score and level the contest.

With momentum in Souths’ favour, the red and green turned to their right edge. Cody Walker swept across the field and held his pass just long enough to put Izaac Tu’itupou Thompson into space. The towering winger drew the fullback and passed to Latrell Mitchell, who cruised over to mark his milestone match with a four-pointer.

Two minutes later, the right edge exploded again. This time, Keaon Koloamatangi played short to Campbell Graham, who broke into the backfield. With defenders closing in, Graham put on a slick step and somehow freed his right arm to pop an offload to Cody Walker. Walker juggled, regathered, and quickly found Latrell in support — who muscled his way over for his second.

Cook was in everything and soon threw a looping pass from dummy half to catch the Bulldogs short again. Walker, in rhythm, delivered a crisp short ball to Jacob Host, who ran a perfect line and crossed untouched. The Rabbitohs were in red hot form, scoring 26 points in 20 minutes.

The Bulldogs hit back just after halftime with a well-placed grubber, but the Rabbitohs remained composed. Then came the knockout punch. On the fifth tackle, Walker took the ball to the line, fended off Flanagan, spun through Perham, and forced the ball down with brute strength.

Minutes later, Cook shot out from dummy half again. Spotting an overlap to the right, he fed the ball through the hands to Jed Cartwright, who burst into space and linked with Latrell — the fullback finishing his hat-trick with a simple put-down.

Souths weren’t done. Walker cut out two teammates to hit Campbell Graham in stride, who finished untouched in the corner.

The Bulldogs managed a consolation intercept try, but it barely slowed the Rabbitohs’ charge. With two minutes remaining, Lachlan Ilias hoisted a bomb that no Bulldog wanted. It bounced awkwardly in the backfield, and Latrell pounced. Absorbing three defenders, he somehow freed his left arm and lobbed a no-look offload to Graham, who crashed over to complete his own hat-trick.

Key Performers

Latrell Mitchell – 26 points, three tries, six conversions, 191 run metres, two try assists, four tackle breaks
Campbell Graham – three tries, 150 run metres, three line breaks, three tackle breaks
Cody Walker – one try, four line break assists, three try assists, five tackle breaks
Cameron Murray – one try, 133 run metres, 31 tackles (zero missed)