We dissect our 22-18 win against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks by looking at the key stats!
Kicking
Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker played the conditions perfectly by turning around the Sharks forwards and putting in skidding kicks for the Cronulla back-three to field.
Ethan Lowe opened proceedings in the second half by pouncing on a Cody Walker grubber. Walker also played a part in Campbell Graham's try just before the half when he forced a repeat set-of-six from within South Sydney's territory.
The Rabbitohs forced three line drop outs (1 Walker, 1 Reynolds, 1 Mitchell) for the Sharks' two.
The Rabbitohs almost doubled the Sharks for kicking metres, proving to be the true cornerstone of their attack. Also important to note that the Rabbitohs' back three didn't make a mistake from a kick with 100% kick-diffusal rate.
Tackle Breaks
The Sharks were dominant in this department leading the tackle breaks 32-23 led by Cronulla's right edge particularly in Jess Ramien (4) and Sione Katoa (4).
It's no coincidence that the Sharks found success by going down that side with Katoa scoring two athletic tries to get them back in the game.
The Rabbitohs' left edge weren't too far behind though, combining with a total of six tackle breaks between Burns and Gagai.
While the Sharks' tackle breaks came in 'good ball' territory, South Sydney's were a result of working it out of their own line to help the forwards out.
Penalties conceded
The penalty count was 13-6 to the Sharks but despite more than double the amount of attacking opportunites, South Sydney's defence was inspiring - particulary in the last five minutes of the game when the Sharks peppered their line to no success.
While discipline is an area for improvement, Coach Wayne Bennett would be pleased with the desperation in defence; led by Damien Cook with 47.
Possession
The old saying 'those who tackle hard and hold the ball win the game' is true in this instance with South Sydney having a 75% completion rate to the Sharks' 69%. Despite the Rabbitohs having less overall run metres (1,481 to 1,769) the Rabbitohs were more disciplined with the ball only having 9 errors to Cronulla's 14.
