Kicking Game Making the Difference
5th tackle options proved our Achilles' heel early in the half, with multiple kicks going dead or being handled with ease by the Roosters back three. Troy Dargan took the kicking duties upon himself early on, but Adam Reynolds began to show his word class short kicking game later in the half, building pressure & leading to our first six-pointer. In contrast, Keary appeared to have the ball on a string early in the half, before some questionable options later in the piece contributed to the momentum swing.
Roosters Left Edge Causing Problems
The Roosters left edge are considered one of the best in the competition and have been playing quick and fast early in the contest leading to two tries. Tupou and Morris have been effective as running options & effective targets for their halves to kick to.
Ruck Speed
The Roosters big forwards hold the edge so far running for 925 metre combined compared to Souths 828. The additional meters have largely come from their superior ruck speed, this will be a key focus for the Rabbitohs in the second half.
We all Missed Murray
We've waited 70 days to see a four-pointer and the recipient was none other than Cameron Murray following an intercept from Braidon Burns and followed up nicely by some clever dummy work by Latrell Mitchell.
