In the curtain-raiser for the blockbuster grand-final rematch, the Rabbitohs Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup sides secured crucial wins against quality Panthers outfits.
Jersey Flegg got off the mark in 2022, holding off a late Panthers comeback, as the NSW Cup side surprised the league-leading Panthers in an impressive fashion.
Jersey Flegg Cup
The Rabbitohs are off the board in the Jersey Flegg Cup for 2022, after an entertaining matchup with the Panthers at BlueBet Stadium.
After a tough opening couple of weeks, the Rabbitohs entered this match determined to score its first win of the season.
It was always going to be a tough outing against a strong Penrith side that is expected to go far this season.
However after a strong start, the Rabbitohs held off a valiant Panthers comeback for a storied win.
The Rabbitohs opened the scoring in the 12th minute through Josiah Karapani, capping off a successful opening period.
The hosts didn’t wait long to answer back, as minutes later Isaiah Iongi broke down the Rabbitohs defence to level the scores.
Zane Bijorac continued on his impressive start to the season when found the line to give Souths a much deserved second-chance at the lead.
With a one-try advantage heading into the break, the Rabbitohs were determined to continue the high-pressure and break away for its first win of the year.
Chaise Spyroulias capped of a dominant start to the first half in the 38rd minute with his four-pointer that gave Souths plenty of breathing room.
After shaking off a rough start to the second-half, Li Mai got the Panthers back in the game with plenty of time to mount a comeback.
Romano Cook did his best to ensure the Rabbitohs remained in the lead, after he got through multiple Penrith players to crash over from dummy-half.
With the sides duelling for an advantage in possession, it looked likely that the Rabbitohs would get its first win of the season.
However, in dramatic fashion Isaiah Iongi crashed over for his second of the game, after darting through a hole in the Rabbitohs defence, giving the Panthers a golden opportunity to level the score.
Conor Mason stepped up from close range and miss-hit the conversion wide, giving the Rabbitohs a deserved two point victory.
Amongst the top performers, Josiah Karapani continued to build on his impressive season along-side Zane Bijorac who both had stellar outings coming from the back.
Captain Romano Cook had an outstanding day in both attack and in defence, his runs from dummy-half cause the Panthers plenty of headaches and ensured the Rabbitohs remained strong when defending their line.
The Rabbitohs walked away with a deserved win and will be rejuvenated heading into next week’s clash against the Dragons
NSW Cup
South Sydney entered this NSW Cup clash with a chip on its shoulder, the league-leading Panthers were assumed favourites but were met by a determined Rabbitohs side.
Coming off a bitter loss to the strong North Sydney Bears side last week, the Rabbitohs looked improved and ready to go from the opening set.
The Rabbitohs looked dominant for the majority of the game, a late-comeback from the Panthers was held off as the visitors walked away with a confidence-building win.
After surviving some early pressure from the potent Penrith attack, the Rabbitohs opened proceedings with a Jack Campagnolo try, courtesy of a perfectly placed inside pass from Izaac Thompson.
Peter Mamouzelos doubled the lead for the visitors shortly after, as the Rabbitohs began to seize the momentum of the first-half.
The Panthers opened its account for the night when Preston Riki spun away from his defender and crashed over the line.
The Rabbitohs entered the break up four-points, with everything to play for in the second-half.
After a slow start to the first-half, the Panthers began to gain momentum with plenty of last tackles deep into the Rabbitohs half.
The visitors were forced to endure mountain of pressure on their own line, after a forced-drop-out and a repeat set, the Rabbitohs held on and were full of confidence after holding out the Panthers.
Souths capitalised on the back of this and built its own attack, flipping the script on the Panthers by camping in their end of the half and forcing a drop-out in the process.
Josh Mansour returned to his former home-ground with a bang, as he went over in the corner, rewarding the period of Souths dominance.
It didn’t stop there for the Rabbitohs as Jacob Gagai finished off a notable break-away try, fending off multiple Panthers defenders to crash over next to the sticks.
Tempers began to boil over for the hosts as the Rabbitohs began to frustrate them with its gritty defence and forcing errors when the momentum began to shift into Penrith’s hands.
John Faimu gave the Panthers a glimmer of hope with ten minutes remaining, after the Panthers continual pressure on the try-line paid off.
The Panthers looked set to pull of an unthinkable comeback when Eddie Blacker crash over from close-range to put the game within two points.
However, this would be the closest the Panthers got to the win as the Rabbitohs denied them a chance at a last gasp try.
Jacob Gagai continued to mount his case for an NRL call-up with another classy display leading from the back, highlighted by the try, Gagai alongside Dean Hawkins was lethal in attack.
Hawkins put in another outstanding display in the halves, having a hand in majority of the tries and organising his sides attack, creating an abundance of attacking chances.
Hugo Patterson impressed alongside Shaquai Mitchell, the duo laid the platform for the Rabbitohs attack and put in a mountain of work in defence.
The Rabbitohs now prepare for a blockbuster clash with the Dragons next Saturday at Accor Stadium.
