The Rabbitohs went down in a hard-fought match against the defending premiers in Penrith on Friday night, here's some of what we learned.
LATRELL'S WORKLOAD
It looked like Latrell Mitchell had an extra zero on his back with some of his carries from deep in South Sydney territory. He wasn't afraid to take a surging run one off the ruck, attracting multiple defenders and earning quick plays the balls in the process. Five tackle breaks in the first half were a true showing of the dominance he displayed in his third game back from suspension.
ILIAS' CONFIDENCE CONTINUES TO GROW
Lachlan Ilias is looking right at home at halfback and making the role his own.
A stellar first half saw him finish the first 40 with two line-break assists and a brilliant individual effort to find the line, only to be denied by the bunker. His pass to put Tom Burgess through a gap in the closing stages of the first half was elite, carrying on a breakout performance against the Roosters.
ERRORS PROVE COSTLY AGAINST PREMIERS
Dropped ball proved the deciding factor as Penrith time and time again made Souths pay for a below-average completion rate. The Panthers had 56% of the ball and had just six errors, compared to 13 handling errors from the Rabbitohs. It's hard to gift a team as good as that extra possession and to come away with the spoils.
THE DEFENSIVE WORKLOAD TAKES ITS TOLL
Tom Burgess was the only forward to crack the century for run metres with the early injury to Mark Nicholls taking its toll. All starting forwards recorded 30 or more tackles with Jacob Host also forced to play big minutes off the bench. Burgess finished the game with 42 tackles and 145 run metres to add vital punch off the interchange bench.
GLIMMERS OF HOPE
We're starting to see glimpses of the Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell combination reigniting. A Mitchell hit up and offload to Walker set up a huge break in the closing stages of the first half, and the signs are there that the backline is starting to click as we pass the first month of the competition. Another huge positive is the questions the attack asked of the Panther's defence. Souths made 42 tackle breaks for the night, with Mitchell and Alex Johnston both finishing with seven apiece.
