These are the five key takeaways from the Rabbitohs 44-18 defeat of the Wests Tigers at Accor Stadium.
AJ'S TOP OF THE TREE
It's official, Alex Johnston is South Sydney's best ever tryscorer.
AJ showed why is one of the best finishers in the NRL with a hat-trick of tries during Indigenous Round, with an incredible honour now his own.
Johnston moved to 147 career tries in the red and green, passing another great winger in Nathan Merritt.
The all-time rugby league record of 212 tries from Ken Irvine is now firmly in his sights.
SERIOUS PUNCH OFF THE BENCH
How good was the tandem of Siliva Havili and Hame Sele?
The forwards were simply unstoppable and helped the Rabbitohs to get their way back into the game in the first half after falling behind early.
Havili has been one of South Sydney's most consistent performers off the bench, and he produced four tackle breaks and the try to level the scores to cap off a surging first stint that saw him run for over 100m in that first half, and 175m for the game.
Sele was superb as well, charging onto the ball at top speed with every carry, punching out 146m in under 30 minutes of game time.
FORWARDS SET THE TONE
The bench has been rightfully praised for their efforts, but don't discount the efforts of the starting pack to get over the top of their opponents.
Captain Cameron Murray came out with intent in his return from injury, motivating his troops to follow the lead.
Big Tom Burgess answered the call and produced one of his finest efforts for the season, running for an incredible 235m for the game and again getting through a mountain of work.
Mark Nicholls was strong in his comeback game, while Jai Arrow and Keaon Kolomatangi were solid as always and hitting hard in defence.
RABBITOHS SHOW MUCH NEEDED RESILIENCE
Things didn't go to plan in Dubbo after falling behind early, and things were getting tense when trailing 12-0 after as many minutes.
South Sydney showed the kind of fight that were accustomed to seeing though, getting right into the grind and not shirking the task.
They got back into the game by winning the middle and outmuscling the Tigers, with the forward pack making a huge statement.
That gave the backline plenty to work with, as Johnston and Cody Walker took full advantage to come away for a big win in the end.
COOKIE'S MILESTONE TO REMEMBER
Damien Cook laced up his boots for game 150 in the red and green, and the Blues incumbent showed why he'll be there for Origin 1.
Cook was as crafty as ever out of dummy half to routinely get the Rabbitohs on the front foot and over the advantage line.
His kicks close to the line asked questions of the Tigers and he once again topped the tackle count for his side, making 40 tackles without a single miss.
In a fabulous team effort, Cookie was right up there with our top performers.
