These are the key takeaways from South Sydney’s 36-28 win over the Bulldogs at Accor Stadium.
MUST WIN GAME
Despite not having made the finals over the last few years, the Bulldogs have given South Sydney some headaches in recent times, and tonight was no exception.
With a number of teams chasing a finals spot winning at the weekend, it made the two points particularly valuable to keep a buffer on those chasing in the pack.
At times it was scrappy and a real grind, but it was an absolute must-win game in the context of the season, and it also keeps the top four within reach.
LEADING FROM THE BACK
You want your big-name players standing up when the game is on the line, and that’s exactly what Latrell Mitchell did.
The captain came to life in the second half when Souths were down 22-16 with a 40m burst to score and level things up to keep his side in the game.
It was backed up with another surging run off a Matt Burton bomb, before a nice chip minutes later that didn’t get the reward it deserved.
Two late try assists took his tally to three for the game, as he showed why he is one of the best fullbacks in the game with a simply brilliant display in the second half when it mattered the most.
HE SCORES WHEN HE WANTS
Chalk up another Accor Stadium hat-trick for Alex Johnston.
The winger shrugged off an early mishap to put in another solid night at the office, capped off with three more tries to take his personal tally at Homebush to 77 tries from 78 games.
One of the best finishers in the game did exactly that in touching down to give South Sydney the lead in the last five minutes, before sealing the match on the back of an exceptional effort from centre partner Isaiah Tass.
TATOLA IN CAREER-BEST FORM
Tevita Tatola has been called on to play big minutes over the last fortnight, and he has risen to the occasion in style.
On the back of running for 151m in almost an hour of game-time last week, the front rower backed it up with 62 minutes of play tonight.
He cracked the 200m mark, including a game-high 77 post-contact metres, finished with a team-high 33 tackles (none missed), and scored a try to top it all off.
Junior is playing like a man possessed at the moment.
BENCH COMES TO PLAY
Early injuries and a HIA forced coach Jason Demetriou’s hand sooner than he would’ve liked, but the four bench players all did their jobs and played their part in the win.
They all had to put in big minutes on the night, with Tom Burgess and Daniel Suluka-Fifita getting it done in the middle of the field.
Jed Cartwright was again strong on an edge, with Kodi Nikorima at his crafty best around the ruck.
Their impact can’t be understated.
