ATTACK ON FULL DISPLAY
Despite trailing for a majority of the first half, South Sydney looked like the more dangerous team and were willing to chance their hand from inside their own half.
They finished the first 40 minutes with six line breaks compared to Penrith’s one, and were left to rue a couple of blown opportunities that could’ve given them the lead at the break.
It showed a side confident in its own abilities to chase the game and willing to throw the ball around against one of the best defensive sides in the competition.
SLICK HANDS PAY FULL DIVIDENDS
Speaking of letting the ball flow, what about some of the efforts of Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker to set up tries?
Walker did a beautiful job of holding the ball up to link up with Alex Johnston for yet another try for the winger.
Mitchell’s offload in the shadows of half-time to give Souths a much-needed four-pointer before the break was out of this world.
We saw it again in the second half as the backline clicked at the right times.
Having these two in fine form and confident coming into the business end of the season is a beautiful thing to witness.
HALF CHANCES GO BEGGING
On a night where things went right, a case could be made that the better side lost.
South Sydney had countless chances that weren’t able to be converted, with a number of tries going begging throughout the 80 minutes.
It’s a solid sign to be able to push the minor premiers right to their limits, but with the finals firmly on the radar in the coming weeks, those are the chances that need to be converted if the Rabbitohs are going to advance further.
DROPPED BALLS PROVE COSTLY
Handling has been better in recent weeks as the wins have flowed, but tonight the completion percentage was back in the low 70’s, with Penrith completing five more sets.
That allowed the Panthers to build pressure, particularly in the first 20 minutes of the second half with Souths not getting a single attacking set on their line during that time.
Penrith ran for almost 300 more metres in the game, and they took a points victory in the battle of the forward packs.
FINALS RACE BECOMES UNSTEADY
Depending on how results over the course of the round pan out, South Sydney could finish the week in eighth position.
That shows just how tight the competition is at the moment, and how one slip up can prove to be fatal.
The top four looks out of reach now, and with games coming up against second-placed North Queensland and an in-form Roosters side, it’s vital to bounce back in style over the next fortnight to lock up a spot in the eight and build momentum heading into the finals.
