It was a frustrating yet entertaining match in Round 3 against the Sydney Roosters, and here are the five takeaways from Allianz Stadium.
Firing Out of the Blocks
Just like they did in their most recent meetings with the tricolours, the Rabbitohs came firing out of the blocks in this one.
It took just seven minutes for the side to gain the lead, with a cool and calm Lachlan Ilias sending Keaon Koloamatangi careening through for the first try of the match.
Latrell Mitchell had his hands all over the side's second try just five minutes later, bulleting the ball across the face to Alex Johnston who snuck through in the corner for a 10-nil lead.
In the very first set of the second half, the right side hummed once again as Koloamatangi put Campbell Graham through a yawning gap with a slick flick pass and putting the Rabbitohs back on the try-line.
Still Trellianz Stadium
There's a reason why they call it Trellianz Stadium, and Latrell Mitchell was right in the thick of this match at both ends of the field.
The Australian International, State of Origin representative and Indigenous All Star took control in the 12th minute, throwing a brilliant cut-out pass to put winger Alex Johnston through for a dazzling try.
He continued to threaten and challenge the Roosters' defence all night, swinging across both sides of the field in a busy knock, evidenced by his 122 running metres, two linebreak assists and try assist.
Taking the match into his own hands with minutes remaining, Mitchell helped set up the final try, linking up with Campbell Graham and Izaac Tu'itupou Thompson, before calmly slotting a sideline conversion to bring it to a two-point difference.
With seconds remaining, the fullback took it upon himself to try and level the scores with a booming 2-point field goal attempt, and while it fell just short, it proved that he is a key man for the side when the going gets tough.
Graham Dominates the Right Side
Despite the result, it was a stand-out performance from centre Campbell Graham, who caused havoc on the right side for the entire 80 minutes and dominating opposite Joseph Sua'ali'i.
Topping the metres for the match with 196, it was another colossal effort in defence from Graham, who forced multiple errors with his aggressive, front-on tackling, while making two linebreaks, assisting another and laying on a try with the ball in hand.
In a late-match rally, Graham stepped up to the plate to send winger Izaac Tu'itupou Thompson over in the corner, giving the side a chance to steal victory with one minute remaining.
It's another step in the rising career of Graham, with the 23-year-old now a senior member of the Rabbitohs' line up, a member of Australia's 2021 World Cup campaign and a hopeful for future State of Origin honours.
Discipline Proves Costly
It was a frustrating match with the ball in hand, which certainly proved to be costly in the final result.
With a total of 14 errors and 5 penalties, the side made it quite hard for themselves at times throughout the match, with a number of those errors directly leading to tries to the opposition.
Similarly, there were a number of opportunities to be taken when attacking the line that fell agonisingly short, which stung in a match that hung in the balance in the final few seconds, finishing with a lowly 66% completion rate.
While there were plenty of promising signs from the contest, particularly in the roll on the side got, Jason Demetriou's men will be looking to refine their game heading into Round 4 against Manly.
This Side Fails to Die Wondering
If there's one real positive to take from the match, it's the fact that these Rabbitohs never go down wondering.
After cruising to a 10-point lead, Souths continued to pepper their opponents throughout, and while their highly-fancied opponents levelled, a clever strip from Cameron Murray allowed Latrell Mitchell to kick the Rabbitohs ahead by two points at the break.
While the Roosters took an eight-point lead late in the match, once again the grit and determination from Jason Demetriou's men shone through, with a clever play down the right closing the gap.
Charging downfield, the Rabbitohs then put themselves in a position to level the scores through a two-point field goal, which came agonisingly short - but it just goes to show that they aren't prepared to go down without a fight.
