Left Edge Lights Up in Seven-Try Win
South Sydney’s lethal left edge was in full swing in Round 12 of 2021, with Dane Gagai and Alex Johnston each bagging hat-tricks in a dominant 38-20 win over Parramatta at Accor Stadium. Cody Walker pulled the strings all night, having a hand in five tries as the Rabbitohs’ attack found its groove.
South Sydney wasted no time opening the scoring in the second minute. From a scrum, Damien Cook shaped to pass before darting through a gap, burrowing under Eels defenders to plant the ball down.
The attack stayed hot. On their next chance, Walker received the ball on the left and dug deep into the line before slipping a pass to Mitchell. Under pressure, Mitchell shovelled a clever ball to Johnston, who accelerated into the corner untouched for his first of the night.
Parramatta responded to close the gap, but the Rabbitohs’ left side was humming. With 10 minutes left in the half, Walker and Gagai combined beautifully in a quick exchange, freeing Johnston again in open space. He raced down the sideline and slid over untouched for his second try.
The pressure kept building and with three minutes to go before the break, Jai Arrow linked with Walker, who threw a sharp cutout to Gagai running a perfect line. Still with work to do, Gagai stepped off his left and beat Clint Gutherson one-on-one to score. The Rabbitohs went into halftime up 20-6.
The second half began just like the first, straight from a scrum play. Walker hit Gagai on another well-timed line and once more the centre stepped inside Gutherson, leaving the Eels captain clutching at air before diving over for his second.
Parramatta again hit back, but Souths kept coming. With 20 minutes remaining, Walker passed to Mitchell, who shifted quickly to Johnston. The winger finished clinically for his hat-trick, his third untouched try of the night.
Eight minutes later, Cook sent a flat ball to Gagai on a crash line. The centre powered through contact to complete his own hat-trick, sealing the contest. The Eels scored two late tries, but Souths had already done the damage in a dominant attacking performance ending 38-20 in Rabbitohs' favour.
Key Performers
Alex Johnston – 12 points, three tries, 201 run metres, six line breaks, four tackle breaks
Dane Gagai – 12 points, three tries, 123 run metres, six tackle breaks, one try assist
Damien Cook – one try, one try assist, 52 tackles (one missed)
Keaon Koloamatangi - 163 run metres, 72 post contact metres, 38 tackles (none missed)
