South Sydney Defeated as Canterbury-Bankstown Hang On

The South Sydney Rabbitohs have lost to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs going down 24-18 after flirting with a comeback throughout the second half.

It was a game that had everything, including 79th minute tries, sin bins and even a weather-related break in play.

While the Rabbitohs looked impressive in attack during the second stanza, they were ultimately unable to rein in their opponents after giving away an 18-0 lead early in the game.

It was all Canterbury-Bankstown early, as they got out to a big lead off the back of three early tries.

Toby Sexton was first to score for the Bulldogs, combining with Jacob Kiraz to cross in the sixth minute.

Marcelo Montoya was next to score, followed by Connor Tracey, to put the Bulldogs in a commanding position early on.

The Rabbitohs managed to stem the tide somewhat as the heavens began to open, leading to less open and expansive play from both sides.

The weather then deteriorated rapidly, with NRL officials calling for play to be suspended due to lightning above Accor Stadium.

It was 29 minutes before play was able to resume. With eight minutes remaining in the half, South Sydney were desperate to get on the board before halftime.

Enter Alex Johnston, who pounced on a loose ball off the back of a high kick from Jamie Humphreys to open South Sydney’s account, leaving the score at 18-4 at halftime.

The second half began very much as an arm wrestle, with both sides jostling for field position from which to attack the other’s line.

A high shot by Jake Turpin on Jai Arrow broke the grind, gifting South Sydney an entire set close to the Canterbury-Bankstown line.

It didn’t take South Sydney long at all to capitalise, with Humphreys sending Tallis Duncan through a yawning gap to score untouched and put his side to within eight points of the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs struck back promptly, shifting the ball left for Montoya to score his second of the game.

Another high shot from Turpin, this time on Tyrone Munro, saw the Bulldogs’ hooker sent to the sin bin in the 62nd minute.

The Rabbitohs managed to make the most of the one-man advantage just before Turpin returned to the game, with Jack Wighton finishing off a magnificent play which also included the two previous try-scorers Johnston and Duncan.

The unsuccessful conversion from Humphreys saw South Sydney trailing by eight points with seven minutes remaining.

A penalty in the 77th minute saw the Bulldogs extend their lead to 10 points through the boot of Toby Sexton, seemingly putting the result beyond doubt for the Bulldogs.

However, a set play try off a scrum from Tass to Munro saw the Rabbitohs trail by six points with 90 seconds to play and a full set of six to come.

Unfortunately, South Sydney were unable to execute in that final set of six to force extra time, with the scores remaining 24-18 in favour of the Bulldogs at fulltime.

Match Snapshot

• The Bulldogs opened the scoring in the sixth minute through Toby Sexton.
• Marcelo Montoya was next to cross the stripe in the 12th minute.
• The Bulldogs bagged their third of the game three minutes later through Connor Tracey.
• The match was delayed due to lightning for a 29-minute period, before play resumed with eight-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first half.
• Alex Johnston scored South Sydney’s first try in the 38th minute.
• Tallis Duncan combined with Jamie Humphreys to score the Rabbitohs’ second try in the 56th minute.
• Marcelo Montoya scored his second of the game in the 60th minute.
• Jake Turpin was sent to the sin bin in the 62nd minute for a high tackle on Tyrone Munro.
• Jack Wighton got South Sydney to within eight points with a try in the 71st minute.
• A Toby Sexton penalty goal saw the Bulldogs draw further in front in the 77th minute.
• A late try to Tyrone Munro got South Sydney back within six points with one minute remaining.
• This would be the final scoring play, sealing a 24-18 fulltime score in favour of the Bulldogs.

Play of the Game

Today’s play of the game goes to South Sydney’s final try to Jack Wighton, which came in the 71st minute and kept the Rabbitohs’ hopes of a comeback alive at the time. A shift to the left edge saw Tallis Duncan find space off a crisp pass from Jye Gray. Duncan found Alex Johnston on his outside, who quickly sent it back in to an unmarked Wighton. From there, Wighton dashed around 30m to finish off the move and keep his side in touch with the scoreboard.

What’s Next?

South Sydney will take on the Melbourne Storm in round 16 at Accor Stadium next Saturday night at 7:35pm.