Rabbitohs Victorious Over Eels in Indigenous Round Clash

The South Sydney Rabbitohs have defeated the Parramatta Eels 20-16, coming from behind after trailing 12-10 at halftime to make it two wins on the trot.

Cody Walker returned from injury off the bench to set up two tries in the second half. Tallis Duncan had a field day running off Walker as he bagged a double, while the other scorers were Peter Mamouzelos and Tyrone Munro.

Jye Gray was immense for the Red and Green in both attack and defence. He ran for a game high of 211 metres, made one line-break, one line-break assist and a try-assist too. He also made several try-saving tackles, keeping the Rabbitohs in the contest throughout the game on numerous occasions.

Jai Arrow too was fantastic in the middle, putting in an absolute shift for 69 minutes as he made 24 runs for 198 metres (77 metres post-contact), as well as a game high of 38 tackles.

It was a great team effort overall, with many solid contributors as South Sydney notched up their third consecutive victory over Parramatta.

The Eels were first to put points on the board when Zac Lomax slotted a penalty goal from 30 metres out after the Rabbitohs’ markers were pinged for being not square in the sixth minute.

South Sydney though, were first to cross the line when Tyrone Munro finished off a crisp short-side move crafted by Ashton Ward and Jye Gray on the right.

Ward got the ball one off the play-the-ball, before sending it onto Gray as quickly as he got it. The speed of Gray drew in the Parramatta defence, creating the extra space for Munro to take advantage of with his diving effort in the right corner.

The Rabbitohs lost Bayleigh Bentley-Hape to an HIA when his head collided with Will Penisini’s hip when attempting a low tackle in the 20th minute. He was quickly deemed to be category one, and did not return to the field.

Thomas Fletcher came off the bench and into the back row, with Tallis Duncan pushing out to left centre to replace Bentley-Hape.

The Eels managed to hit back in the 25th minute through five-eighth Isaiah Iongi.

Ryley Smith made a break from dummy half on the left side of the field before he was brought down beautifully by a textbook cover tackle from Jye Gray.

The Rabbitohs were unfortunately shot for numbers on the other side of the field on the next play, which left them ripe for the picking when Iongi ran off a flick pass form Kelma Tuilagi to score untouched.

The Eels went even further ahead just five minutes later through a Zac Lomax dive to the corner. Mitchell Moses and Iongi were pulling the strings on the inside, with Lomax finishing the move off to put his side ahead 12-4 in the 30th minute.

Sensing that the side needed a spark in attack, South Sydney Head Coach Wayne Bennett brought returning five-eighth Cody Walker into the game in the 32nd minute, with Liam Le Blanc coming from the field to make way for Walker.

The move had the desired effect within minutes. While the Parramatta defence were worrying about the threat of Walker out wide, they lost sight of Peter Mamouzelos, who made them look silly as he scampered over from dummy half one meter out from the line.

An error from Moses gave South Sydney a scrum-feed 30m out from the Eels’ line with 30 seconds remaining in the first half. The Rabbitohs threw plenty at Parramatta, but were unable to crack them in the end, leaving the scores at 12-10 in favour of the Eels at half-time.

The second half began with a period of arm-wrestle football as both sides jostled for field position and attacking opportunities.

The Eels fired several warning shots, but it was South Sydney who were able to break the deadlock through Tallis Duncan, who ran off a Cody Walker pass and put a big fend on Will Penisini to crash over and put his side ahead by two points in the 54th minute.

South Sydney Rammed home their advantage in the 65th minute to put themselves further ahead when Duncan bagged his second for the game – his third try double for the season – after he ran off Walker again, this time through a yawning gap to beat Mitch Moses and plant the ball in the in-goal.

The Eels reduced their deficit to four points when Lomax crossed for his second of the game in the 71st minute, setting the game up for a grandstand finish.

Parramatta looked to have clawed their way back to the front when Junior Paulo offloaded late to Iongi who spotted a gap close to the line. Jye Gray however, had other ideas, when he and Tallis Duncan combined in defence to cut Iongi down just centimetres shy of the try line.

The Eels would get one final chance in the dying seconds thanks to a South Sydney error under a towering Mitch Moses bomb. However, the Rabbitohs scrambled in defence and managed to shut the Eels out, sealing the win 20-16.

Match Snapshot

• Parramatta drew first blood with a Zac Lomax penalty goal after five minutes.
• Tyrone Munro got the first points for South Sydney with a try in the right corner in the 15th minute.
• The Eels hit back through Isaiah Iongi ten minutes later.
• Zac Lomax increased the Parramatta lead with a try in the 30th minute
• Peter Mamouzelos scored South Sydney’s second of the game with a close-range effort from dummy half in the 35th minute.
• The Rabbitohs took the lead for the first time when Tallis Duncan scored a try in the 54th minute.
• Duncan scored his second try of the game in the 65th minute.
• Lomax crossed for a second time in the 72nd minute to put the Eels back within four points of South Sydney.
• The Rabbitohs defended hard for the final eight minutes of the game, and managed to hold Parramatta out for a 20-16 victory.

Play of the Game

Tonight’s Play of the Game goes to Jye Gray, who came up with three crucial defensive efforts in three consecutive plays early in the second half to prevent Parramatta from extending their lead. It began with a break from the Eels, with Isaiah Iongi looking certain to score if not for an incredible cover tackle from Gray 10m out from the line. Gray then got to marker and played a key role in stopping Dylan Walker from barging over close to the posts on the next play. Finally, he got on his bike and popped up behind the line a play later, fielding a grubber kick from Mitch Moses to stay in the field of play and regain possession for his team. It was a phenomenal passage of play from Gray, who showed incredible heart and commitment to keep his side in the game at a vital time.

What's Next?

The Rabbitohs are back at Accor Stadium to open Round 25 on Thursday night. They will be looking to make it three wins in a row as they take on traditional rivals the St George Illawarra Dragons.