Round Rewind: Rabbitohs Book Grand Final Spot in Style
In one of the most complete performances of the 2021 season, the Rabbitohs punched their ticket to the NRL Grand Final with a dominant 36–16 win over the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in the Preliminary Final at Suncorp Stadium. With the spine humming and the edges firing, South Sydney flexed their attacking muscle and defensive grit on the big stage, delivering a ruthless performance that secured Wayne Bennett’s tenth Grand Final appearance and gave Adam Reynolds a fitting farewell.
The Rabbitohs opened with intent, striking inside the first 12 minutes. Cody Walker ran the sweep left, holding the ball deep in the line before feeding Dane Gagai. Gagai stepped past his opposite number and stabbed a grubber through the line that pinballed off multiple defenders. Walker, backing up, was there to clean up the chaos and score the opening try. It was a scrappy, however deserved start.
Soon after, the Rabbitohs were on the charge again. A towering bomb from Reynolds went uncontested, bouncing perfectly for Damien Cook to collect. He raced towards the line and, with defenders closing in, poked a smart grubber into the in-goal. Walker was there again, grounding the ball for his second try and a commanding 18-0 lead.
Before the break, the Rabbitohs switched focus to the right. Campbell Graham summed things up perfectly, drawing his defender and putting Jaxson Paulo away in the corner. At halftime, South Sydney led 18-6 and had all the momentum.
The Sea Eagles opened the second half with a try, threatening a fightback, but any hopes of a comeback were quickly put to bed. This time, it was Benji Marshall chiming into the line, squaring up the defence and popping a late short ball to Campbell Graham, who powered his way over near the posts.
Souths weren’t done. Reynolds launched another high bomb, and once again Paulo soared above the pack, twisting in mid-air and landing on his feet. With his back to the line, he moonwalked into the in-goal to score a spectacular double.
The Sea Eagles crossed twice more in the final stages, but the Rabbitohs had already sealed the deal, and with less than a minute on the clock, they gave the fans one final moment to savour. A crisp left-edge movement saw the ball move through the hands of Taaffe to Johnston, who dived over in the corner for the finishing blow.
Final score: Rabbitohs 36, Sea Eagles 16.
Key Performers
Blake Taaffe – two try assists, eight points, 149 run metres
Alex Johnston – two tries, one try assist, 132 run metres, two line breaks
Dane Gagai – one try assist, 165 run metres, 53 post contact metres, one try assist
Cameron Murray – 195 tries, 70 post contact metres, five tackle breaks, 35 tackles made (zero missed)
Damien Cook – 101 run metres, one try assist, 38 tackles made
