Round Rewind: Rabbitohs Overcome Sharks with Fast Start and Late Finish

In round ten of the 2021 season, the Rabbitohs stormed to a 32-22 win over the Sharks at Suncorp Stadium. A sharp opening half saw South Sydney jump out to a commanding lead, with strong shape on both edges and control through the middle. Despite a second-half push from Sharks, the Rabbitohs found the answers when it mattered to lock in the two points.

South Sydney got going early through the left edge. Damien Cook darted out of dummy half and connected with Benji Marshall at first receiver. Marshall engaged the line and threw a flat ball to Keaon Koloamatangi, who timed his run perfectly and hit the gap untouched to dive over for the opener.

Minutes later, Marshall played short-side again. This time, he took the ball on the move and fired a long, no-look cut-out pass that bypassed two teammates and landed cleanly in front of Alex Johnston. Johnston jumped to collect it, balanced on the sideline, then tip-toed his way past his opposite number to dive over with one hand and finish in the corner.

Down to 12 men after a sin bin to Jaydn Su’A, Souths still kept the foot down. With ten minutes left in the half, Cook scurried out of dummy half and linked with Cody Walker, who cut out the first receiver and hit Dane Gagai in stride. Gagai fended off Josh Dugan with his right arm and broke into open space. As the fullback closed in, he passed inside to Walker in support, who finished next to the posts.

The Sharks responded with a try before the break, bringing the halftime score to 20-6.

The second half saw momentum shift as Cronulla found rhythm and scored twice, narrowing the gap to four points with ten minutes to play. But Souths steadied. After earning field position from a penalty, Cook went short to Junior Tatola close to the line. Tatola surged through contact, was wrapped up just shy of the line, then offloaded cleanly to Walker, who backed up through the middle and grounded the ball for his second try.

Three minutes later, Souths sealed it. Jai Arrow ran an inside line from dummy half, collected the ball at pace, and punched through the middle. He fended off Brailey, stepped past Graham, and dragged Nikora over the line with him to cap off the match.

The Sharks scored once more off a late scrum play, but the damage had been done. South Sydney left Suncorp Stadium with a 32-22 win.

Key Performers

Cody Walker – two tries, 143 run metres, four tackle breaks, 30 post contact metres
Benji Marshall – two try assists, two line break assists, 20 tackles (two missed)
Damien Cook – 89 run metres, five tackle breaks, 50 tackles (three missed)
Jai Arrow - one try, 119 run metres, 53 post contact metres, 36 tackles (one missed)