Sea Eagles Too Good at Brookvale Oval as Rabbitohs Defeated

The South Sydney Rabbitohs have gone down to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval 30-12 in what was a difficult shift for the boys in the Cardinal and Myrtle.

A late try to Isaiah Tass and a double to Tallis Duncan, who was a standout throughout the game in both attack and defence despite the result, got South Sydney on the board and in with a sniff of a comeback late in the game.

Alex Johnston also put in an admirable performance for the Red and Green, running for a team high of 160m and setting up a try.

It was not enough, however, to rein in the Sea Eagles, who were too good in front of their home fans thanks to try doubles from Reuben Garrick and Tom Trbojevic, and tries each to Daly Cherry-Evans and Tolutau Koula.

It was a challenging first half for the Rabbitohs, who had several opportunities in the early exchanges off the back of mistakes and penalties from the Sea Eagles. However, they were unfortunately unable to capitalise by putting points on the board.

The Sea Eagles on the other hand, made the most of their chances in attack, posting the first points in the 18th minute through Reuben Garrick on the left wing.

Sea Eagles then extended their lead through Tom Trbojevic, who burrowed his way over the line from close range for a 10-0 lead after Garrick’s successful conversion.

Garrick then went on to score his second of the game, finishing off a backline move by cutting back infield against the grain to get past the South Sydney defenders.

To make matters worse, the Rabbitohs lost both Jai Arrow and Liam Le Blanc late in the half due to HIA and back spasms, respectively, making it an uphill battle for the Red and Green as they went to the sheds at the break trailing 14-0.

Arrow was able to pass his HIA and return to the field for the second half, although Le Blanc unfortunately succumbed to his back complaint and didn’t return.

The Sea Eagles picked up in the second half where they left off in the first, with Tom Trbojevic getting his second of the match in the 44th minute.

The Rabbitohs looked to have finally got on the board through Munro in the 52nd minute. However, the Bunker had other ideas, confirming a knock on in the lead up from Campbell Graham on closer inspection.

The Sea Eagles then put the score line even further out of South Sydney’s reach when Jason Saab made a break down the wing to set up his skipper Cherry-Evans in support.

The Rabbitohs troubled the scorers for the first time through Tallis Duncan, who was able to take advantage of some space to squeeze his way past Tom Trbojevic and score from relatively close range. The unsuccessful conversion from Jamie Humphreys left South Sydney with a 20-point deficit, with as many minutes remaining in the game.

Duncan crossed again just three minutes later with a near-identical effort to his previous try, keeping South Sydney’s comeback hopes alive as they trailed by 16 with 17 minutes to go.

The Rabbitohs were unable to keep up with the one-point-per-minute equation, although they did manage a consolation try to Isaiah Tass in the 76th minute.

It was the Sea Eagles though who would have the last points, with Tolutau Koula pouncing on a loose ball in the 79th minute and sprinting 30m to seal the result for the home side with the final try of the game.

Match Snapshot

• Reuben Garrick opened the scoring for the Sea Eagles with a try in the 18th minute.
• Tom Trbojevic was next to score in the 28th minute.
• Garrick bagged his second try of the game in the 31st minute.
• The Sea Eagles sealed a first-half shutout of the Rabbitohs, who trailed 14-0 at the break.
• Tom Trbojevic got his double just four minutes into the second half.
• A quick-fire double to Tallis Duncan saw South Sydney get back in touch with the scoreboard, trailing 24-8 with 18 minutes to go.
• Isaiah Tass scored a consolation try in the 76th minute.
• Tolutau Koula sealed the result for the Sea Eagles with a final try in the 79th minute.

What’s Next?

The Rabbitohs head into a bye next round before taking on the Penrith Panthers in round 20 at CommBank Stadium on Friday the 18th of July.