South Sydney Defeated by Storm in Tight Encounter

The South Sydney Rabbitohs have been defeated by the Melbourne Storm on ANZAC Day after a disappointing second half in what was really anyone’s game at halftime.

There was very little to separate the two sides in the opening half, with arm-wrestle football dominating proceedings early in the game.

It was the second half however, which proved decisive, with a stint in the sin bin for Latrell Mitchell and tries to Eli Katoa and Tyran Wishart proving to be too much for the Rabbitohs to overcome.

The Storm were first to trouble the scorers when Su’a Fa’alogo and Ryan Papenhuyzen combined to produce a try in the 12th minute.

The Rabbitohs were prompt to hit back, receiving an attacking set off the ensuing kick-off after a handling error by Stefano Utoikamanu.

A slick backline move from the Red and Green culminated in Keaon Koloamatangi producing a magical flick pass behind his back to put Jack Wighton over to open South Sydney’s account.

The Rabbitohs took the lead for the first time in the game, with second-gamer Bayleigh Bentley-Hape scoring the first try of his young NRL career.

It was Jack Wighton who looked like scoring himself before Eli Katoa knocked the ball from his grip just meters shy of the line. With the Bunker having ruled that Katoa played at the ball, Bentley-Hape was free to pounce on the scraps to secure South Sydney’s second four-pointer of the night.

Melbourne would draw back level with their second try of the game in the in the 38th minute through Xavier Coates, who finished off a backline move to cross in the left corner, leaving the scores 10-all at the break.

The second half began in a frantic manner, with Melbourne immediately on the attack after Papenhuyzen sent the kick off out on the bounce.

The Storm would come within inches of scoring through Fa’alogo, before a fantastic cover tackle from Jye Gray put Fa’alogo’s foot into touch just prior to grounding the ball.

Melbourne would not be denied just minutes later however, with Eli Katoa leaping through the air to gather in a high kick and score to give his side their second lead of the game in the 43rd minute.

South Sydney’s job became a lot more difficult when captain and fullback Latrell Mitchell found himself in the sin bin after a high shot on a falling Fa’alogo.

Gray would shift to fullback and Wighton to five-eighth to cover Mitchell’s absence, while Papenhuyzen slotted the penalty goal to put the Storm ahead 18-10 after 50 minutes.

The Storm continued their ascendency – despite the return of Mitchell to the field – with Tyran Wishart scoring in the 65th minute to extend his side’s lead to 14 points.

South Sydney received a big boost when Papenhuyzen was sent to the sin bin after taking out Jye Gray off the ball in what was ruled to be a professional foul by the Bunker.

A late try to Wighton – his second of the game – saw the Cardinal and Myrtle claw their way to within eight points with four minutes to go.

This would prove to be the final scoring play of the game, with South Sydney unable to complete their comeback as the Storm held on for a 24-16 ANZAC Day victory.

Match Snapshot

• Melbourne opened the scoring through Ryan Papenhuyzen in the 12th minute.
• South Sydney hit back through Jack Wighton three minutes later.
• Bayleigh Bentley-Hape scored the first try of his NRL career to put the Rabbitohs ahead 10-6 at the 32-minute mark.
• The Storm scored next in the 38th minute through Xavier Coates, putting the score at 10-all at half time.
• Melbourne scored the first try of the second half through Eli Katoa in the 43rd minute.
• Latrell Mitchell was sent to the sin bin in the 50th minute for a high shot on Su’a Fa’alogo.
• Ryan Papenhuyzen slotted a penalty goal to put the Storm a further two points ahead.
• Tyran Wishart extended the Storm’s lead further with a try in the 65th minute.
• Ryan Papenhuyzen was sent to the sin bin for taking out Jye Gray off the ball with eight minutes left on the clock.
• Jack Wighton scored his second try in what was the final scoring play of the game in the 76th minute.

Play of the Game

This week's play of the game goes to Keaon Koloamatangi, who produced an incredible flick pass behind his back to set up South Sydney's first try of the game. While the pass itself was brilliant, it was Keaon's ability to poke his nose through the Melbourne line which created the space for the pass to find an unmarked Jack Wighton, who strolled on over the line for one of the simplest tries of his long career.

What’s Next?

South Sydney will be at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane for Magic Round 2025 to take on the Newcastle Knights on Saturday afternoon at 3pm.