2021 NRL Round 16, Tigers 22 Rabbitohs 38 – Report

Chloe Schibeci reviews the final game of round 16, with the Wests Tigers playing South Sydney. Here’s how the game went.

SCOREBOARD

Player of the Year Points

3 pts – Campbell Graham (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
2 pts – Cameron Murray (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
1 pt – Adam Reynolds (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

MATCH REPORT

1st Half

In the final game of the round, the Tigers hosted the Rabbitohs at a crowd-less Leichhardt Oval, hoping for their sixth win of the season. Just two minutes into play, South Sydney scored their first points of the game. Within another six minutes, the Rabbitohs had scored their second try of the afternoon, and the score was now 10 points to nil. While still early days, it was clear the Tigers were struggling to form a cohesive defensive line, giving the Rabbitohs plenty of opportunities to attack and score points. 

Alex Johnston scored the third South Sydney try, taking advantage of a depleted Tigers outfit. A slight sigh of relief for the Tigers, however, when around the 25-minute mark, Adam Reynolds found himself too deep into the in-goal, celebrating a try that was soon after taken away due to a foot on the dead ball line. 

Johnston went in for his second try of the night with 10 minutes to go, and Campbell Graham followed suit a few minutes later. The first half was dominated entirely by the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The Tigers weren’t granted any opportunities, and they were certainly hoping this would change in the second half. 

HALF-TIME: Wests Tigers 0 South Sydney Rabbitohs 26

2nd Half

The second half started far better for the home team, with the Tigers’ Adam Doueihi scoring their first points of the match. While South Sydney continued to dominate, confidence was growing amongst the Tigers, who were desperate to get back into the contest. 

While the score didn’t reflect this, a far better contest was in progress throughout the second half. The score remained 26-4 until the Tigers crossed the line for their second try of the afternoon. Daine Laurie scored in the 60th minute, narrowing the margin to just 16 points with a quarter of the game remaining. Minutes later, Graham scored again. While the Tigers’ confidence continued to grow and a better contest was forming, the likelihood of a comeback became less and less. Cameron Murray scored the final try for South Sydney, chalking their point tally up to 38 for the afternoon. 

Inside the final 10 minutes of the game, the Tigers tried desperately to defend their line. In doing so, David Nofoaluma intercepted and ran the length of the field, scoring one final try for the Tigers. The second half was definitely a far better contest for the Tigers, who struggled immensely in the opening 40. However, the dominance from South Sydney in the first half sealed the deal. 

FULL-TIME: Wests Tigers 22 South Sydney Rabbitohs 38

Injuries

to be advised

Match Review Committee

to be advised

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