Brendan Wood reviews the Brisbane Broncos comprehensive 32-12 victory over the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Thursday night.
MATCHDAY RESULTS
SCOREBOARD
South Sydney Rabbitohs 12
Tries: Taane Milne (38, 57)
Goals: Blake Taaffe (39, 59)
Brisbane Broncos 32
Tries: Corey Oates (15), Adam Reynolds (29), Selwyn Cobbo (53, 74), Herbie Farnworth (65)
Goals: Adam Reynolds (16, 30, 54, 61, 66, 75)
MATCH REPORT
Embed from Getty Images1st Half
With Adam Reynolds playing against his old club for the first time, it was South Sydney who had first crack at an attacking set. Being early in the game, the Broncos fended off the threat from the Rabbitohs and got momentum back.
The visitors showed plenty of positivity with Adam Reynolds’ kicking game putting them on the front foot. It wasn’t long before the Broncos moved the ball to their right edge and Kotoni Staggs tipped on a pass to Selwyn Cobbo who looked certain to score. However, the pass was ruled forward to spoil the Broncos opportunity.
After some back and forth sets, it was the Broncos who struck the first blow. Reynolds put up an attacking bomb, targeting Corey Oates, who leapt above the pack and dived over for a try.
Following their first points, the Broncos produced an error deep in their own half. Setting up a play from the scrum, the Rabbitohs got an overlap and Taane Milne looked to have scored in the corner. However, on replay Herbie Farnworth knocked the ball loose just before Milne scored.
The Broncos turned up the heat following this close call. They made it tough for the Rabbitohs to make ground and slowly started to win the field position battle. After applying some pressure, they eventually got their second try.
Patrick Carrigan produced a late offload and Adam Reynolds scampered over for a try under the posts. He rubbed the salt into the wounds of his old club as he converted to make it a 12-point buffer.
Just as they did after their first try, an error from the Broncos got the Rabbitohs back on the attack. In the lead up to halftime, the Rabbitohs had plenty of sets attacking the Broncos line. They visitors stood firm in defence, but finally the Rabbitohs got on the board with a try to Taane Milne.
HALF-TIME: South Sydney Rabbitohs 6 Brisbane Broncos 12
Embed from Getty Images2nd Half
A fast start to the second half saw both sides go close to scoring. For the Rabbitohs it was an obstruction call that denied them, and the Broncos knocked-on over the line to cost themselves a third try.
With the game poised on a knife’s edge, Adam Reynolds came to the front again. His attacking bomb put Blake Taaffe under pressure, and Taaffe couldn’t control the ball. Selwyn Cobbo cleaned up the scraps and dived over for a fortuitous try.
With a 12-point buffer restored, the Broncos gave the Rabbitohs a path back into the game when Te Maire Martin made an error under the high ball. Gifted the field position, the Rabbitohs struck back with Taane Milne grabbing a double off a Cody Walker pass.
In the very next set, South Sydney were their own worst enemy when Junior Tatola coughed up the ball. The Broncos earned a penalty when they caught the defence offside, and Adam Reynolds opted for the penalty goal to extend the visitors’ lead to eight.
Once again, an error from Junior Tatola was the downfall of the Rabbitohs. Off the back of the scrum, Adam Reynolds linked up with Corey Oates who burst through the line. He offloaded to Herbie Farnworth, who stepped inside two defenders to score a decisive try for the Broncos.
With 10 minutes remaining, the home side got desperate trailing by 14. They got a repeat set and surged forward looking to keep the game alive. Similarly to their previous chances, the execution was noticeably lacking from the Rabbitohs as a stray pass from Blake Taaffe went over the sideline.
Even as the home side were given another chance just minutes later, Cody Walker knocked-on and Selwyn Cobbo took his chance. He scooped up the loose ball, palmed away from a tackle and raced 90 metres to score his second try. With that blow, the final nail was hammered into the Rabbitohs coffin as the Broncos ran away with a strong 20 point win.
FULL-TIME: South Sydney Rabbitohs 12 Brisbane Broncos 32
PLAYER OF THE YEAR POINTS
Embed from Getty Images3 pts – Adam Reynolds (Brisbane Broncos), 2 pts – Patrick Carrigan (Brisbane Broncos), 1 pt – Selwyn Cobbo (Brisbane Broncos)
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