South Sydney upset their traditional rivals 26-14 at Allianz Stadium on Thursday night.
MATCH DETAILS
South Sydney 2-0 Adam Reynolds goal (5th minute).
Tied 2-2 Latrell Mitchell goal (22nd minute).
Sydney Roosters 8-2 Mitchell try (33rd minute), Mitchell goal (34th minute).
Tied 8-8 Robert Jennings try (37th minute), Reynolds goal (38th minute).
South Sydney 12-8 Angus Crichton try (42nd minute).
South Sydney 18-8 Greg Inglis try (44th minute), Reynolds goal (46th minute).
South Sydney 18-14 Ryan Matterson try (53rd minute), Mitchell goal (54th minute).
South Sydney 20-14 Reynolds goal (61st minute).
South Sydney 26-14 John Sutton try (63rd minute), Reynolds goal (65th minute).
FOUR POINTERS
Mitchell’s Spectacular Try
After sustaining some Souths pressure, a break from James Tedesco led to the game’s opening try. Latrell Mitchell scored in the left corner on the next tackle, jumping in the air and planting the ball left handed, a piece of amazing athleticism that’s becoming common in the modern game, capped off by his wonderful sideline conversion. Overall, Mitchell scored 10 of the Roosters’ 14 points.
Souths continue Dragons Momentum
Souths nearly ran down the undefeated St. George-Illawarra last Friday, and carried that momentum into tonight’s game. They dominated the second half, with tries to Angus Crichton, Greg Inglis and John Sutton. Hooker Damien Cook was the man of the match, with 45 tackles.
After two dismal seasons, Souths look like showing more fight in 2018, with a 3-3 record so far. They play Canberra at Central Coast Stadium next Saturday (April 21st).
By contrast, a 3-3 record is disappointing for the Roosters, expected to dominate after making last year’s preliminary final. They have another big game next Thursday night against a struggling Canterbury.
Ferguson’s Blunder Costs Roosters
For all his brilliance, Blake Ferguson can make some silly errors.
He made a crucial error midway through the second half, dropping the ball close to his line and putting his team under immediate pressure. A few tackles later, Inglis appeared to score, but was held up before Sutton scored from the restart, opening a 12-point lead for Souths.
Ferguson also made a huge blunder in the first half; retrieving a last-tackle kick, he stupidly decided to chance the sideline. He was taken into touch, with Souths earning a goal-line drop out, allowing them to pile pressure on the Roosters. While Souths didn’t score, its these kind of silly errors than can make Ferguson a liability.
Roosters Pre-Game Drama
Early drama for the Roosters, with Sio Siua Taukeiaho out pre-game with a twisted left knee, replaced by Jared Warea-Hargreaves and Nat Butcher drafted onto the bench.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
“I thought they stood tall for each other.” Souths coach Anthony Seibold said. “Cooky was great…he’s started the season really well… he’s progressing really well. I challenge Cooky to repeat it next week”
“To get into 8-all at halftime time, I thought that was a decent result for us. Bad start to the second half, had to fight to get it back. We created opportunities…couldn’t finish them off. We blew a couple of opportunities,” Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
THE RESULT
South Sydney 26
Tries: Robert Jennings, Angus Crichton, Greg Inglis, John Sutton
Goals: Adam Reynolds 5/6
Drop Goals: NA
Sydney Roosters 14
Tries: Latrell Mitchell, Ryan Matterson
Goals: Mitchell 3/3
Drop Goals: NA
SQUADS
Sydney Roosters: 1 James Tedesco, 2 Reece Robinson, 3 Latrell Mitchell, 4 Joseph Manu, 5 Blake Ferguson, 6 Luke Keary, 7 Cooper Cronk, 14 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 9 Jake Friend (c), 10 Dylan Napa, 11 Boyd Cordner (c), 12 Ryan Matterson, 13 Isaac Liu. Interchange: 15 Zane Tetevano, 16 Mitchell Aubusson, 17 Victor Radley, 18 Nat Butcher
South Sydney Rabbitohs: 1 Alex Johnston, 2 Richie Kennar, 3 Greg Inglis (c), 4 Dane Gagai, 5 Robert Jennings, 6 Cody Walker, 7 Adam Reynolds, 8 Thomas Burgess, 9 Damien Cook, 10 George Burgess, 11 John Sutton, 12 Angus Crichton, 16 Jason Clark
