Canberra Raiders thrash disappointing South Sydney Rabbitohs in Dubbo
The Canberra Raiders’ transformation from NRL battlers to challengers has been completed by a convincing win over South Sydney.
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It’s been a weekend of upheaval in the nation’s capital and the makeovers extended onto the footy field on Sunday afternoon, when the Canberra Raiders officially completed their transformation from NRL battlers to challengers.
With their 32-12 defeat of a disappointing South Sydney outfit in Dubbo, the Canberrans ambushed their second top-eight side in as many weeks and locked in their first three-game winning streak of the year. They’re now only out of the top eight on points differential.
Jack Wighton put forward his case for Origin selection on his return from suspension, while milestone man Josh Papalii scored a try in his 250th game to give Anthony Albanese some competition for the mantle of Canberra’s top dog.
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For the Rabbitohs, Sunday’s loss was the kind that could prove the difference between playing finals footy and watching it from the TV come September.
Souths still have matches with the Panthers, Storm, Cowboys, Roosters, Sharks and Eels (twice) awaiting them so simply can’t afford to be losing to bottom eight sides — especially not as emphatically as they did on Sunday.
Souths drew criticism for their Jekyll and Hyde performance last week but Dr. Jekyll must have missed the bus to Dubbo; the Rabbitohs weren’t a threat at any stage on Sunday.
Souths lacked fluency through the middle and losing Junior Tatola to a head injury on the very first tackle of the game did them no favours.
Heading into Sunday’s game, the Raiders had scored the third-least points of any team this season but had little trouble scything through soft Rabbitoh defence.
The Raiders led 20-0 at halftime and while the Bunnies managed to stem the bleeding in the second stanza, they never looked a serious chance to chase Canberra down.
The end score could have been even more brutal had the Raiders not missed three of their attempts at goal.
Cameron Murray’s return from injury can’t come soon enough for the Rabbitohs.
“It’s disappointing,” Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou said of the loss.
“Losing Junior was obviously a big blow to us but I still feel like we gave them opportunities through poor offloads that put more pressure on our defence and our attack.
“We’ve got to be a bit more resilient when things don’t go our way.”
Playing for the first time this month, Wighton wasted little time sticking his hand up for either of the vacant centre spots in the NSW side.
He floated a pass to an unmarked Nick Cotric less than five minutes in and the winger opened the Raiders’ account in the corner.
In the second half, Wighton belted away on a line break that eventually gave the Raiders the field position they needed to ice the game with a penalty goal.
Wighton’s versatility, his ability to play on both edges and his nine games of Origin experience will all work in his favour as he continues to push for selection in the NSW side.
A suspected hamstring injury to fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was the only sour note for the Raiders.
“I don’t know how bad the hamstring is but he had to come off ae the break,” Canberra coach Ricky Stuart said afterwards.
“I’m not sure how bad it is but I’ll check that tomorrow.”
Papa party
In his 250th NRL match, Josh Papalii stretched over for the kind of try that few are better qualified to score.
From a standing start, Big Papa spun his way towards the line, shrugging Rabbitohs off with alarming ease and extending the Raiders’ lead to eight points.
His teammates’ jubilant celebrations were testament to Papalii’s status as one of the most beloved figures in Canberra.
“He’s one of the favourites here at the club,” Raiders captain Elliott Whitehead said afterwards.
“What he means to the club and the playing group is massive. To get the win and put in a performance for him ended the week on a high.”
Papalii proved just as influential off the ball — minutes after his try, he and Whitehead laid a textbook tackle on Liam Knight and prevented a certain try in the process.
As of Sunday afternoon, only two men have ever played more games for the Raiders than Papalii.
If he stays fit and takes up a contract option to stay with the club through 2025, the big man could overtake Jason Croker to become the most-capped player in club history.
Dunno about Dubbo
The NRL has gotten better and better at taking games to regional Australia in recent years. By the end of the 2022 season, regular season games will have been played at 27 different grounds, up from 23 in 2012 and 18 in 2002.
But in their first two trips to Dubbo, the Rabbitohs have been taken to the cleaners.
The Panthers belted them 56-12 on their first visit last season and this time around, they conceded more first half points than in any other game this year.
Demetriou said the club wouldn’t be reconsidering its decision to take games there, though.
“It’s not the venue,” he said.
Originally published as Canberra Raiders thrash disappointing South Sydney Rabbitohs in Dubbo
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