Souths warm up for new NRL season with impressive win over Parramatta in trial at Wentworthville
On a day when Wayne Bennett’s Redfern future was the talk of the town, Souths unveiled some exciting young talent at Ringrose Park in Wentworthville in a trial win over Parramatta.
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It was a night two of the NRL’s highest profile clubs returned to the grassroots for their opening trial of the season.
But it was Wayne Bennett who went home wearing the broader smile after his South Sydney Rabbitohs scored a hard fought 28-24 win over Brad Arthur’s Parramatta Eels.
On a day when Bennett’s future at Redfern was the talk of the town after it was revealed Jason Demetriou would take over from him in 2022, the seven-time premiership winning coach watched from the sidelines at Ringrose Park in Wentworthville proving his love for rugby league is as strong as ever.
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Bennett sat alongside Demetriou, football boss Shane Richardson and former captain Sam Burgess to watch a pretty impressive performance from the Bunnies given the number of stars that were missing.
Big Sam would have also been impressed when his brother, Tom, bulldozed over for a second-half try after a solid hit out.
Bennett made an early exit from Ringrose Park but would have seen enough to be content.
Up against a Parramatta squad boasting some big names, young Souths halfback Blake Taaffe shone in guiding his side to victory.
The teams traded tries in the first half with Souths holding a 18-14 lead at the break with three tries apiece.
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The Eels had the majority of their starting pack there for kick off. New signing Reagan Campbell-Gillard put in a solid but not spectacular 20 minutes while Nathan Brown pushed out a gritty near-40 minutes before coach Brad Arthur took both of them off.
Campbell-Gillard has arrived from Penrith hoping to reignite his career and he would have been happy to get through his first match for the Eels unscathed and he did look fit having dropped 7kg over the summer.
Kane Evans was strong for Parramatta and will be hoping he can continue on his fine form from last season in 2020. Hooker Reed Mahoney was also in action and really looked slick with his work from dummy half.
There was another surprise for the Eels with former St George Illawarra flyer Jai Field running out in new colours.
Set to play in the Super League before his deal fell through, Field was snapped up on a train-and-trial contract and he wasted no time trying to seal a new deal.
For the Bunnies, expect to hear more about a young backrower called Keaon Koloamatangi this year. A local junior from Mascot, there are big raps on him at Redfern and based on Friday night’s performance it looks to be for good reason.
Young playmaker Taaffe continued his good form after impressing at last weekend’s NRL Nines in Perth. He could find himself called on this year if the Rabbitohs experience any major injuries to the likes of Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker.
Corey Allen also got his shot at fullback and didn’t do his prospects any harm. While the former Brisbane Bronco is unlikely to shift Latrell Mitchell from the Rabbitohs’ No.1 jumper, he could well push for a spot on the bench.
Young Jack Johns, the eldest son of Matty Johns, also played well on the left edge and picked up a try that was well deserved.
While the Rabbitohs didn’t play any of their top-shelf backs, Greg Inglis ran the water and was looking like he was fit enough to slip right back in if he was called on.
It was hard to get a real good read on either of the teams with so many of their top-line players missing, but both coaches would have been happy with the performances of their sides.
Originally published as Souths warm up for new NRL season with impressive win over Parramatta in trial at Wentworthville