Brisbane Brocos unable to buck Bunnies' winning trend as Rabbitohs take 26-12 victory

A SORE but determined South Sydney side ran out 26-12 victors over the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on Friday.

South Sydney v Brisbane Broncos

A SORE but determined South Sydney side ran out 26-12 victors over the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on Friday, overcoming a slow start to the match.

The Bunnies’ hangover from last Friday nights bruising encounter with Manly was evident in the first half, as the red and greens struggled to gain momentum with a lethargic string of early knock-on’s and penalties. 

The Bunnies posted first points in uncharacteristic fashion via an Adam Reynolds penalty-goal, before forward Jason Clarke crossed the line soon after with some great footwork on fullback Corey Norman, just minutes after being disallowed a try.

The Broncos hit back though through two converted tries to Scott Prince and Jack Reed, to take the lead 12-8 at half time.

On the resumption, three quick converted tries in a relentless eight-minute onslaught from the Bunnies saw Souths all but seal the win early. 

Greg Inglis crashed over early in the second half from close range, while a huge break from centre Bryson Goodwin lead to Nathan Merritt outsmarting the Broncos blind-side defence, touching down next to the corner-post. Captain John Sutton closed out the scoring with his own four-pointer.

Adam Reynolds’ five goals from five attempts capped off another exemplar night for the halfback with the boot.

Despite the lacklustre start, Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire was pleased with his side's performance.

"First half we were a little bit scratchy with our drop ball," said Maguire. 

"We put too much pressure on ourselves in the first half. We spoke about it at half time and I was really pleased with the way they came out and played the way they’re capable of playing and did the job.”

Souths will now take on the North Queensland Cowboys on Friday night at ANZ Stadium. Kick off is at 7:35pm.