NRL 2022: Viliame Kikau’s mocking ‘up the Rabbits’ Instagram post to backfire on Panthers
A controversial 25-second Instagram post from twelve months ago could be the catalyst for South Sydney shocking Penrith and the rugby league world. WATCH THE VIDEO.
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South Sydney players haven’t forgotten or forgiven.
The Rabbitohs won’t incite the Panthers by discussing it publicly this week but don’t be fooled - the playing group still hasn’t excused Penrith star Viliame Kikau for mocking Souths after last year’s grand final.
Kikau, after some heavy celebrations, posted vision of himself singing the fabled South Sydney ‘Glory, Glory’ theme song.
“Up the Rabbits, let go Rabbits, bring on the Rabbitohs, let’s go Rabbitohs…Glory, Glory to South Sydney, Glory Glory to South Sydney,” Kikau sang.
The post went viral with Souths players and fans furious with Kikau’s cheeky shot at their opponents.
“I’ve noticed in this game that these things tend to come back to bite you on the arse,” said former Souths star Bryan Fletcher.
Souths players haven’t overlooked Kikau’s behaviour heading into Saturday night’s massive preliminary final at Accor Stadium.
Kikau mocking Souths and singing their song
— Out of our League (OOOL ðŸ‰) (@OOOL1908) October 6, 2021
Stay classy Penrith…this one may just go in the book of feuds #nrlpic.twitter.com/qdWeKxVooJ
South Sydney will be playing in its fifth straight preliminary final, but the 2014 drought breaker remains the club’s only premiership since 1971.
The Rabbitohs are $3.10 outsiders with the TAB and will need everything to go their way on Saturday, with the Panthers $1.38 favourites to advance to the grand final to face the winner of the Cowboys-Eels preliminary final.
While they aren’t out to necessarily target Kikau, Souths players claim the song will give them added motivation and incentive against a Penrith side they have only beaten once in their past nine attempts - last year’s week one finals upset.
“I thought it was good theatre at the time but it could now come to bite him,” said Fletcher.
“It is an iconic theme song. You need every bit of motivation you can get going into these games so I can understand the Souths boys using it.
“It’s a bit like Alfie Langer singing ‘St George can’t play’ (after the 1993 grand final). I’ve noticed in this game that these things tend to come back to bite you on the arse.”
The Panthers argued Kikau wasn’t being derogatory and was merely enjoying his side’s famous grand final win.
Either way, Kikau’s 25-second post is certain to add some spark to what already shapes as an east versus west Sydney epic.
Current and former Souths players claim their theme song is treasured and idolised.
Kikau later said the stunt was “fun and games off the field” and admitted “too many beers” had been consumed.
At the time, Panthers great and club deputy chairman Greg Alexander was unimpressed, telling SEN radio: “I think a couple of our players need to pull their heads in after what they’ve posted on social media. It gets a bit out of control. I don’t follow social media.
“I’ve had people tell me about what’s been posted, and some of it shouldn’t have been. It was a bit out of line.”
Penrith won last year’s grand final by 14-12 in Brisbane.
BUNNIES UP FOR HARDEST TASK IN NRL
- Martin Gabor
The Rabbitohs have been stewing on their grand-final loss for the best part of 12 months but they only have to wait one more week for their chance at revenge after they knocked off the Sharks 38-12 to set up a showdown with the Panthers.
“We’re under no illusions that this is the hardest task in the game at the moment,” Souths coach Jason Demetriou said. “They’ve been pretty hard to beat. We know how tough it will be, but we know we can do it. We’ve got to turn up for a war next week.”
Penrith has ended South Sydney’s campaign in each of the past two seasons but the Rabbitohs have a not-so secret weapon leading the way who was missing in those crunch matches.
Latrell Mitchell missed the 2020 preliminary final with a hamstring injury and was rubbed out of last year’s finals because of suspension but he’s fit, firing and in the sort of form that should have the defending premiers on high alert.
The superstar fullback made a couple of errors, as did everyone else on Saturday night, but he also set up a try, kicked three conversions from out wide and forced a repeat set with a well-weighted grubber.
Mitchell was nowhere near his best but he’s a big-game player who probably would have reversed last year’s grand final result had he played.
He doesn’t have to be perfect when Cam Murray is there to pick up the slack, and the inspirational skipper was immense on Saturday with a try, an assist and general brilliance through the middle which opened up space for all his teammates.
“He’s pivotal,” his coach said. “His handling and his ball-playing was first class.”
The scary thing for the Panthers is that the Rabbitohs coughed up the pill 13 times and butchered a couple of tries that could have made the score blow out even further.
But this is a team with one goal in mind, and as they celebrated their second win of the finals, it was fitting that their fans belted out Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer because this team is only halfway there.
“It’s about going one better than we did last year,” Demetriou said.
TOOTHLESS SHARKS
They were the third-best defensive unit in the regular season but Cronulla’s dogged middle fell apart in the finals and the demise was summed up in one play on the stroke of half-time.
Dale Finucane is one of the hardest men in rugby league and he has been the glue to hold their middle together since he joined them from the Storm.
But the super glue came unstuck when it mattered most as opposite number Cam Murray pushed away from the usually reliable lock to score a very soft finals try that made it 18-0 at the break.
This is a team that allowed just 15 points per game in the regular season but they conceded 32 in the first week of the finals and then fell apart just three minutes into Saturday’s game when Mark Nicholls of all people barged over for the opener.
Their attack also lacked its usually fluency, with their woes perfectly summed up when a ridiculous Briton Nikora flick pass assist was ruled out because Jesse Ramien was in front of the kicker.
It’s a sad way for Cronulla’s season to end but they’ll be contenders again in 2023 with rookie coach Craig Fitzgibbon sure to learn plenty from the failed finals campaign.
“I’m bitterly disappointed with our performance. It’s not good enough for this time of the year,” he said. “For semi-finals, the defence wasn’t good enough.
“I won’t finish this year happy.”
ROCKY ROAD
South Sydney’s path to the grand final won’t be a smooth one with injuries and the match review committee set to make the next few days tougher than they would have liked.
The biggest concern is try-scoring machine Alex Johnston who came off in the second half with a corked thigh and is in doubt for next Saturday’s clash at Accor Stadium.
Tevita Tatola also faces a nervous wait after he was placed on report for a chicken wing on Ronaldo Mulitalo in the second half.
“I think he’s all right,” Demetriou said.
“There’s no doubt he puts it in a position where he’ll probably get fined. But he didn’t go on with it so I’m pretty sure he’ll be okay.”
The Rabbitohs can ill-afford a ban given they’re without the suspended Tom Burgess, while bench prop Siliva Havili was helped off by trainers with a calf injury and Jai Arrow came off late with a groin complaint.
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