‘Biggest implosion in NRL history’ as Souths crash out of NRL finals

The Sydney Roosters are waiting on results to go their way after knocking fierce rivals South Sydney out of the NRL finals in spectacular fashion.

Who would have believed this at round 11? Photo by Matt King/Getty Images

The Sydney Roosters have kept their season alive on the back of a 26-12 win which has ended the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ campaign in shocking scenes.

As the fierce rivals came together with a potential finals berth on the line, the teams had produced just about as polar opposite seasons as you could imagine.

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The Roosters came into the season as favourites to challenge Penrith for the title but quickly fell off the pace as injuries and form issues took their toll.

After falling out of the top eight in round 11, the Roosters had been hovering low on the ladder until finally finding some late season form, winning five straight to put themselves in the box seat to play finals.

The side is still not assured of a place in the playoffs, needing either the Cowboys to lose to the Panthers in Penrith or the Raiders to lose to the Sharks at Cronulla to seal their finals berth.

The Roosters have held up their side of the bargain. Photo by Matt King/Getty Images

After the match, former NRL hardman James Graham told Fox Sports that it was a remarkable comeback from the Roosters.

“For a team now in the Sydney Roosters that most people, myself included, predicted a) would win the competition at the start of the season, and about eight weeks ago put a big red line through them, and they’re on a roll now,” he said.

“There’s a little bit of a sense of the Cowboys in ‘17 (the only team to have made the NRL Grand Final from eighth since 2012 when the current finals system was implemented) that leapt into the finals.

“They will go now and attack these next four weeks full of confidence, it’s been done before where teams haven’t been fancied, they’ve almost got nothing to lose.”

On the other side, the Rabbitohs were the competition favourites when they sat on top of the ladder in round 11.

At that time, Souths were 8-3 and still had all three byes intact.

Since then, the Rabbitohs went four wins and nine losses to be eliminated from the finals.

In the final seconds of the match, Dan Ginnane said: “As for the Rabbitohs, it’s going to go down as one of the most confounding collapses we have ever seen. Premiership favourites after round 11 and their season is going to end before the finals even begin.”

Utter despair for the Rabbitohs. Photo by Matt King/Getty Images

Campbell Graham’s face says it all. Photo by Matt King/Getty Images

The Rabbitohs’ stunning collapse was perhaps typified by the divorce with Sam Burgess over the past fortnight as reports emerged that Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell were getting preferential treatment.

With Mitchell out due to suspension after his errant elbow on the Knights’ Tyson Frizell and his understudy Blake Taaffe ruled out after 20 minutes for concussion, it was a night to forget for the Rabbitohs in a season that had so much unfulfilled promise.

That has to go down as one of the biggest implosions in #NRL history… Top of the ladder after 11 rounds… missed the finals… something very rotten at my beloved #Rabbitohs#NRLSouthsRoosters

— Dan (@danielmccamley) September 1, 2023

Speaking in his post-match press conference, coach Jason Demetriou was asked about the stunning fall from grace.

“I’ve got to hold my hands up there — I’m head coach, it’s on me to make sure we’re better,” he said.

“I could sit here and make excuses, it hurts, it’s a tough lesson to learn but I’ll learn it.”

Post-match, Souths captain Cameron Murray told ABC Sport: “I don’t have many words.

“We were good this week, we did well to block out the noise, guess it just wasn’t to be.

“Sorry to all our fans. We promise we’ll do better next season.”