NRL 2016: South Sydney Rabbitohs hold off a determined Manly Sea Eagles at Brookvale

SOUTH Sydney’s returning superstar Sam Burgess offered up the words all Rabbitohs fans wanted to hear: “I pulled through well.”

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 31: Sam Burgess of the Rabbitohs is tackled during the round five NRL match between the Manly Sea Eagles and the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Brookvale Oval on March 31, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

SOUTH Sydney’s returning superstar Sam Burgess offered up the words all Rabbitohs fans wanted to hear: “I pulled through well.”

A tired Burgess and his Souths teammates somehow hung on to record a gripping 16-12 win over Manly at Brookvale Oval.

The Rabbitohs dragged out every ounce of energy, commitment and fight to hold out Manly, who had copious amounts of possession for 60 minutes of the match.

Manly threw wave after wave at Souths tryline — it was gutsy stuff.

Souths seemed to be defending all second half. They were exhausted but victorious at full-time.

And Burgess, rushed to hospital a fortnight ago with a suspected neck injury, trudged off Brookie a weary winner.

“I was bit shaky the last few days with the strength in my back but I pulled through pretty good. Onwards and upwards now,” Burgess said.

“Getting back into the NRL is tough. I got pretty tired in the first half but I thought the boys showed a lot of character to hold on to get the win against a good, physical Manly side. I thought our desperation was pretty good.”

Souths coach Michael Maguire praised Burgess’ drive and courage.

“I thought the character he showed many times when the call was he was absolutely gone, that’s what it means to him and his teammates. He played the 80 minutes, he was spent and off their legs, like a lot of our players,” Maguire said.

Manly could conceivably have scored two, three, four tries except for modest execution. And the player who gave Manly so much hope was Api Koroisau, the replacement for injured halfback Daly Cherry-DEvans.

Koroisau, the former Souths grand final star, had a blinder, claiming Channel Nine’s man of the match award in a losing side.

Sam Burgess of the Rabbitohs is tackled.

Souths steamrolled Manly early and were ahead 16-0 after 15 minutes.

It appeared that the score would be a blowout before Manly wrestled back the momentum.

The Sea Eagles maintained that momentum for the rest of the game but couldn’t nail the win.

“I thought it was a wonderful effort from our side — the start hurt us, that first 20 minutes they just caught us on the hop and we looked tired,” said Manly coach Trent Barrett.

“I was always worried about the start, we spoke about it but didn’t handle it too well. But I thought we were the better side for an hour but just couldn’t ice it at the end.”

After three games in 10 days, Manly players will now be given a three-day rest.

Maguire was equally proud of the way his side held out Manly at home.

“I was very proud of our character and the effort they showed for each other. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves but the players stuck by each other,” Maguire said.

Apisai Koroisau was in fine form for the Sea Eagles.

“The character of this team, which I see every day, is part of what we are trying to grow at the club. The jumper means a lot to all our players.”

Manly and former Souths player Dylan Walker was strong against his old club.

“New position and we are still a work in progress. We started slow but finished strong so we can take a few positives from the game,” Walker said.

“We started too slow and didn’t give ourselves a chance.”

Souths halfback Luke Keary added: “I’m proud of the boys — we hung in the whole second half. We dug in defensively and it could be one that defines a season.”

Walker broke free from a tackle by Rabbitohs halfback Luke Keary to score a vital try. Walker showed his joy after the try given he and Souths parted in controversial circumstances late last year.

Sea Eagles skipper Jamie Lyon converted, Souths now ahead by 16-6.

Manly suddenly roared back into the game and had several chances to score again only be dragged down just short of the tryline. Souths, all of sudden, seemed to lose their way but still held on to a ten-point halftime lead.

Originally published as NRL 2016: South Sydney Rabbitohs hold off a determined Manly Sea Eagles at Brookvale