South Sydney set up showdown with Parramatta after week of tumult
South Sydney put a week of drama behind them to thrash Newcastle and set up a semi-final against Parramatta on Saturday night.
A tumultuous week for the Rabbitohs ended to the strains of Glory Glory to South Sydney. The speakers blared, the supporters sang and for a moment, the dramas engulfing Souths and their retired star Sam Burgess took a back seat.
The Rabbitohs’ premiership hopes are alive and surprisingly well given all that is going on at Redfern. Souths face Parramatta at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday night and they will take some beating, having piled on 46 points against Newcastle on a warm Sunday afternoon at ANZ Stadium.
They scored 60 the previous week against the Roosters and when their attack is on song, stopping them appears futile. Parramatta know that better than most. The last time the sides met barely a month ago, South walked away with a 38-0 victory.
The Rabbitohs will head to Bankwest Stadium on Saturday night confident of taking another step towards the grand final. Asked how he kept his side focused on the game when tumult is unfolding around them, Souths coach Wayne Bennett was dismissive.
“You guys don’t listen,” Bennett said. “That probably annoys me. I said two days it would have no impact. It wasn’t going to have an impact. It won’t.
“I coach the team, I know what is going on in the organisation — it was never going to have an impact on the team.”
Asked how he could be so sure, Bennett replied: “Common sense would tell you that. I am not going to go into detail.”
Mind you, Souths didn’t start well. They were 14-0 down in the blink of an eye as Newcastle went in pursuit of a Bunnies boilover. Mitchell Pearce was in control and Kalyn Ponga was running amok.
Bennett never panicked — does he ever?
“You’re sending prayer downs at 14-0 in a semi-final,” Bennett said. “It’s the last thing you want — their 14 points had come off errors we made in the back of the field. They grabbed it and had 14 points after 13 minutes in the game.
“We cut that out and got our game going.”
When it is going, it is a sight to behold. Corey Allan sliced through after 16 minutes and the comeback was on. By halftime they were in the lead and the second half became a procession as Newcastle’s error count rose.
Souths officials have been understandably upset this week that the club’s proud and famous name has been dragged through the mud. They counter the allegations labelled at Burgess by pointing to the house they have built over the past 112 years.
They are rightly dubbed the Pride of the League and no one is disputing the work the club does in and around Redfern to improve the lives of many. Their supporters are among the most fierce in the game, witnessed by the 80,000 who walked the streets when the club’s very existence was under threat.
People like chair Nick Pappas have worked tirelessly and selflessly for years on end, first to save the club and then to help it flourish. The last thing he and others want to see is the club’s reputation tarnished by the damning allegations against Burgess.
Pappas, like so many others, would have relished Sunday afternoon as the focus fell on South Sydney’s footballing ability rather than the allegations — and now NRL and NSW Police investigations — that have enveloped one of their favourite sons.
When they play like this, there are few better to watch. They make it look easy. Asked how much damage South Sydney could do in the finals, Knights coach Adam O’Brien said: “After that, a lot. They are a team that can score points in bunches.
“If you are going to give them set pieces, they will hurt you. I think it is Parramatta. I am sure (Eels coach) Brad (Arthur) is a smart enough coach.
“I am sure he knows what is coming.”
The answer is plenty. Souths forward pack was expected to be their achilles heel but they aimed up again on Sunday, let by two-try hero Junior Tatola.
Hooker Damien Cook is a constant threat, his talent encapsulated by his try with four minutes remaining. Cook had been limping in the moments leading up to Mitchell Pearce dropping the ball but there was no sign of any problem as he seized on some space, beat a handful of players and raced clear.
“He was like a little rabbit running from hole to hole with guys trying to catch him,” Bennett said.
“He looked pretty good when I left him five minutes ago — he was telling everyone how good his try was.”
Parramatta now lie in wait and they are wounded, both wingers limping out of their loss to Melbourne on Saturday night.
Maika Sivo’s season appears over while Blake Ferguson is racing the clock to play. On the other side of the draw, Canberra will play the Sydney Roosters in a repeat of last year’s grand final on Friday night at the SCG.
Asked about the prospect of playing Parramatta, Bennett was nonplussed.
“(They) finished in the top four,” he said.
“I have to clean this mess up this afternoon and worry about that later in the week.”
More Coverage
Buzz’s highlights, lowlights: Moses’ hypocrisy exposed in Brown saga
Mitchell Moses has no right to publicly chime into the debate about his halves partner Dylan Brown staying loyal to Parramatta. Plus Buzz reveals his highlights and lowlights.
30 NRL coaches sacked in ruthless decade: Why Benji won’t be 31
There have been 30 NRL coaches sacked in less than a decade. Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield asks Wests Tigers boss Shane Richardson - who has axed three coaches in his career - whether Benji Marshall will be 31.