Inside the Roosters crisis meeting following infamous sin-bin final against South Sydney

Last year’s infamous semi-final between the Roosters and Rabbitohs will never be forgotten. Here, players and staff from both sides reveal the true fallout from one of the NRL’s most spiteful games in recent memory.

A record seven players were sin-binned last year.

The Sydney Roosters have revealed they held crisis talks after losing the plot against South Sydney last season while the Rabbitohs have been training with reduced numbers to ensure they are “prepared for any situation” ahead of Friday night’s explosive rematch.

The bitter rivals will return to Allianz Stadium for the first time since their fiery final last season, a game that featured seven sin-binnings and ended with a famous Souths victory.

The Roosters went into that game riding an eight-game winning streak but lost their cool and eventually the game - Victor Radley was sin-binned twice and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves once during the 30-14 defeat.

In the days that followed Roosters coach Trent Robinson and his players went looking for answers and the outcome of those talks will get their first genuine test on Friday night as the mortal enemies prepare to lock horns again.

“The review was more about how can we better control (our emotions),” five-eighth Luke Keary said.

Radley was sin-binned twice.

Taane Milne was also sin-binned twice. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty

“At the back end of the year we were good at controlling ourselves and the game, the swings and momentum. It just got away from us.

“At that point of the year we were going so well but we went away from everything that we did well for the last two months before we did that.

“We went in the opposite direction and paid the price. All the craziness of the game, both teams had to deal with it and they dealt with it better, they performed better, we lost the plot.”

Back rower Nat Butcher added: “It was a pretty emotional game that last final and pretty disappointing we didn’t get the win there.

“A couple of people went off and we felt as a team that we got a bit lost. We spoke about that - we ended up doing review after the game.

“We took a lot of lessons out that. We normally review in the pre-season but we reviewed that one straight after the season ended.

“Not every footy game is played the same way and when games like that get out of hand, there is a different way to play it.

“We reviewed the game that week and you sort of dwell on it all off-season. We had a great pre-season and chats were had - we spoke about that game again and knowing how to control our emotions better when the game does get a bit out of hand.

“We should have just held our composure. We let it get the best of us. I guess we will move forward and learn from that.

Latrell Mitchell (R) walks into a frosty reception.

“There are a lot of hotheads in our team and we need to calm down in that moment. If that happens again next time, we will know what to do.”

Halfback Lachlan Ilias was front and centre last season and revealed the Rabbitohs had used the preseason to prepare for a repeat.

“I don’t know how you train for it - I think we have done it since then,” Ilias said.

“Not full contact, but we have trained with one or two less on the field. I think you have to be prepared for any situation.”

News Corp has spoken to a number of key figures involved in that game last season, which is destined to take prominence if the Book of Feuds.

INSIDE THE 80 MINUTES OF MADNESS

Originally published as Inside the Roosters crisis meeting following infamous sin-bin final against South Sydney