Rabbitohs sink to even uglier depths as Roosters dominate rivals

The South Sydney Rabbitohs’ nightmare season has sunk even further after being blown off the park by the Sydney Roosters.

Things are not good for the Souths. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs thought they’d sunk to rock bottom, but their horror season plunged to worrying depths on Friday night.

After falling to 0-2 to start the 2024 season, the club swung the selection axe in a bid to shake things up and secure their first win of the year.

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What unfolded was nothing short of a disaster.

Against the Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium, the Rabbitohs were blown off the park as the home side ran riot.

Dominic Young got the festivities started with a try in the opening minutes and the Roosters never relented as they raced away to an 18-0 halftime lead.

But the pain was far from over as the Roosters kept their foot on the gas and raced away to secure a dominant 48-6 victory.

Fox League’s James Graham labelled the Roosters first half display “total domination”, but it was even uglier in the second half for the Rabbitohs.

The loss for the Rabbitohs drops them to to the bottom of the ladder, not since 2010 have they sat last on the ladder at the end of a round.

Latrell and the Rabbitohs are in serious strife. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

South Sydney’s season is officially on life support and things could get worse with star recruit Jack Wighton set to come under the match review committee’s spotlight for a raised knee in his first game for the club.

The former Raider had a solid night but could be charged for a knee which caught Sam Walker in the head and forced the Roosters halfback out of the contest early in the second half.

Losing Wighton is the last thing the Rabbitohs need following their horror start to the season.

Coach Jason Demetriou didn’t like some of the questions directed at his club on Thursday morning, but he looks like a man running out of answers after he dropped his halfback and demoted his hooker to the bench, only for things to get worse.

They gave away a cheap penalty on the first play of the night, coughed up the ball eight times in 40 minutes and attacked like individuals who hadn’t studied the game plan, with Dean Hawkins no certainty to hold onto his spot next week.

They were jeered at every turn by a rabid Roosters crowd, with Latrell Mitchell booed every time he touched the ball, with the biggest cheer of the night coming when the former Chook was sent to the sin bin for a professional foul on James Tedesco.

Off you go. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

HOT CHOOKS

It’s hard to believe this is the same team that looked so sluggish in attack last year, with the side panned 12 months ago returning to their best to make the Roosters one of the early favourites to end Penrith’s streak.

There were calls in the off-season for James Tedesco to be dumped from the Blues side, but the NSW skipper has carried his club on his back and is playing the sort of footy that made him the best player in the world not that long ago.

It’s too early to pick Origin teams but he’ll be there later in the year after another dominant display where he plucked a double, ran amok through the ruck and brought the South Sydney edge defence unstuck.

He combined to put Dom Young over for the first try, while his pass to the Englishman for their third was something Nathan Cleary would’ve been proud of, with the towering winger passing back inside for Sam Walker’s second.

The young halfback – the same guy who was dropped to reserve grade last year – steered the ship like he was Russell Crowe in Master and Commander, even if he admitted this week that he hated the movie.

Walker was brilliant with regular halves partner Luke Keary missing, with the pint-sized playmaker using his beautiful mind and his clever kicking game to grubber twice for a stunning solo try.

SANDON STUNNER

After their sloppy first half, you would have thought the message at the interval would be to complete the first set.

Something got lost in translation because the Bunnies turned the ball over in the very first set after the break which was punished immediately when Sandon Smith volleyed the bouncing Steeden straight into Joseph Manu’s arms to make it 24-0.

There was a brilliant moment in the second half when Smith kicked through for Connor Watson to score in his first game back from a horror knee injury which kept him out for more than a year.

– with Martin Gabor, NCA Newswire

Originally published as Rabbitohs sink to even uglier depths as Roosters dominate rivals