With two of his teammates serving time on the sideline, veteran playmaker Cody Walker has revealed how an undermanned South Sydney got creative amid the chaos and came out on top.
The Rabbitohs spent nine minutes of the first half down to 11 men but it was in that time the 32-year-old's big-game experience shone through, manufacturing two tries and keeping the Roosters at bay.
“You’ve got to find creative ways to find a weakness in that situation,” Walker told NRL.com following Sunday's Elimination Final.
“I knew straight away that I still had a back-rower, centre and wing outside of me so if we could go to the 50 (metre-line) and set up left, I still had my edge intact.
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“So if they mess their numbers up, you’re still getting at the same players but having less on the short side.”
Walker's approach to spread the ball and force the defence to move was clear in Sunday's war of attrition with the explosive five-eighth producing an attacking masterclass, setting up four of his side's tries.
"We understood that we had to lift our game from last week, we were playing the same team so we knew that they started fast," he said.
"The first 10 minutes, their line speed and effort areas were quite high last week so we knew we had to match that as that was an area that we were pretty poor in last weekend.
"Our kick chase and all the little things that are important in finals footy... we knew we had to improve and I thought we nailed it.
"I just love getting out there and playing footy and I love attacking."
When South Sydney enforcer Tom Burgess, who was on report for a high shot that forced Roosters captain James Tedesco from the game in the 18th minute, received his marching orders for a second high shot and, in the next set of tackles, Taane Milne joined him 30 seconds later, the Rabbitohs were up against it.
With the Roosters leading 8-6 after two early tries, the pair feared they may have cost their team the match - and the season - but when Burgess and Milne returned Souths were ahead 12-8 and eventually won 30-14.
“We were in the sheds together and we were watching it on the TV,” Burgess said. “I was staying pretty calm, Taane was cheering a bit more than me. I’m a bit more reserved than Taane.
“I thought the boys did a great job to stay composed. The key is holding the ball and they held onto it and scored a few tries. We might just play with 11 men next week.”
Burgess binned
Burgess and Milne were among seven players sinbinned in the match – eclipsing the previous record of five when Noel Cleal, Mal Cochrane, Fred Teasdell, Paul Conlon and Gavin Jones were dismissed in the 1986 Manly-North Sydney clash.
Milne was sinbinned twice and the Rabbitohs were again forced to play with 11 men midway through the second half after he joined prop Tevita Tatola in the dressing room, while the Roosters lost Victor Radley (twice) and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
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“We knew it was going to be a fiery game; Roosters-Rabbitohs, second week in a row, last chance footy so we knew everyone was going to be fired up and ready to go,” Burgess said.
“It didn’t disappoint, obviously we would have liked to have kept a few more men on the field but that’s the way it goes sometimes.
“Sometimes emotions boil over in these games and you play off instinct and sometimes that instinct is a bit too far now, with the way the rules have changed over the last couple of years, with contact to the head.”
Rabbitohs captain Cameron Murray said the players adopted a simpler style of play while down to 11 men, while coach Jason Demetriou said they had to focus harder.
"We have got to hold the ball and not give them too much footy, so if you are going set for set then that 10 minutes is five minutes that you are defending," Demetriou said.
"We have got a mindset that we are inside-out - we don't let them come through us, we make them go around us so we give ourselves a chance to defend as best we can.
"The reality is that when we go down to that the concentration levels go up because you are down two men. We were down to 11 men twice and I think we scored both times and didn't concede a try."
Waerea-Hargreaves was sinbinned in the 50th minute for a head slam on Burgess that angered Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou, who agreed with his Roosters counterpart Trent Robinson that players on both sides had lost control.
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With their side leading 24-14 midway through the second half and on track for a semi-final clash with Cronulla, Rabbitohs officials were sending messages to their players not to do anything that could result in suspension.
“It was a pretty fast-paced game when I came on and that probably didn’t help me with a few shots there,” Burgess said. “I didn’t think there was much in them.
“Once I got into it I felt good but obviously I copped a bit of a head knock towards the end.
“I will have to look back it but I know my head hit the ground pretty hard and I think his elbow was in there as well. I don’t want to get too interested in it really, it is for the judiciary to have a look at.
“He plays the game with aggression and intent, so he is trying to be an enforcer for his team. We play a contact game, so I will take the contact.
“I got whacked in the head by Radley and he was telling me to get up. I got up and there was no charge there. They are trying to get the head knocks out of the game but we are running at full speed so head knocks are going to happen.
“I always say that if your arm isn’t above your shoulder it shouldn’t be a penalty.”