Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou drew first blood against long-time mentor Wayne Bennett on Thursday night, as South Sydney overcame the Dolphins 36-14 at Suncorp Stadium.
Thirty unanswered points in the second half saw the Rabbitohs run out comfortable winners in the end, with quickfire tries to Campbell Graham and Cody Walker inside the opening 10 minutes of the second half flipping momentum after the Dolphins led 14-6 at the break.
Star fullback Latrell Mitchell was in the thick of the action, scoring a try, setting up two line breaks and laying on a try assist, while his accurate boot provided an additional 12 points for his side.
Cody Walker also laid on three tries and was a key figure in the win.
Walker the pinball wizard
Despite the lopsided final score, it wasn't until the final 20 minutes that the Rabbitohs pulled away on the scoreboard, with the sin-binning of Kenny Bromwich leading to the visitors scoring three tries in the space of six minutes, during which time the Dolphins didn't touch the ball once.
There will be some concern from the win for the Rabbitohs though, with Cameron Murray placed on report for a kick pressure in the first half and representative back-rower Keaon Koloamatangi failing to finish the match due to an ankle injury sustained in a tackle from Ray Stone.
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Match Snapshot
- Cameron Murray was placed on report in the 28th minute following a kick pressure on Kodi Nikorima which drew a penalty.
- South Sydney back-rower Keaon Koloamatangi left the field with a lower leg injury in the 53rd minute and failed to return, following a tackle from Dolphins forward Ray Stone.
- Both sides completed well, with the Dolphins finishing 85 percent of their sets and the Rabbitohs 83 percent.
- After forcing a drop from Taane Milne on a bomb, the Dolphins isolated him on the next play and scored through Euan Aitken, with Jamayne Isaako converting from out wide.
The Dolphins make a splash early
- After absorbing a prolonged period of Dolphins dominance, an offside penalty gifted South Sydney with good field position on 21 minutes and they drew level thanks to a Campbell Graham try and Latrell Mitchell conversion.
- An Isaako penalty followed by a clever try from a Jeremy Marshall-King dummy-half sneak gave the Dolphins a 14-6 lead at the break.
- A second try for Graham and a Cody Walker four-pointer inside the opening 10 minutes of the second half gave the Rabbitohs an 18-14 lead.
- After Alex Johnston had a try ruled out due to putting his foot in touch, South Sydney received a penalty for a late shot on the ensuing play and Latrell Mitchell kicked them to a six-point lead.
- With 19 to play Kenny Bromwich was sent to the sin bin for a tackle off the ball which saw his shoulder make contact with Taane Milne's jaw, and from there South Sydney pulled away.
- Isaiah Tass, Latrell Mitchell and Alex Johnston all scored within six minutes of each other to blow the final scoreline out.
Mitchell too strong
- Rabbitohs five-eighth Cody Walker has now scored five tries in his past four games.
Play of the Game
It was a try to Isaiah Tass just after the hour mark which broke the Dolphins, and from that point on the floodgates opened and the Rabbitohs piled on the points. Prior to Tass slicing through the edge defence with a dummy, there were nice touches from Lachlan Ilias and Cody Walker, who created enough doubt in the defence to make space out wide for their centre.
Tass turns it on
What They Said
"When [the Rabbitohs] have a lot of momentum they are a hard team to stop, when they are attacking the way they were. Our first halves have been great, we need to work on our second halves. Definitely lessons learned." – Dolphins captain Jesse Bromwich.
Dolphins: Round 7
"It's kind of exciting that I got to work with him and be mentored by him for so long, and then to be coaching in the NRL against Wayne Bennett, for me it's quite surreal." – Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou.
Rabbitohs: Round 7
What's Next
Another Thursday night match awaits the Rabbitohs in Round 8 when they host the Panthers at Accor Stadium, with hopes Koloamatangi will be fit to play. The Dolphins meanwhile have a long turnaround before taking on the Titans in a Queensland derby clash at Suncorp Stadium on April 23.