The Roosters have kept their finals hopes alive after overcoming arch-rival Rabbitohs 26-12 in a crucial clash at Accor Stadium.
Trent Robinson's side now face a nervous wait with the Cowboys and Sharks upcoming matches set to determine their finals fate.
Jason Demetriou's men were in the arm-wrestle for majority of the match however an early reshuffle exposed too many cracks in their defence and attack as South Sydney drew the curtain on a disappointing end to their 2023 season.
Seven minutes into the match the Roosters struck the first blow when Alex Johnston fumbled a Walker cross field kick and stand-in centre Corey Allan pounced on the ball in goal. Joseph Suaalii's conversion was wide.
After a 15-minute arm wrestle played out with both sides trading errors, the Rabbitohs got one back when skipper Cameron Murray charged through the front door from close range to steal the lead 6-4.
Cameron Murray Try
Come the 27th minute and a Cody Walker escort handed the Tricolours an opportunity to level the scores with a Suaalii penalty goal.
The Roosters took the lead two minutes before the break with Sam Walker evading rushing defenders and firing a long range bullet pass to winger Junior Pauga.
The Daniel Tupou replacement winger produced a spectacular aerial finish on the stroke of half time to send his side into the sheds with a 10-6 lead.
Junior Pauga Try
The Roosters extended their lead early in the second half when Luke Keary combined with Pauga down the left edge before finding a trailing James Tedesco on the inside who fought his way over the line.
Forced into the centres after a Rabbitohs reshuffle, Michael Chee Kam capitalised off a Cody Walker cutout pass to score his first try in red and greed and reduce the deficit 16-12.
Michael Chee Kam Try
Come the 70th minute and the Tricolours extended their lead when centre Billy Smith exploded through a hole from close range to score his fourth try of the season.
But the Roosters sealed the win when Walker iced an impressive night out in the No. 6 jersey, regathering a fifth tackle kick to score beside the uprights and put down the pen on another chapter in the historic Sydney rivalry.
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Match Snapshot
- South Sydney stand-in fullback Blake Taaffe left the field in the 18th minute after suffering a head knock and did not return after failing his HIA.
- There wasn't much separating the two sides at half-time with the Rabbitohs make six errors and having 47 per cent of the ball and the Roosters with six errors and 53 per cent possession.
- Damien Cook made 44 tackles and broke four tackles in his 80-minute stint at hooker.
- Junior Pauga was immense filling in for Dnaiel Tupou on the wing, with a try, an assist and 217 run metres.
- Roosters five-eighth Sam Walker was immense in just his second game back since Round 7 with one try, one assist and 23 tackles.
- The Roosters defeated the Rabbitohs at Accor Stadium for the first time since 2018.
Play of the Game
With four minutes the difference and ten minutes to play, comeback kid Billy Smith kept the Roosters finals dream alive when he sliced through Rabbitohs defenders. With Luke Keary sweeping left to find the towering centre on the outside, Smith showed his speed and strength, fending off Rabbitohs defenders to seal the victory for the Tricolours.
Billy Smith Try
What They Said
"We earnt the right to get to 16-12, we had a lot of 3field possession and we needed to be patient, there was plenty of time left on the clock. But we ended up just giving the footy away and they went down the other end and scored.
That performance probably summed up our back end of the year. We're just not quite nailing a few things. Our effort and fight was outstanding but we're just not capitalising on opportunities and leaking points when they had them. There's lots of things that go on with injuries and suspensions during the course of the season and I've got to have a deep look at how I handled that especially through the Origin period. It hurts now and they're tough lessons but I'll learn them. - Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou
Rabbitohs: Round 27
"It's disappointing and hard to put your finger on where it went wrong but we'll just try and remember how much this hurts and use this as motivation to never feel this feeling again. - Rabbitohs skipper Cameron Murray
"There's a lot that moves in a week, it was do-or-die but to execute a game plan in these positions takes a really focused team. I feel like we've been building defensive resilience throughout the year and it's really come on in these last couple of months. We believe in us as a team and how we should play the game and how we go about it.
I don't know if I'll sit down and watch every bounce of the ball tomorrow, I think I'll let someone else decide how our season goes now, we've done enough in the last five weeks. I told Fitzy (Craig Fitzgibbon) that he needs to go and get a job done for us." - Roosters coach Trent Robinson
Roosters: Round 27
What's Next
The Roosters have put themselves in the box seat to see through to the elimination finals. If the Cowboys lose to the Panthers on Saturday the Roosters are guaranteed a place in the finals. But if North Queensland win the Tricolours will need Sharks to win to retain their spot in the eight.
Trent Robinson said post-match winger Daniel Tupou is in doubt to return if the Roosters qualify to the elimination finals.
The season is over for the Rabbitohs who dropped out of the eight for the first time since Round 21.