The Roosters stunned the Rabbitohs 48-6 to ensure veteran prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves celebrated his 300th NRL game in style.
The 35-year-old was at his damaging best, sending echoes through Allianz Stadium with his big hits but had the luxury of watching his star backs run riot with James Tedesco, Joey Manu and Sam Walker all bagging doubles.
South Sydney, meanwhile, are staring down the barrel of finishing Round 3 on the bottom of the NRL ladder after falling to their third-consecutive loss for the season.
An early Rabbitohs error handed the Roosters an opportunity to open the scoreboard in the fourth minute, creating an overlap for Dom Young to stroll over in the corner.
Dominic Young Try
The home side went further ahead in the 15th minute with Walker standing up in the absence of Luke Keary, toing his own grubber over the line to extend the lead 16-0.
On the back of two set restarts South Sydney had a chance to open their account but the Roosters defence held firm and forced an error out of Jacob Host.
The Roosters had a third soon after when Tedesco stamped his class, lofting a perfectly weighted pass to Young who found Walker inside to the hand the halfback a first-half double.
Sam Walker Try
The second half started like the first for South Sydney, handing the ball over off the kick-off and the Roosters extended their lead two minutes after the break when Sandon Smith punted the ball off the ground and Manu cashing in on the left edge.
The Rabbitohs finally opened their account in the 51st minute with Host powering over from close range thanks to a slick pass from Cody Walker.
Jacob Host Try
With both of their first-choice halves on the sideline, the Roosters depth was on show in the 62nd minute when Sandon Smith and Connor Watson combined to all but ice the match.
Things went from bad to worse for the Rabbitohs when Latrell Mitchell was sin-binned for illegally crowding the ball in the in-goal and the Roosters were quick to capitalise on the advantage, with Manu strolling to blow the scoreline 36-6.
Scoring tries for fun, the Roosters right side was in again in the 73rd minute with Tedesco continuing his superb start to the season, using his blistering speed to cross for a double late in the match.
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Match Snapshot
- Roosters halfback Sam Walker was sent for a HIA in the 47th minute of the match for which he failed.
- Rabbitohs fullback Latrell Mitchell was sent to the sin bin for a professional foul in the 66th minute.
- Utility Connor Watson scored a try in his first NRL game back from injury since 2022.
- Rabbitohs recruit Jack Wighton got through plenty of work in his game for the season, running a team-high 178 metres off 20 runs.
- Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves made 24 tackles and had 9 hit-ups in a 39-minute stint for his 300th NRL game.
- The Rabbitohs made 14 errors compared to the Roosters' nine.
- The Roosters have won eight of their 11 games at the new Allianz Stadium.
Play of the Game
With Luke Keary sidelined for Round 3 and Sam Walker failing a HIA in the second-half, it could have been a turning point for the Roosters but deputy halves Sandon Smith and Connor Watson took next-man up to a new level. After the Rabbitohs finally got on the board, the playmaking duo ended any chances of a comeback when they combined for a try in the 62nd minute.
Connor Watson Try
What They Said
"It's where we are at the moment, the monkey's on our back and you can see that in our resolve at times. There's some effort there but it's put into the wrong places and I just said to the players, there's only one way out and that's staying together, training well next week and getting back on the horse. It's a matter of just getting that first win and individually there is some signs out there that we are starting to find a rhythm. It's probably the lowest point in my career right now but I know how we get out of it and we'll fight together." - Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou
Rabbitohs: Round 3
"Obviously the emotion around the game was very important to us but that doesn't always guarantee a performance. I thought it was set up really well from the start, a really simple, clear play and then we took our opportunities.
"I thought he (Tedesco) was exceptional and he's been exceptional for three games. He's been very clear on his prep and really leading from the front in both attack and defence and we've run off the back of him." - Roosters coach Trent Robinson
Roosters v Rabbitohs - Round 3, 2024
What's Next
The Roosters return to home turf on Thursday to host the Panthers in a mouthwatering clash with the Panthers while the Rabbitohs host the Bulldogs at Accor Stadium for a Good Friday Sydney derby.