A Fabulous Rabbitohs Win
NRL Round 14 –Gold Coast Titans v South Sydney Rabbitohs – Cbus Super Stadium 8/6/24
By Greg Allan for Bunnies TV.
I’ve left my run very late this week so probably a lot of things I’m going to say have already been said. However, I’d like to give my spin on a fantastic win and a great weekend for me.
I’ve only just got back from a long weekend at the Gold Coast. I was joined by fellow hardcore Rabbitohs in Andy and Craig as were two other friends from Queensland who came along for the ride. It was a Birthday /Christmas present from my very thoughtful and generous wife and what a gift it turned out to be!
After getting the flight up on Saturday morning we Ubered our way out to the ground with plenty of time before kick-off. The weather, although not blistering, was much warmer than Sydney. As is tradition at all league grounds, all the away fans were placed in the Sun and the brightness and glare was a slight issue. Still, it wasn’t too bad and the fact that there was an absolute stack of Souths fans there made it all worthwhile.
Even just walking to the game you could see the huge amount of people in Rabbitohs jerseys. The turnout was impressive.
The Souths Bay
As I was in the Souths away bay for the match, I was sitting near the Burrow so went and said hello to fellow Bunnies TV writer and Burrow leader – Josh Kemp. We had a bit of chat about the game and both of us were worried about the speed the Titans side had in their backs. This is something we don’t have currently. However, we were keen to see our boys go around and see if we could get back-to-back wins for the first time in a very long time.
My friends and I found our seats for the match and I took in the surroundings. Cbus is an impressive stadium and the set-up was good. I found the nature of the place a bit casual and relaxed. I suppose this is the nature of the Gold Coast. It seemed to me that the visiting fans were the ones who were bringing the passion and intensity.
Kick Off
It was time for kick-off and after a few half chances and errors for both teams, Souths opened the scoring. What a magic moment it was too! Cookie shooting away from dummy-half and Latrell backing up like the best fullbacks do to score a super try. I mentioned to Andy that I liked the look of Latrell’s post-try celebration. Our main man looked up for a blinder.
Not long after we were in again! This time Jacob Gagai cruised in out wide after a beautiful long ball from our new number 7, Cody Walker.
Things could not have been going better but in what has been a tough period for our club, we Bunnies fans didn’t want to get too excited. After a lightning start against Parra last match we saw how quickly things could turn. Sure enough, the home team were in for their first. Khan-Pereira absolutely burned us for speed and scoring a pretty easy runaway try. As bad as this was, it ultimately worked in our favour. The Titans spent the whole match trying to go around us rather than working hard in the middle. This resulted in a lot of errors from them but our defence certainly played its part.
All Souths
Following this minor blip, it was pretty much all Souths and didn’t we love it over in the away bays! Firstly Richie Kennar went over after some very classy lead-up from Mitchell. Then it was Cody’s turn after a spilt Latrell bomb by the Titans. This is the 2nd week in a row that Mitchell’s kicking game has been a feature. You have to wonder why we haven’t utilised this before now. Anyway, it’s causing a lot of problems for our opposition and giving the Bunnies fans plenty of joy. I realise the odd kick may end up in the stands or go dead but it’s all worth it for their lethal quality in attack.
In the 2nd half the red and green party continued with Tom and Davy both scoring great front rowers tries. They were both fairly easy 4 pointers but the lead-up work by the team with their quick play-the-balls, forward momentum and slick passing was a massive highlight. The clock wound down and it was clear that we were going to grab our second win. Against the run of play David Fifita scored a barge-over try, knocking over Cody in the process.
No one doubts his talent but his celebration like he’d won the grand final after he scored was inappropriate given the fact his team were getting smashed by the team running last. It sort of summed up the attitude of the place with the home fans expected to participate in a ridiculous dance to a daggy pop track after the try, it just didn’t fit and looked silly.
More Tries
There was still 10 minutes left and we managed to get 2 more tries to really top off a great day. Wighton got a try from dummy-half after more impressive lead-up work from the team. Cody got his second after a super run and offload from Jack. Final score – Titans 12 Rabbitohs 46.
To sum things up, I think this was our best performance in ages. The team was so focused and executed so well. Sure, it was the Titans who are hardly the Panthers but really they’ve been competing consistently and have been better than us this season. We piled on the points but the fact that we kept a side known for their attacking brilliance to 12 was the most pleasing part for me. There were times in this game that we could have let them in for a try or 2, especially when it was clear we were going to win but we didn’t.
Latrell Domination
Our whole team stood up but Latrell was dominant again. His class and power was a highlight and an absolute pleasure to watch. Keaon was unstoppable again, the middle really suits him. Wighton and Walker provided excellent composure in the halves, something we’ve been lacking for an eternity. Our forwards were all strong and really got over the top of the Gold Coast pack. We did this with a man down after losing Havili to injury. Special mention to Davvy Moale who is starting to realise his potential in our wins. Also, how could we leave out the popular Jai Arrow who was very solid in his 150th game.
Well. What a win and what a weekend for me! It won’t be long and we’ll have another chance against the Broncos on Friday. A game that seemed a completely hopeless case a few weeks ago is now looking like a decent chance for a win. Cam Murray may be back too – I really hope he is… Let’s bring that excellent support that we had at Cbus on Saturday to our home ground and really get behind our boys. I can’t wait…See you out there!
A Fabulous Rabbitohs Win.
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