Champion returns to the Bunnies

Updated January 08, 2013 15:19:50

South Sydney junior Beau Champion will return to Redfern for the 2013 and 2014 seasons, the NRL club announced on Tuesday.

Champion will re-join the Rabbitohs after being granted an immediate release from his contract with Gold Coast.

The former representative centre was pushed out of Souths before the 2011 season to create room under the salary cap for the arrival of Greg Inglis from Melbourne, after the Queensland and Australian representative's deal with Brisbane fell over.

But the 26-year-old Champion returns to Souths as the club bids to find an effective centre combination after Inglis' spectacularly successful move to fullback.

"I'm over the moon at having the opportunity to return to South Sydney," Champion said in a statement.

"(It is) the club where my career began, the team which I supported as a kid and the club which I've always dreamed of playing for," Champion said.

"I appreciate everything the people at the Titans and Storm have done for me over the past two years, and I think my time at both clubs have made me a better player and better person."

Champion spent 2011 with Melbourne and last year with the Titans.

The release of Champion by the Titans has fuelled speculation the Gold Coast club are moving in on Penrith representative centre Michael Jennings.

Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire welcomed Champion's return to the Rabbitohs.

"Beau is a very experienced NRL player ... we're very happy to be able to add a player of his ability to our squad at this stage of the pre-season," Maguire said.

"Beau's inclusion to our squad increases the challenge for spots in our first grade team, which is always good for performance and team development.

"Beau is South Sydney, through and through."

A veteran of 90 NRL games, including 70 for the Rabbitohs from 2005-'10, Champion only played nine matches for the Titans during an injury-plagued 2012.

He has played twice for City Origin and for the Indigenous All Stars in 2010 and 2011.

AAP

Tags: nrl, rugby-league, sport, redfern-2016, nsw, australia, robina-4226, qld

First posted January 08, 2013 14:57:27

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Bunnies not bothered by wrestling Dogs

Updated September 20, 2012 13:27:04

South Sydney coach Michael Maguire says he is unconcerned about Canterbury's wrestling techniques ahead of Saturday night's grand final qualifier.

Under new coach Des Hasler the Bulldogs have become the game's premier side at slowing down the ruck and controlling the speed of the game through the wrestle.

But despite the threat it could pose to the Rabbitohs' attacking maestros Greg Inglis, Issac Luke and Adam Reynolds, Maguire said it had not factored into their preparations for the Olympic stadium clash.

"I think every team practises that area of the game (wrestling) and it's no different each week," Maguire said on Thursday.

"Everyone's doing their practice in various areas and I'm sure they're practising what they need to do and we're focused about what we need to do."

With a crowd in excess of 70,000 anticipated for the all-Sydney showdown, Maguire said his young stars were handling the expectation of the big week impressively.

"The boys in our group like Roy Asotasi, Michael Crocker, Matty King, Greg Inglis, Sam Burgess I could go on on a number of players," Maguire said.

"Even Luke Burgess has played in a number of finals overseas. We're lucky that we've got a lot of experience at this time of the year and the young boys are just thriving on the enthusiasm."

Maguire confirmed that winger Nathan Merritt was on track to return from a shoulder injury that forced him to miss last week's victory over Canberra.

"We're really hoping he's right to go. He's trained all this week so there's no reason why he shouldn't be playing," Maguire said.

"As a team we want Nathan in there. He's a massive part of what we've been doing here."

Should Merritt fail to pass a late fitness test however, the versatile Justin Hunt will come in and take his spot as he did against the Raiders.

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Tags: nrl, rugby-league, sport, redfern-2016, nsw, australia, canterbury-2193

First posted September 20, 2012 13:21:57

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Maguire hails Bunnies' team effort

Updated September 16, 2012 15:29:04

Michael Maguire hailed his South Sydney side's character after they put the disappointment of a dismal display against Melbourne behind them to beat Canberra 38-16 and set up an NRL preliminary final against Canterbury.

The Rabbitohs' premiership credentials were questioned after the 24-6 defeat by the Storm in the qualifying final at AAMI Park.

But they were much-improved on Saturday night to record a first finals victory in 25 years and take a step closer to a first premiership in since 1971.

Young half-back Adam Reynolds was the star, scoring one of Souths' six tries and kicking seven goals to become only the second player in the club's history to score 200 points in a season.

Eric Simms is the only other man to achieve that feat and that was in 1970 - the year Souths won the 19th of their 20 premierships.

Maguire insisted his men would need to improve to beat the minor premiers next weekend in front of a crowd that is expected to reach 70,000, but was satisfied with how they dealt with the in-form Raiders, who had won their previous six games.

"From a disappointing dressing room last week to where we are now is a great feeling," Maguire said.

"We need to improve as a group for next week and we need to take that forward."

Maguire was impressed with the display of Reynolds, but was more pleased with the way all of his players contributed to the win with hooker Issac Luke, recalled in favour of Nathan Peats, coming in for special praise.

"Reynolds, (John) Sutton and Issac performed well, and with Greggy (Inglis) at the back and the forwards laying the platform for our halves, who kicked well, it was a real team effort tonight," Maguire said.

"It was in my mind earlier in the week that I was going to give Issac an opportunity.

"He's been playing really well for us when he's been coming off the bench and while Peatsy didn't get much time tonight I had to do things that were right for the team.

"But I thought the way Issac gets out of dummy-half and rolls onto the forwards I'd leave him out there."

Souths and Canterbury have split their two encounters this season and, although Maguire has full respect for the Bulldogs, who overcame premiers Manly last week, he doesn't fear them.

"We don't have fear, we just need to cope with what they throw at us," he said.

"They're a class team and have just beaten the premiers so we need to be on a our game for next week."

Raiders coach David Furner was upbeat despite his side's loss and said their sixth-place finish on the ladder was a fair reflection of their season.

However, he said a lack of ball security was the main factor for the defeat: "I just spoke to the players and I guess the game was a case of possession, I didn't think they deserved that as a playing group and we needed to get ourselves into the game but we were probably our own worst enemy."

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Tags: sport, rugby-league, nrl, sydney-2000, nsw, canberra-2600, australia

First posted September 16, 2012 08:48:21

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Bunnies rule out moving Inglis

Updated September 13, 2012 10:44:19

Michael Maguire admits he is still tinkering with South Sydney's starting line-up to face Canberra on Saturday, but says star full-back Greg Inglis is off limits for any positional moves.

Maguire says he is undecided about whether the impressive Issac Luke would come into the starting side after featuring on the bench for the past two matches.

The rookie NRL coach has already been forced into a backline reshuffle for the elimination semi-final, having lost centre Matt King for the season after he broke his arm in last Saturday's heavy 24-6 oss to Melbourne.

On Tuesday he named rookie winger Andrew Everingham to fill King's spot at left centre, moving him from his preferred side of the field.

That change resulted in rookie Justin Hunt coming in to take Everingham's wing spot outside Dylan Farrell on the right.

But Maguire acknowledges that nothing is final for their do-or-die match-up, except that Inglis, who plays centre for Queensland and Australia, will remain at full-back where he has been a revelation this season.

"GI has played at full-back for us and that's where he's staying," Maguire said.

"... We're always looking at our squad and I'm always [after] the right thing by the team.

"I talk to the senior players and we're focused about making sure we get the best team out there on the park.

"I'm very lucky that I've got a very big squad and everybody's very, very keen to get out there.

"We'll decide exactly how we'll go [on Friday]."

Veteran winger Nathan Merritt picked up a shoulder injury late against the Storm, but is not considered to be in doubt for the Raiders clash.

"He's really good. He's worked really hard ... it's just more a bruised shoulder, he'll definitely be playing," Maguire said.

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First posted September 13, 2012 10:42:04

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Bunnies boil over Inglis 'prejudice'

Updated July 23, 2012 22:08:03

South Sydney has slammed St George Illawarra coach Steve Price for "exacerbating the situation" after star Rabbitohs centre Greg Inglis was offered a four-week ban for a dangerous tackle on Dean Young.

Inglis was slapped with a grade four charge for dangerous contact over his first-half shoulder charge on Young in the Rabbitohs' 36-14 win on Saturday night.

That victory pushed Souths into third spot on the ladder but losing Queensland and Australia representative Inglis could seriously hurt his side's run home to the finals.

Inglis can sit out four matches with an early guilty plea, but will cop five weeks should he contest the charge and lose.

Price told reporters that the incident was comparable to one which saw Dragons forward Matt Prior rubbed out for five weeks for his hit on Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston earlier in the season.

"He certainly got him, he's lucky he didn't break his jaw," Price said on Saturday night.

"We copped a guy [Prior] in North Queensland who got sent off and copped five weeks so we'll have to leave that up to the match review [committee]."

Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire lashed out at the remark on Monday evening, saying his St George Illawarra counterpart has made the situation worse.

"Steve Price's comments have exacerbated this situation resulting in a high grading for this incident," he said in a club statement.

"He came out and compared this tackle to one where his player was charged earlier in the year, where he raised his elbow and struck an opposition player square in the face.

"To compare these two incidents is ridiculous to say the least, and to do so can only be designed to be inflammatory and to try and prejudice the case before it reaches the match review committee.

"We operated within the rules of the NRL. The Dragons didn't.

"It is against the NRL rules to comment on any matter that is subject to review by the match review committee or the judiciary, and Steve Price's comments have incited a media frenzy around this incident.

"His comments have exacerbated this situation, and if this isn't a clear case of trying to prejudice a case against a player then I don't know what is."

The Dragons hit back later on Monday evening through chief executive Peter Doust, who said the club "strongly refute" the allegations made by South Sydney.

"Steve Price on several occasions declined to make any detailed remarks on the incident concerning the Rabbitohs' player and acknowledged that it was on report and therefore subject to the NRL judicial process," he said in a club statement.

"On review of the transcript from the post-match press conference, Steve Price clearly stated the obvious and looked to comment on Dean Young's wellbeing - the subject of many enquiries on that evening.

"We believe the Rabbitohs' comments are very outrageous, emotional and transparent.

"It is laughable that they would look to blame Steve Price. Steve was measured in what he said in the post-match press conference.

"The incident concerning the Rabbitohs' player was clear for everyone to see and as he said at the time, it is now in the hands of the judiciary."

Maguire said it was "not good enough" and demanded a response from the ARL Commission.

"We want to know what the ARLC is going to do about his comments, which were made two days ago, which are clearly against the rules, as it is harmful to the game and reputation of our player and our club," he said.

"It's bad for the game, yet despite several conversations with the ARLC by myself and the CEO since Saturday's game, nothing has been done about it.

"It's not good enough."

Souths chief executive Shane Richardson said the ARLC needs to make its stance clear on comments about such incidents.

"It clearly states in the NRL Code of Conduct, section 30, sub-sections (1) and (2) under the heading of 'Public Comment', that no one shall comment on any subject of a proceeding before the Match Review Committee," he said.

"The tackle was put on report, and was therefore going to be reviewed by the Match Review Committee.

"We did the right thing and made no adverse comments on the situation, but Steve Price did, and he's broken the rules.

"The ARLC should be doing something about this, and as yet nothing has been done. It needs to be acted upon, and it needed to happen yesterday."

Seven other players were charged after round 20, the worst of them Panthers five-eighth Travis Burns who could miss the rest of the season after being slapped with two separate charges at the weekend.

Burns was handed a grade two dangerous contact - unnecessary arm/shoulder pressure charge - for his 'chicken-wing' tackle on Roosters forward Mose Masoe.

His high shot on Roosters forward Martin Kennedy, which earned the Penrith playmaker just the second sending off this season, was ruled worthy of a grade three high tackle - intentional charge.

The high tackle charge warrants a 12-week suspension while the tackle on Masoe means Burns faces an extra four weeks out, but early guilty pleas on both charges would see the punishment busted down to 12 matches.

Broncos forward Ben Te'o could miss a week over his high shot on Titans veteran Luke Bailey in Gold Coast's win at Skilled Park on Friday night, while team-mate Josh Hoffman faces two weeks out for his own shot on Bailey.

The Brisbane full-back can cut his sentence down to one week if he enters an early plea.

Dragons players Dan Hunt, Trent Merrin and Josh Miller were all cited for grade one careless high tackles, but do not face suspension.

Canberra's Josh Papalii was charged with a grade one dangerous contact with a kicker, but can avoid a ban if he takes the early plea option.

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First posted July 23, 2012 17:19:21

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Commanding GI leads Bunnies into top four

Updated August 26, 2012 18:06:26

Greg Inglis ran riot as South Sydney reclaimed fourth spot on the ladder with a 38-6 victory over Parramatta at the Olympic stadium on Sunday.

Inglis scored two tries and set up another three as the Rabbitohs piled on seven-tries-to-one to jump above the Cowboys with 34 competition points and a higher points differential.

The representative star also tallied 12 tackle breaks and three line breaks in an ominous warning ahead of the finals.

The bustling full-back also delighting the Rabbitohs faithful when he sent former team-mate Chris Sandow flying after an ill-advised shoulder charge.

Souths held a narrow 14-6 lead at the break, but the flood gates opened after the restart with three tries in a 10-minute period just after the hour mark icing the contest.

Inglis said coach Michael Maguire told his side to focus on the simple things like completions and field position and not fall into the Eels' trap of ad lib football.

"We build our performance on the back of the forwards," Inglis told Grandstand.

"The last couple of weeks we have been going too much side to side.

"We got back to what we do best and that is the big guys going forward."

Inglis said his side was not thinking about points differential or the finals late in the second half.

"We don't like to talk finals," Inglis added.

"We have been talking about finals the last two weeks and it has affected our performance," the full-back added referring to consecutive defeats against Manly and Cronulla.

"We'll just concentrate on going to Newcastle next week and getting the two points."

Little went right for the Eels as they struggled to keep up to the pace, the loss and Penrith's win over Gold Coast on Saturday night confirming they will finish last for the first time since 1972.

After looking a little rusty in his return last week, Inglis showed his intentions early with a series of devastating runs.

He was a spectator as Adam Reynolds provided the pinpoint kick for Matt King to score on six minutes, Reynolds adding an extra two points after he was the victim of a raised forearm which landed Eels prop Fuifui Moimoi on report.

Inglis used brute force to nab his first try on the back of another Moimoi penalty, before the Eels hit back with their only points of the day as the retiring Luke Burt slid over wearing the jumper that bore his image.

But any hope the Eels had of honouring his special day with a win was gone six minutes after the restart when Inglis provided a perfect cut-out pass for Merritt's first try of the afternoon.

He was the provider again with a basketball pass for Dylan Farrell to go over, Merritt completing his double seven minutes from time before Inglis added one more try assist with a brilliant pass to set up Andrew Everingham in the dying stages.

South Sydney: 38 (G Inglis 2, N Merritt 2, M King, D Farrell, A Everingham tries; A Reynolds 4/7 cons; 1/1 pen)

Parramatta: 6 (L Burt try; Burt 1/1 con)

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Tags: nrl, rugby-league, sport, sydney-2000, sydney-south-2000, nsw, australia, parramatta-2150

First posted August 26, 2012 17:04:20

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Bunnies extend Burgess deal through to 2016

Updated August 17, 2012 16:33:18

South Sydney has extended the contract of English import Sam Burgess for another three seasons until the end of the 2016 campaign.

The 23-year-old joined the Rabbitohs from English Super League side Bradford in 2010 and has become a key figure in South Sydney's imposing forward pack.

Burgess, who will be joined in 2013 by brothers Luke, George and Thomas, says he is delighted to extend his career with the Rabbitohs.

"I absolutely love playing for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and embrace everything the club stands for," he said in a statement.

"I'm loving the lifestyle here in Sydney and there is no other club that I would want to play for in the NRL.

"I'm very happy to have my future secured and I'm looking forward to the rest of the 2012 season."

Burgess has played more than 40 matches for the Redfern-based club and is one of the club's co-captains.

Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire admits re-signing the powerful forward was an obvious priority.

"It's a great thing for the club and the team that Sam has agreed to sign long term with us," Maguire said.

"He's a world-class player and displays strong leadership qualities every day which is important to us as a team.

Should the Burgess brothers take the field together next season the Rabbitohs will become the first team since Annandale in 1910 to field four siblings at once.

And Maguire admitted signing the English brothers was a move aimed at strengthening South Sydney's reputation as a family-friendly club.

"It's great to have all four Burgess brothers with us next season as well, as we are a family-oriented club and we want to keep building that family culture here at South Sydney," Maguire said.

Tags: sport, rugby-league, redfern-2016, nsw, australia

First posted August 17, 2012 16:26:26

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Bunnies bounce Eels

Updated June 16, 2012 22:16:01

A wounded Greg Inglis played the role of one-armed bandit as South Sydney beat Parramatta 24-6 in their Olympic stadium clash on Saturday night.

The Rabbitohs scored four tries to one as they consolidated a spot in the top eight, while the Eels remain last after falling to their ninth defeat in 11 games.

Backing up from Wednesday's second State of Origin game, Queensland star Inglis strained a medial ligament in his elbow midway through the first half and had a bandage applied to the afflicted area.

But it did not stop the mercurial full-back throwing a sensational pass to winger Justin Hunt for the Rabbitohs' second try in the 29th minute.

Returning for the second half, Inglis threw a more conventional pass to Dylan Farrell for the Rabbitohs' third try in the 42nd minute.

Inglis also produced a couple of big defensive plays in the wet and slippery conditions, including a vital tackle to deny Matthew Keating a try and defusing a bomb with aplomb.

While Inglis shone, Parramatta's primary game breakers - full-back Jarryd Hayne and former South Sydney half-back Chris Sandow - were unable to spark their side.

In the battle of the number sevens, Sandow was outpointed by his successor Adam Reynolds, who set up the Rabbitohs' first try with a perfectly-weighted chip kick to winger Nathan Merritt.

Reynolds won the most significant head-to-head duel between the two in the 68th minute, when he showed great pace and tenacity to deny Sandow a try.

The former Souths man took an intercept about 80 metres out and looked certain to score until Reynolds caught him and shoved him over the sideline just short of the Souths line.

Reynolds kicked two terrific first-half conversions from near the sideline and finished with four from four.

Sandow tried hard to spark Parramatta with a variety of kicks and made a half break in the first half, but missed critical tackles in the lead-up to two of Souths' tries, as the Rabbitohs consistently ran at their old half-back.

Parramatta's only points came in the 58th minute through a try to Reni Maitua, converted by veteran winger Luke Burt, who on Friday announced he would retire at the end of the season.

The Eels could not get any closer, and veteran lock Michael Crocker sealed the win when he crashed over Sandow for the game's final try in the 76th minute.

South Sydney: 24 (N Merritt, J Hunt, D Farrell, M Crocker tries; A Reynolds 4/4 conversions)

Parramatta: 6 (R Maitua try; L Burt 1/1 conversions)

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Tags: nrl, rugby-league, sport, sydney-2000, redfern-2016, parramatta-2150, australia, nsw

First posted June 16, 2012 21:20:31

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Burgess joins Bunnies' injured list

Updated June 04, 2012 21:49:42

South Sydney's bid to return to the finals were dealt a significant blow on Monday with star forward Sam Burgess one of three key players set to spend a spell on the sidelines due to injury.

Burgess, who was limping throughout Saturday night's loss to Canterbury, will have an arthroscope on his knee and will not get back on the paddock for four to six weeks, while back-rower Eddy Pettybourne and centre Matt King will also be missing for an extended time.

Pettybourne tore his calf during the warm-up on Saturday night, and will also be out for four to six weeks, while King is suffering from two hernias, for which he will undergo surgery on Tuesday.

Rabbitohs medical officials estimate King, who has missed the last two games, will be out for six to eight weeks.

But by far the biggest blow is the loss of Englishman Burgess, who missed three games earlier this year with a knee injury.

"Sam has been battling through with this pain in his knee for a few weeks now and the surgeon says he needs to get it cleaned up so he can perform to his best," Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire told the club's website.

"He hasn't been able to train properly throughout the week yet it shows the character of Sam to continually be putting his hand up and playing in pain as he felt he might be letting his team down if he didn't.

"The surgeon has said it's got to a point where he needs to have it done and now is an opportune time with the bye this weekend.

"We're looking forward to having him back on the field for the back end of the season."

The Rabbitohs had won four straight games heading into last week's loss to the Bulldogs, but their momentum could by stymied with the first-choice trio joining long-term absentee Roy Asotasi (pectoral injury) on the sidelines.

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First posted June 04, 2012 21:49:42

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Bunnies make another signing

Updated May 25, 2012 14:22:21

South Sydney has signed seasoned journeyman Jeff Lima on a two-year contract.

Lima, who perviously played for Wests Tigers and Melbourne in the NRL, will move to Redfern after plying his trade with Wigan in the Super League.

The 29-year-old has played six Tests for New Zealand.

Lima will begin his contract with the Rabbitohs next season and fills the vacancy left by forward Eddy Pettybourne who will join the Wests Tigers from 2013.

Meanwhile, the Rabbitohs will be hot favourites against an understrength Raiders outfit at Sydney's Olympic stadium this evening.

While the Raiders welcome back Queensland State of Origin prop David Shillington they will be without full-back Josh Dugan and winger Blake Ferguson who were stood down for breaching the club's alcohol policy.

Canberra under 20s player Edrick Lee will make his debut on the wing while Reece Robinson will start at full-back to take on his cousin Nathan Merritt.

Queensland Origin representatives Greg Inglis and Dave Taylor are expected to back up for the Rabbitohs who can move into the top three with a win over the Raiders.

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First posted May 25, 2012 13:42:44

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Bunnies kick away from Raiders

Updated May 25, 2012 22:49:12

South Sydney's Queensland Origin stars Greg Inglis and Dave Taylor turned on the power to help the Rabbitohs to their fourth straight victory 36-18 over Canberra on Friday night.

Two nights after playing their part in the Maroons' win over New South Wales, Taylor and Inglis ripped the Raiders defence to shreds at the Olympic stadium to help Souths to third place on the ladder.

Both Rabbitohs stars scored doubles with Taylor running riot on the right edge while Inglis was outstanding chiming in from full-back and looked threatening every time he touched the ball.

Souths ran in seven tries to four in an entertaining match with the Rabbitohs dominating the second half after going into the break leading 14-12.

Canberra had its chances early in the second half but made several errors including Josh McCrone failing to find touch from a penalty with Souths making the visitors pay when Ben Lowe scored a soft try under the posts.

The Raiders were missing star full-back Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson due to alcohol-related bans and their team-mates were hopelessly outclassed in the second half.

A try by Raiders centre Joel Thompson just before the break brought Canberra back within two points to give the visitors some hope after they had trailed by 14.

The match came to life after a scrappy opening, Souths scoring through winger Justin Hunt who dived over in the corner following a nice pass from Inglis.

Raiders full-back Reece Robinson kicked the re-start dead and Souths made them pay with Taylor bumping off a couple of tackles to make it 10-0.

Inglis rocketed onto an inside pass a couple of minutes later and scored under the posts with Adam Reynolds slotting his first goal of the night to make it 14-0 after 18 minutes.

Canberra hit back with a couple of tries to centre Jarrod Croker, who failed to convert his tries.

South Sydney: 36 (G Inglis 2, D Taylor 2, J Hunt, B Lowe, D Farrell tries; A Reynolds 1/3 conversions, I Luke 3/4 conversions)

Canberra: 18 (J Croker 2, J Thompson, R Robinson tries; J Croker 1/4 conversions)

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Tags: nrl, rugby-league, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, canberra-2600, act, australia

First posted May 25, 2012 21:39:50

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Bunnies continue Dragons' misery

Updated May 20, 2012 17:57:57

South Sydney handed struggling St George Illawarra a third straight defeat, and second one-point loss in succession, with a nervous 19-18 golden point triumph at Kogarah Oval on Sunday afternoon.

Rookie half-back Adam Reynolds' break-out season for the Bunnies continued as he gave his side its only lead of the game by slotting a field goal in extra time to clinch the two competition points.

"It started out left and [I saw it] coming back, and as soon as [I saw it] coming back I knew it was going over," Reynolds told Grandstand moments after breaking the game with his drop-goal attempt.

"It's just a good feeling. Everything stops, everyone pauses, as soon as you celebrate everyone goes up.

"It's just the best feeling."

Steve Price's St George outfit has now lost three on the trot, including last round's 13-12 defeat to lowly Penrith, and sits 11th on the table while South Sydney in sixth have consolidated its spot in the eight.

The Rabbitohs came into the clash refreshed off a bye week riding the momentum of two straight wins over more fancied sides North Queensland and Cronulla, but the Dragons made the early impact.

Price called on the Dragons to improve their starts before the game, following two successive defeats, and his players responded by opening the scoring after just four minutes when Jason Nightingale hauled in a Jamie Soward bomb.

The early setback appeared to affect the visitors, who were without Queensland duo Greg Inglis and Dave Taylor, as the Dragons dominated the opening exchanges.

Price's team, missing Blues representatives Ben Creagh and Trent Merrin in addition to the injured Michael Weyman, continued to press, keeping Souths pinned back in their own half.

Soward doubled the hosts' lead with his first try since round 26 of last season after a good break and offload from Brett Morris found the axed New South Wales five-eighth who sprinted through to score under the posts.

Souths finally woke up and started to play in the latter part of the first half with Reynolds growing in confidence and they were rewarded by a try from Sam Burgess on the half-hour mark.

The big Englishman powered his way over from five metres, brushing aside Jake Marketo for his second try of the 2012 campaign.

And on the stroke of half-time the Rabbitohs levelled the scores after great work from Matt King to gather a high kick from Issac Luke and hand off to the advancing Reynolds who raced home for his first NRL try.

Reynolds said that when his team-mates adhered to coach Michael Maguire's blueprints, success followed.

"Credit to all the boys, they dug in in D [defence]," he said.

"We just had to stick to our gameplan and kick to the corners. When we did our gameplan we went forward and gave ourselves the opportunity to score points.

"We backed our fitness just to get us back in the game and we knew we just had to keep sticking to our ... structures.

"We did that and getting back into it, it gave us a chance to win the game."

The second half followed a similar pattern with the Dragons taking the early initiative with a Matt Cooper try out of dummy-half, but it was Souths who looked the brighter side after the break.

They were rewarded for their inventiveness after 61 minutes when Andrew Everingham continued his brilliant rookie season with his ninth try in just eight games.

Debutant Justin Hunt thought he had won the game with a try in the left corner, but his foot brushed the line and with Soward failing with a penalty and two field goals, the game went into golden point in front of a crowd of 14,894.

Soward had two field goal attempts and Hornby tried a third before regular time expired but neither Dragon could find his mark.

It was up to Reynolds after that to seal it for the Bunnies and he did not disappoint, continuing his perfect afternoon with the boot.

In a spot of bad news for the Rabbitohs, star English forward Burgess left the ground in the second half with a potential leg injury.

South Sydney: 19 (S Burgess, A Reynolds, A Everingham tries; A Reynolds 3/3 conversions, 1/3 fields goals)

St George: 18 (J Nightingale, J Soward, M Cooper tries; J Soward 3/3 conversions)

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First posted May 20, 2012 17:07:18

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Bunnies jump slow-starting Cowboys

Updated April 29, 2012 14:05:06

South Sydney moved back into the top eight, punishing a slow-starting North Queensland to run out 20-16 winners at the Olympic stadium.

Daylight saving might have ended a month ago but the Cowboys looked like they were still an hour behind at the kick-off, allowing the Rabbitohs to surge to an early 20-0 lead that proved just enough.

The Cowboys scored three second-half tries, including a double to Ashley Graham, to give themselves a chance of a dramatic comeback, but South Sydney's start proved too big.

"The boys obviously had to work really hard in the second half," Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire told Grandstand.

"We had some really good momentum in the first half but there's a quality team sitting across from us the road from us with the Johnathan Thurstons and the Bowens and all their forward pack.

"We knew they were going to come at us at some stage, and we're lucky that we got that start.

"But that's something that we need to learn as a team - how to hang on to that for 80 minutes."

The Rabbitohs kept pace with the clock over the opening quarter, the Cowboys paying dearly for a lack of discipline and soft goal-line defence.

The first two tries came directly on the back of offside penalties, while the efforts to stop Greg Inglis and Issac Luke from close range were dreadful.

Ray Thompson was out of his depth when he was left one-on-one facing up to Inglis after seven minutes, but even four defenders could not deny Luke in a trademark twisting effort from dummy half on 12 minutes.

Another penalty allowed the Rabbitohs to extend their advantage beyond two converted tries and they went within millimetres of going further in front when Nathan Merritt - playing his first game of 2012 after overcoming a toe injury - fumbled an athletic leap for a high ball.

It was a temporary moment of rest for the scoreboard attendant with Dave Taylor living up to his nickname as the "Coal Train" rumbled over from close range.

The Cowboys finally were awarded their first penalty in the 24th minute, but it only served to help keep Souths at bay until the break.

Their ears ringing from a dressing down from coach Neil Henry, the Cowboys had more spark to their play when they resumed, and there was sign of life when James Segeyaro dived over seven minutes after the restart.

Henry was left to rue the fact that his troops did not turn up until halfway through the contest.

"We certainly didn't start with the required intensity or commitment to hold them back," he told Grandstand.

"There was a couple of quite poor efforts in our own 20 that allowed them to get points."

A penalty once again provided the impetus for another try, this time the Cowboys the beneficiaries as Graham did brilliantly to get under the defence for his first.

The visitors were full of running and it appeared 20 points was not going to be enough for the Rabbitohs, but their excitement failed to match their execution as Matt Bowen's long ball for an unmarked Graham found the sideline advertising.

The winger eventually scored his ninth try in eight games four minutes from the finish, but the Cowboys ran out of time to reel in the home side.

"I think we got a bit excited about space on our edges and our execution was poor," Henry said.

"To their credit they were really coming up and in on their defensive line, and we threw a couple of passes over the top of the wingers' heads which is not good enough."

Rabbitohs: 20 (G Inglis, I Luke, D Taylor tries; A Reynolds 3/3 conversions, I Luke 1/1 penalty goals)

Cowboys: 16 (A Graham 2, J Segeyaro tries; J Thurston 2/3 conversions)

ABC/AAP

Tags: nrl, rugby-league, sport, redfern-2016, nsw, australia, townsville-4810, qld

First posted April 28, 2012 21:28:00

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Vatuvei shines as Warriors beat Bunnies

Updated February 12, 2012 07:08:22

Two tries in the space of four minutes from Warriors winger Manu Vatuvei helped set up a 22-14 trial win against South Sydney in Coffs Harbour.

A dour first half gave no indication of the 10 minutes of attacking fireworks last year's grand finalists produced soon after the main interval.

Konrad Hurrell showed he is ready for the step up from the under 20 competition with a try before Vatuvei produced the highlight for the crowd in excess of 5,000.

Shortly after running on to a grubber kick from Kevin Locke to score, Vatuvei received a pass on the outside of Rabbitohs co-captain Matt King 70 metres from the try line.

Vatuvei burst down the left wing, easily bounced off full-back Kurt French then headed for the line.

The Warriors fielded a strong team for the evening, while Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire chopped and changed the 27 players he named for the clash.

The Warriors will probably need to find a replacement for Sam Rapira though.

The prop injured his left shoulder early and is unlikely to recover in time for the opening round in three weeks.

Wests Tigers brushed off the cobwebs and Parramatta, as Tim Sheens' men gave a glimpse of why they are considered premiership favourites with a 20-12 trial win in Gosford.

The Tigers' new halves combination of Benji Marshall and Tim Moltzen produced a superb opening 40 minutes to have the black and gold faithful salivating ahead of the season, while there was enough from Eels' new boy Chris Sandow to suggest brighter times ahead for Parramatta.

Marshall and Moltzen laid on three of the Tigers' four first-half tries, each coming up with a crisp cut-out pass to set up four-pointers before working together to send Matt Utai over for his second of the night.

The 20-6 half-time scoreline was not added to until just before the full-time siren when Vai Toutai scored for the Eels, the standard falling away as both coaches emptied their benches.

There was no Jarryd Hayne, Nathan Hindmarsh, Reni Maitua or recruit Willie Tonga for the Eels, but it was Parramatta's $550,000 man Sandow that the blue and gold fans among the 13,622 crowd were most interested in seeing.

The former Rabbitoh was busy without being spectacular in 54 minutes on the paddock, a neat cross-field kick for Esi Tonga to score being his highlight of the night.

It was countered by an intercept from near his own line, which he butchered when he ignored flying winger Ken Sio in support, only to be run down 10 metres out from the Tigers line.

Sandow never returned after that effort, the nuggety half-back taking a few minutes to regain his breath before taking a seat on the bench.

The Tigers lost Liam Fulton with a nasty cut under the left eye, while Eels prop Mitchell Allgood lasted just three minutes before leaving the field with concussion.

Meanwhile, the million-dollar question of which Brisbane Broncos player will inherit Darren Lockyer's prized number six jersey remains unanswered after Ben Hunt and Corey Norman failed to stamp their mark on Saturday night's trial against Gold Coast at Pizzey Park.

The near full-strength Titans won the match 18-16, but the home side's victory came at a heavy cost as hooker Beau Falloon (suspected torn biceps) and flying winger Kevin Gordon (sore knee) left the field in the first half.

The Broncos were not spared either with back rower Dunamis Lui was forced off with a biceps injury and winger Aaron Whitchurch was placed on report for a late hit on forward Luke O'Dwyer.

Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin started the match with Hunt at five-eighth and threw Norman, the other contender, into the fray in the 25th minute.

They shared the roles of pivot and hooker, with Peter Wallace also playing second receiver at times during a scrappy match.

In Albury, two tries by recruit Dimitri Pelo helped Canberra to a 27-18 victory over Melbourne.

A late try to the Storm's Ryan Hoffman brought Melbourne back to within a converted try in the final 30-minute third after trailing for the entire match.

But Pelo put the result beyond doubt with five minutes to go, crashing over the line to seal the win in front of a bumper crowd of 6,583.

Reece Robinson and Shaun Berrigan scored the other tries for the Raiders with Todd Lowrie and Matt McGahan crossing for the Storm.

Star Newcastle recruit Darius Boyd showed his fans how important he will be to the Knights' premiership aspirations with a classy display in an 18-18 draw against Penrith in Port Macquarie.

Boyd showed glimpses of his Clive Churchill medal-winning form and made an easy transition into the Knights backline, setting up a try in the first half with a long cut-out pass to Kevin Naiqama.

Knights favourite son Danny Buderus was solid before being replaced after 30 minutes in his comeback match for the club.

Penrith half-back Luke Walsh ran his side around the paddock well, but it was his halves partner Travis Burns who looked the most dangerous Panther in the first half.

Burns scored a try and attacked well on both sides of the park.

Penrith prop Tim Grant was great up front for his side with plenty of strong carries over the advantage line.

And in Saturday night's late game North Queensland defeated St George Illawarra 18-12 in Perth with the Cowboys stunning the Dragons by scoring four tries in the opening 20 minutes on Saturday night.

A crowd of 8,588 at Perth Oval to witnessed a scintillating opening from Neil Henry's team who put on an attacking clinic in the first quarter of the game with winger Antonio Winterstein crashing over in the corner after a couple of minutes.

Gavin Cooper scored a second for the Cowboys soon after before Sydney Roosters recruit Kane Linnett crossed the line for North Queensland's third try when the Dragons defence failed to trap a grubbered ball into the in-goal.

Ashley Graham then scored for the Cowboys to leave the Dragons reeling at 18-0.

The teams took a break at the quarter-time mark due to the warm Perth weather and it seemed to steady the Dragons.

St George Illawarra managed to get on the board through a converted try to Brett Morris and the sides went into half-time at 18-6 and that is how it remained until the Dragons managed a late converted try through Jacob Marketo.

AAP

Tags: nrl, rugby-league, sport, coffs-harbour-2450

First posted February 11, 2012 21:03:10

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Bunnies searching for new Sandow

Updated October 31, 2011 22:11:02

South Sydney officially welcomed coach Michael Maguire into the fold on Monday, with the rookie NRL coach handed the onerous task of removing the Bunnies' "underachievers" tag.

With internationals Sam Burgess, Roy Asotasi, Dave Taylor and Issac Luke on the books, Souths certainly has the forward pack.

Add Greg Inglis, Nathan Merritt, John Sutton and new signing Matt King to the team and the club has got a backline that can score plenty of points.

In Maguire, the Rabbitohs believe they have found a coach that can bring them success.

But one giant question mark remains over South Sydney's chances for a successful 2012 - just how does the club replace the mercurial talents of half-back Chris Sandow?

Parramatta-bound Sandow was a shining light for the Rabbitohs this year, nearly guiding them to the finals despite manning a roster savaged by injuries.

Maguire, who learned his trade under Craig Bellamy at Melbourne before a successful two-year stint in the English Super League with Wigan, ran his first training session with the club on Monday before turning his attention towards who will fill the number seven jersey next season.

"I'll soon find out," Maguire told reporters when asked how tough it will be to replace Sandow.

"At the moment I haven't got any names. I'm just looking forward to seeing what I've got in the squad.

"I'm aware of the depth but haven't seen a lot of it.

"At the end of the day there's a number of players here that are going to have an opportunity. So we'll assess things here as soon as we start training."

Maguire may have been tight-lipped on the early favourite for the job, but he refused to rule out recruiting a half-back before the season starts.

"I'm always looking at certain things," he said.

"We'll wait and see what's available but at the moment I'm happy with what we've got."

Backrower Jason Clark, who captained Adam Reynolds in the under-20s team, says the youngster has the qualities to develop into a first-grade footballer.

"He's a great player. He's got a great football brain (and) if he gets the opportunity I'm sure he'll take it with both hands," Clark explained.

Skipper Roy Asotasi said the players would spend the next few weeks getting to understand Maguire's coaching mantra, but admitted they had a fair idea of what to expect based on his stints at Wigan and as an assistant at the Storm.

"We're just getting to learn about him and what he expects from us for this off-season," Asotasi explained.

"And all he wants from us is 100 per cent effort and to constantly improve in the off-season and not worry about what's going to happen at the start of the season.

"He's really big on the off-season and how everyone's going."

AAP

Tags: nrl, rugby-league, sport, redfern-2016, nsw, australia

First posted October 31, 2011 22:11:02

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Origin stars get Bunnies past Titans

Updated June 17, 2011 22:46:00

South Sydney's Queensland contingent guided the Rabbitohs to a comfortable 31-8 winover a disappointing Gold Coast outfit at the Olympic stadium on Friday night.

Despite backing up from a State of Origin loss on Wednesday night, giant second-rower Dave Taylor was the Rabbitohs' best.

Taylor set up two tries in the crucial victory while his Maroons team-mate Greg Inglis grabbed a runaway late try to finish the scoring and delight the disappointing crowd of 8,021.

The Titans, who looked devoid of options in attack, were missing New South Wales lock Greg Bird, but had Ashley Harrison backing up from Origin duties.

But it was Taylor who wreaked havoc with his powerful runs and monstrous hits.

He set up the opening try of the match to James Roberts when he latched onto a Chris Sandow bomb before off-loading out wide.

The 22-year-old Taylor was in everything all night and showed his full set of skills in the 74th when he made a bust down the right hand side in a movement that led to Nathan Merritt bagging his ninth try of the season.

The Titans briefly made the home team work hard for the victory, scoring two tries from kicks to David Mead and Joe Tomane in a five-minute period in the second half to reduce the lead to just six.

But a Chris Sandow field goal in the 68th minute iced the game for the Rabbitohs before late tries to Merritt, Issac Luke and Inglis blew out the score.

The win was built on the back of a dominant first half in which the Rabbitohs led 14-0 thanks to tries to Roberts and Eddy Pettybourne.

Rabbitohs hooker Nathan Peats was put on report in the 37th minute for pulling the hair of Titans' backrower Ryan James, who suffered a suspected anterior cruciate ligament injury right on half-time that looks likely to end his season.

The win sees the Rabbitohs break a three-game losing streak and move within one win of the top eight, while the Titans were unable to build on their win last weekend over an Origin-depleted St George Illawarra.

John Cartwright's men, who have lost five of their past six matches, now slip back to last place on for-and-against.

Rabbitohs coach John Lang praised Taylor's 80-minute effort while saying the 118kg beast had the potential to be one of best forwards in rugby league history.

"I thought Dave was magnificent," he said.

"As I said before Dave's probably the most talented forward I've ever seen and I think sometimes it's harder for a guy like that because he's got so many options when he's got the ball.

"Dave wants to do it all, he wants the big three - State of Origin, Test football and premierships. At some stage you've got to make use of those great talents."

When pressed on whether he had the potential to be the best, Lang answered: "That's his challenge, and it is a big challenge for a young man. Great talent brings pressure."

A downcast Cartwright confirmed James' season was over.

"(James' injury is a) bad one," he said.

"They'll know more when they do the scans but it looks like an ACL for sure.

"You get him out there when the team needs a lift, he's a young guy but he goes out there and lifts his team."

Rabbitohs: 31 (G Inglis, I Luke, N Merritt, E Pettybourne, J Roberts tries; C Sandow 5 goals, field goal)

Titans: 8 (D Moore, J Tomane tries)

- AAP

Tags: sport, rugby-league, nrl, australia, nsw, redfern-2016, sydney-2000, qld, carrara-4211

First posted June 17, 2011 21:38:00

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Tigers can't claw back runaway Bunnies

Updated May 14, 2011 23:01:00

South Sydney showed what an attacking force it can be this NRL season, in its comprehensive 29-18 defeat of Wests Tigers at Sydney's Olympic stadium on Saturday night.

In bitter-sweet news for Rabbitohs fans, departing star Chris Sandow continued his rare form, with a personal tally of 13 points and a hand in almost all of Souths' enterprising play.

Even though he is leaving Redfern for Parramatta at season's end, with Sandow firing, Souths again proved they could be the sleeping giant in the finals' race.

Wests, who trailed 27-0 at half-time, scored 18 points in the second 40 to keep alive some hope of a miracle comeback, but they never really deserved it.

Behind by the 11-point final margin with 11 minutes on the clock, Tigers prop Andrew Fifita came up with a huge play when he grubbered through for himself and brought down Souths full-back Rhys Wesser in-goal.

But while Rabbitohs fans, coaches and players alike were biting their fingernails as they prepared to defend the biggest set of the game, Sandow showed incredible skill and self confidence to go for a short restart and regain possession for his side.

It was a huge play which virtually sealed the result for the home side, who are back in the mix with the top eight teams.

The Rabbitohs dismantled the Tigers in the first half, with Issac Luke sharp out of dummy half and veteran full-back Wesser winding back the clock with some great runs.

Winger Nathan Merritt crossed for his 100th career try from a Sandow kick to begin the first-half romp of four touchdowns.

The Rabbitohs were over again after 15 minutes, thanks to a brilliant offload from prop Ben Ross under pressure, which saw Luke streak away and Wesser finish under the posts.

Souths were enthusiastic despite the absence of stars Greg Inglis, Sam Burgess and Roy Asotasi, while the Tigers were badly off the pace in the opening half.

Their clumsiness was best illustrated in the 29th minute when, from a line dropout, Matt Utai and Ben Murdoch-Masila allowed the ball to find touch.

Souths made the Tigers pay for the mistake with a late flurry which saw tries to Fetuli Talanoa, Dylan Farrell and a field goal to Sandow.

The Tigers gave themselves hope thanks to solo try from hooker Robbie Farah early in the second half.

The NSW Origin hopeful threw the last pass for Utai to cross, before Benji Marshall stepped through with 13 minutes left on the clock to set up an exciting finish.

Souths coach John Lang gave credit to his forwards for setting up what he described as their best win of the season.

Lang said Ross turned out his best match of the year, Dave Taylor played himself into a Queensland Origin jersey and lesser known players Shannan McPherson and Jason Clark stood up.

"For sure I'd say (best win of 2011). It was a great first half, it was sensational," he said.

"We did drop off a little bit in the second half but they came on strong.

"You want to target them everywhere but I want my forwards running hard up the middle and that created opportunities there for Issac.

"It was a great team effort and all the boys put their hand up and did the job."

The Souths coach praised Sandow for his inspired short drop-out and regather.

"It was a really big play, I thought David Peachey made a comeback," he said of the former full-back.

"Peach did a few of them in the old Sharks days ... they've just got the instinct for the game those players and as soon as Chrissy did it he was always going to get the ball."

Frustrated Tigers coach Tim Sheens refused to comment on what he said to his players at half-time.

"Through the middle was very, very ordinary," Sheens said of their performance.

"We at least came back and did something in the second half but for a team that has aspirations for doing something this season that was pretty poor."

South Sydney: 29 (D Farrell, N Merritt, F Talanoa, R Wesser tries; C Sandow 6 cons, field goal)

Wests Tigers: 18 (R Farah, B Marshall, M Utai tries; B Marshall 3 goals)

- AAP

Tags: sport, rugby-league, nrl, australia, nsw, balmain-2041, sydney-2000, sydney-south-2000

First posted May 14, 2011 21:37:00

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Dragons overpower Bunnies in Sydney

Published:Tuesday, April 19, 2011 9:14 AESTExpires:Monday, July 18, 2011 9:14 AEST

St George Illawarra has defeated the Rabbitohs 16-0 in a gruelling NRL game in Sydney.

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Dragons leave it late to shrug Bunnies

Updated April 18, 2011 22:51:00

After a lengthy stalemate St George Illawarra finally brushed off a gallant South Sydney, the NRL premiers prevailing 16-0 in a uninspiring contest at the Olympic stadium on Monday night.

Showing the grit and patience that was a hallmark of their premiership run last year, the Dragons had to wait until a Darius Boyd try 13 minutes from time to see off the Bunnies, with Mark Gasnier's four-pointer five minutes later sealing the result.

The Dragons held a slender 2-0 lead before Boyd's breakthrough effort in a scoreline which had commentators reaching for the record books and fans wishing they were next door at the Easter Show.

The late blowout was not what the Rabbitohs deserved for what was a tough defensive effort, and in fact it was the men in red and green who looked more likely to score for much of the contest before the last onslaught.

But highlighting the problems facing coach John Lang, the Bunnies just could not get on the board.

While Matt Cooper played a leading role in Boyd's try, it was his defensive display in the 54th minute that may have been the match-winner as he held Chris McQueen up over the line.

Cooper struggled to recall his stunning effort to deny McQueen.

"I knew he was lunging out at the line and I was just trying to stop him scoring," Cooper said.

"I'd need to see it, I don't really know what happened. I just pulled him up."

The Rabbitohs continued to attack and benefited from four restarts of the tackle count as the visitors tried desperately to interrupt their raids, but Lang was left livid on the sideline when Rhys Wesser missed the last restart as he kicked the ball away on the first tackle.

Given a sniff, the Dragons finally cracked the Rabbitohs on the left edge, Cooper striding through and beautifully positioning Boyd for his fifth try of the year.

That rocked the Bunnies, who had given so much to that point, and it was no surprise when the Dragons raced over again, this time Ben Creagh offloaded for Gasnier to put the game beyond reach.

There was little evidence of the stalemate to come when Dave Tyrell broke through after only nine minutes and slammed the ball down as he reached out for the line but replays showed the rugged backrower was centimetres short.

It seemed a shock play when Soward took a penalty goal on 12 minutes when Roy Asotasi was found to be lying in the play the ball, but it was worth it.

Bunnies lock Michael Crocker was placed on report for a lifting tackle on Jason Nightingale, but that was one of few moments of action in a dour first period.

Dragons coach Wayne Bennett applauded his side's resilience when forced into some desperate situations by a Souths side who refused to quit.

"In terms of a purist's game it probably wasn't everything you wanted, but in terms of effort and both teams doing their best to win a game of football it was outstanding," Bennett said.

"If they (Souths) turn and want to play like they did tonight then they are extremely difficult to beat.

"They wanted to show everybody how good they could be and they were very good."

That was little consolation for Lang however, with his Bunnies showing just two wins from the opening six rounds.

"We tried the shock tactic just about every time so the shock goes out of it after a couple of times," Lang said of his side's lack of patience.

"We had our opportunities but we couldn't get the points on the board and they did.

"Some of our attack was outstanding and they (the Dragons) are an unbelievably resilient side."

-AAP

First posted April 18, 2011 21:07:00

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Coach decision helps Bunnies focus

Updated April 18, 2011 08:05:00

South Sydney five-eighth John Sutton says the naming of Michael Maguire as coach for next season has enabled the Rabbitohs to focus on tonight's NRL clash with St George Illawarra.

For weeks the Rabbitohs have had to deal with speculation about who will coach them next season, but now the uncertainty is over.

The timing could not be better as the inconsistent Bunnies need to be on their game if they are to push the defending premiers at the Olympic stadium.

"It hasn't been bothering me (the coach issue), but it's all been done now so we don't have to worry about that stuff anymore and we can get on with the game," Sutton said.

Their last-start flogging at the hands of the Wests Tigers means Souths will need plenty of spring to bounce back.

While their attack has generally clicked, the Rabbitohs leading into the weekend had the worst defensive record in the competition.

Sutton concedes they will need to tighten up their tackling.

"After last week's performance we really need to improve a lot in so many areas and we're playing the Dragons this week which is a big challenge in itself," he said.

"We've been training hard all week working on our defence and hopefully come out tomorrow and put on a good show.

"I think defending for the whole 80 minutes and competing against the Dragons for 80 minutes will be the key.

"They're so good at it, so we'll have to put in a wholehearted performance and hopefully come away with the win."

The Dragons have hit their straps in recent weeks and are on a three-match winning streak.

However, Newcastle and Canterbury have pushed them all the way in their two latest victories, and coach Wayne Bennett said aiming up every week is something the team has had to get used to as champions.

"It does come with the territory, but we're focused on that now and I think our last month our performances have shown that," Bennett told 95.3FM.

"We've come to the reality of what's in front of us, and every game is tough but as we did against Canterbury last week and in Newcastle, we weathered the storm and stayed with it.

"There's a great confidence in the team now and if you stick with it because you know it works ... that's what makes it all very effective."

-AAP

First posted April 18, 2011 07:47:00

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