It is time for South Sydney fans to officially start worrying.
The Bunnies crashed to a 26-16 defeat against Cronulla on the other side of the country on Saturday night.
Braydon Trindall crosses for a try during the round 23 NRL match against the Rabbitohs.Credit:
They were on Perth time the way they kicked into gear so late in the game.
The Sharks were the better side, played with plenty of enthusiasm, and responded beautifully after defending for what felt like an entire 80 minutes a week earlier against the premiers.
Instead of dropping out of the top eight, the Shire club’s hopes of a top-four finish are back on the agenda.
“I couldn’t be prouder. We took a step in the right direction last week [against Penrith], it didn’t look like it, it didn’t feel like it because of the scoreline, but I saw a lot of good signs there, and I felt like we doubled down on that tonight,” Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon said.
As for Souths, they are the ones whose finals’ hopes suddenly look shaky.
Not for the first time, they scored a few rapid-fire tries late in the game to get back into the contest.
Alex Johnston and Lachie Ilias bagged a couple in the space of three minutes, and when Isaiah Tass crashed over, an almighty fightback looked on the cards.
But it never prevailed. Souths are such a frustrating team to support.
Wade Graham and Toby Rudolf embrace after their win. Credit:
The most frustrating part about them is the fact they have one of the best rosters in the NRL – and one of the few to seriously challenge premiers Penrith.
They continue to leak too many points early.
Their ordinary run through the Origin period means they slipped down the ladder and do not have the luxury of slipping up again.
If they are fair dinkum about doing something this year, they should have no issues putting St George Illawarra away next weekend in Cairns, but then an in-form Newcastle await, then the Sydney Roosters in the final round.
Coach Jason Demetriou was aware time was no longer on his side and said: “As I just said to the playing group, we need to make a decision and make it quickly about what this season means to us.
“We’re saying the right things, but we’re not putting it out there on the field, and not consistently.
“We have to be honest with ourselves and get it right, and get it right starting next week.
“I feel like we’ve shown some signs we’re heading in the right direction – I liked the way we fought from 26-0 down to 26-16, but we lacked any smarts in the last eight minutes to give ourselves any chance.”
Latrell Mitchell can’t be expected to do everything. Cody Walker was kept quiet, Keaon Koloamtangi had a forgettable second half, while Jai Arrow sent a serious scare through the camp when he struggled to come from the field with what appeared to be back spasms.
Tom Burgess was also sin-binned and placed on report for “shoulder contact to the head” of Tom Hazelton, even though replays suggested the big Englishman had produced a brilliant front-on tackle.
Demetriou was not going to complain about the hit, and criticised his side;’s discipline for most of the night at Optus Stadium.
Cronulla playmaker Braydon Trindall bagged a double while the Sharks forwards aimed up. Sione Katoa stepped off his right foot to stand up Mitchell to score the easiest of tries in the first half.
Mawene Hiroti scored the opening try, even though the final pass from Sifa Talakai looked flat.
But Cronulla made their own luck. They host the Gold Coast next week, should win, and will back themselves on the road to Townsville the following week.
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