Round 18, 2024: Souths 32 Parramatta 16

Rabbitohs defeat Eels to extend winning streak

The South Sydney Rabbitohs have continued their mid-season revival with a 32-16 win over Parramatta to notch their fifth-straight victory.

The Rabbitohs have moved to within one win of the top eight, however their for-and-against leaves them on the back foot as they attempt to make headway on a cluttered ladder.

South Sydney halfback Cody Walker was superb as he directed his team around a wet CommBank Stadium, turning the Eels around with his astute kicking game.

The Rabbitohs defence formed the basis of the victory, with Parramatta generating multiple attacking opportunities but finding it difficult to turn possession into points.

South Sydney opened the scoring after a pair of Eels errors, with Walker executing a scrum set play to put Jacob Gagai over in the corner.

A Cameron Murray error from the ensuing set of six provided the Eels with a chance to hit back and they peppered the South Sydney line for an extended period of time to no avail.

As the game entered the midway period of the first half, it was Parramatta's turn to deny a near-certain try, with Clint Gutherson and Reagan Campbell-Gillard producing try-saving tackles in back-to-back plays.

The desperation allowed the Eels to gain the upper hand, with the hosts spending extended periods of play camped in the attacking 20 metre zone.

The Rabbitohs, however, held firm and eventually extended their advantage to 10-0 with a long-range try to Jack Wighton against the run of play.

The double-digit lead did not last long, with Blaize Talagi putting Dylan Brown through a hole before crossing for a try a couple of tackles later to make it 10-4.

The first half had another twist left in it, Walker capitalising on some tired Eels defenders to extend his team's lead in the final minute of the period.

Driving rain fell as the teams emerged from half time, with Parramatta quickly gaining the ascendancy. The pressure eventually led to points, with Campbell-Gillard crossing from short range to cut the deficit to four.

For everything the Eels threw at their opponents, the Rabbitohs had a response, with South Sydney doing enough to keep their noses in front throughout the second half.

This time it was Latrell Mitchell who found the line, the fullback making the most of the wet conditions to dive early and beat the Parramatta goal-line defence. Gagai then made it 26-10 with 10 minutes to play when he crossed for his second.

Bryce Cartwight scored for the Eels to give his side some hope, however it was quickly extinguished when Wighton sliced through to put the game to bed.

Match Snapshot
The Rabbitohs have now won eight of their past nine games against Parramatta and have not lost to the Eels at CommBank Stadium since 2019.
Eels winger Blaize Talagi has now scored at least one try in his last seven NRL games.
South Sydney fullback Latrell Mitchell has scored six tries for his club and one for NSW since his return from suspension in Round 10. He also has 12 try assists in his last six games.
Parramatta duo Jake Tago and Charlie Guymer made their NRL debuts on Thursday night. Tago is the brother of Penrith centre Izack while Guymer is the latest player to emerge from Temora, following the likes of Liam Martin and Trent Barrett.
South Sydney centre Richard Kennar was placed on report for a dangerous tackle on Sean Russell midway through the first half.
Guymer was put on report for contact on Jai Arrow early in the second half. Mitchell Moses was sent to the sin bin with four minutes remaining for a professional foul.

Play of the Game
The Rabbitohs had absorbed a mountain of pressure throughout the first half before they launched a counterattack from inside their own half. Keaon Koloamatangi put the side on the front foot before Michael Chee Kam produced a looping ball to send Jacob Gagai down the right sideline. The winger then produced a perfect pass back infield to Jack Wighton who won the race to the tryline.

What They Said
"We probably hurt ourselves a little bit in that one. We probably didn't handle the conditions well; we were guilty of trying to play a little bit too pretty at times. That was a tough one, we have to scrape them up off the floor and go again, that's hard," - Eels interim coach Trent Barrett.

"It's been a great team effort. I thought Latrell was great again today, we had a lot of good players. Cody had some big plays, [Gagai] another big game from him. I could name the whole team to be fair, they're all playing well. The effort was great, they got the rewards for it, and I couldn't be happier," - Rabbitohs interim coach Ben Hornby.

What's Next
The Rabbitohs open the round again next week with a trip to face the Dolphins at Kayo Stadium, while the Eels enjoy a nine-day turnaround before playing the Titans on the Gold Coast on Saturday.

NRL.com