Canterbury have been left needing a minor miracle to make the NRL’s top eight after succumbing to a 22-6 defeat at the hands of South Sydney.
Led by a rampaging David Fifita, the Rabbitohs took a major step towards returning to the finals for the first time since 2022 with a workmanlike victory at Stadium Australia on Friday night.
But the Bulldogs’ hopes of featuring in September are all but over.
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Should North Queensland see off Parramatta on Saturday, Cameron Ciraldo’s men will be four points adrift of the finals places with just three full rounds of the regular season left to play.
Canterbury take on St George Illawarra, Penrith and Brisbane to round out their campaign and will no doubt look back on this loss to Souths as a game that got away.
Stephen Crichton, Jethro Rinakama, Lachlan Galvin and Jacob Preston were all either held up or stopped short of the line in the first half.
And as South Sydney, who moved up to sixth, pulled away in the second half, the Bulldogs didn’t have the firepower to go with them.
The Rabbitohs withstood plenty of early pressure but struck in the 23rd minute when Fifita, who finished with 144m and six tackle busts, pounced on a Cody Walker grubberkick.
Walker was the conductor for their second as the Bunnies shifted from right to left, the veteran playmaker sending Tallis Duncan through a hole to set up Alex Johnston.
The Rabbitohs were far too clinical for the wasteful Bulldogs. (Getty Images: Darrian Traynor )
Souths led 10-0 at halftime after Preston was penalised for a double movement and they moved out of touching distance from the restart.
Dogs hooker Bailey Hayward dropped the kick-off and Duncan crashed over on the left edge on the ensuing set.
Rinakama trudged off with a knee issue soon afterwards and the Bunnies pushed ahead further through winger Campbell Graham.
Missing a recognised goalkicker — Souths converted just one of their five tries — kept Canterbury alive though.
Enari Tuala finally scored on the hour mark but Canterbury’s attack didn’t have the spark to trouble Wayne Bennett’s side, who completed the win with a well-deserved Matt Dufty try two minutes from fulltime.
Earlier, Manly’s ‘Fozball’ fever dream is officially over after the Dolphins became the first team to hold the Sea Eagles scoreless at Brookvale Oval in 33 years.
In a match that failed to reach any real heights, the Dolphins had enough strike to pull away late and win 22-0, leapfrogging them above Cronulla into fourth spot.
The Dolphins’ win did come at some cost, with in-form second-rower Connelly Lemuelu limping from the field in the second half with a hamstring injury.
But the story of the night was the Sea Eagles, whose finals hopes are now virtually over after six straight losses.
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Signing off
That’ll do me, thanks so much for your time tonight and be sure to tune in again tomorrow when we do it all again.
Take it easy!
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Rabbitohs press conference
Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett and captain Cam Murray are speaking now.
“There was nothing I wasn’t happy with,” Bennett said.
“There’s two or three games to go in the season and we’ve been in the eight almost all season.
“The (try saves) they make the difference in games.”
He’s got a big grin on his face talking about David Fifita.
“I can’t afford to be giving David wraps. He reads papers,” Bennett said.
Murray says there were plenty of good efforts from players showing up for each other.
Bennett says the goal-kicking has become a concern – Souths were 1/5 tonight with a series of makeshift options.
“We just have to manage what we’ve got at the moment and we don’t have our kickers,” Bennett said.
Bulldogs press conference
Dogs coach Cameron Ciraldo and captain Stephen Crichton are speaking now.
Ciraldo praises the side’s start and the intensity they showed but says they did not match South Sydney’s energy throughout.
He points to the drop and try they conceded right after halftime as the killer blow but are still aiming to make the finals.
“To come out and start like that after halftime, we just killed ourselves,” Ciraldo said.
“Hope’s not a strategy. All we can control is how we play next Saturday night.
“We offloaded to the opposition four times. We’re slow learners.”
Crichton says they offered South Sydney too many opportunities with ball in hand via errors.
Fulltime: Rabbitohs 22 def Bulldogs 6
Dufty is after a second after Wighton centre kicks off a break, Sullivan and Mann both challenged for the ball.
Mann grounded it with his torso. That’ll do us,
The Bulldogs are two wins adrift of eighth spot with three rounds remaining. It’ll take a miracle to see a change in the top eight now.
79′ Dufty gets amongst it
Smith intercepts a Mann offload and that will do us. Souths have a final chance at points though.
They spread it left, Dufty takes them on and scorches Crichton to put the icing on the cake.
Sullivan from touch to really finish it off – hits the post.
But this one is over at 22-6.
72′ Bunnies can’t kill it off
A steal from Brandon Smith gives the Rabbitohs the ball inside the 20, next play Hubner goes from dummy half and looks to have plunged over!
But the Bunker comes up with a very unusual ruling – they’re saying Klein got in the way of the Canterbury defender, so it’s a mutual infringement and a Souths play-the-ball.
Walker forces a drop out with a nice grubber and a few plays later he fires a bullet to Duncan but the ref calls it forward. Dogs just hang on but they’re running out of time.
63′ Bulldogs crack Souths at last
Crichton forces a drop out with a nice grubber after a long period of set-for-set play. The Bulldogs really need something now.
And they get it! They spread it left on the last, Burton gets around Duncan and puts Tuala over in the corner!
There could be an obstruction in the lead up…nope, just a bad read from Wighton.
Crichton from touch…he’s got it! 18-6 Souths.
47′ Graham goes high
Graham makes a sensational catch over Tuala and goes for the line, he reaches out to score and the put down isn’t great but he’s done enough!
Terrific take and that’s blown this game wide open. The Rabbitohs are well in control and Canterbury’s finals hopes are hanging by the barest of threads.
With Sullivan nursing a sore groin, Dufty takes over the kicking – this will be the first shot of his career and it’s a tough one, right on the sideline.
Kick is wide, but now it’s 18-0 Souths.
Injury: Jethro Rinakama
The Bulldogs winger has limped off and been replaced by Bronson Xerri.
41′ Duncan goes over
Easy as you like, Dufty goes down a short-side and hits Duncan who punches it in for the try!
What a start to the second half for Souths. Sullivan can’t convert but it’s 14-0 Bunnies.
Second half is underway!
Souths kick us off and will have a chance at more points right from the start with Heyward knocking on the kick off!
Match report: Dolphins end Manly’s Fozball dream
Manly’s ‘Fozball’ fever dream is officially over after being held scoreless at Brookvale Oval for the first time in 33 years.
In a match that failed to reach any real heights, the Dolphins had enough strike to pull away late to win 22-0 and momentarily leapfrog Cronulla into fourth spot on the NRL ladder.
The Dolphins’ win did come at some cost, with in-form second-rower Connelly Lemuelu limping from the field in the second half with a hamstring injury.
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But the story of the night was the Sea Eagles, whose finals hopes are now virtually over after six straight losses.
It was against the Dolphins that the Kieran Foran coaching era began with a bang, piling 52 points on them at Redcliffe back in round five.
But on Friday night the honeymoon period died with a whimper, unable to crack the opposition line and lacking any real threat in attack.
Manly can point to any number of things for the way their season has spiralled, with the club’s alarming lack of depth a key issue that needs fixing.
Luke Brooks’ injury has also proven costly, with the Sea Eagles having far more attacking sets than the Dolphins but failing to cross even once.
It marked the first time since a 6-0 loss to Eastern Suburbs in 1993 that Manly failed to trouble the scoreboard at their traditional home ground.
Their best chance came at 8-0 down midway through the second half, when a Reuben Garrick pass was called forward as Jason Saab sprinted away to score.
From the next set the Dolphins effectively sealed the match, as Selwyn Cobbo did extremely well to get the ball down in the corner under intense pressure from Clayton Faulalo.
Kristian Woolf’s men then went in again moments later through Jack Bostock, after Jamayne Isaako picked off a Joey Walsh pass at the other end of the field.
Usually one of the most dangerous teams in the competition, the Dolphins’ attack was hardly at its best either.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow put Isaako over for a late try, while their only other came through Kodi Nikorima in the first half while Tolu Koula was in the sin bin.
But they will have bigger fish to fry over the next month, with Parramatta, the Sydney Roosters and Gold Coast on the run home and the top four a possibility.
For Manly, the only real positive was the return of Faulalo, who was safe at the back and pulled off a superb try-saver on a runaway Cobbo in the second half.
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Halftime: Rabbitohs 10 lead Bulldogs 0
Mamouzelous cuts through right on the bell, he has Dufty in support who tries to chip over Tracey but the Dogs clean it up and send us to the break.
39′ Dogs denied again
Preston has gone from dummy half and he’s claiming a try! The ref sends it up as no try but I think he might have snuck over.
But the Bunker doesn’t like it, they say it was a double movement. Rabbitohs penalty.
36′ Souths can’t build lead
Galvin gets Dufty high on a kick return and Souths have a chance at more points.
They run it left on the last and Walker goes short to Duncan but the Dogs wrap it up.
29′ Souths add another through AJ
Dufty puts Graham away with a sensational cut out pass and while the cover drags him down the Rabbitohs spread left on the very next play, Murray and Walker combine to put Duncan away and he has Johnston in support to score!
Really nice footy from Souths, showing all their class there.
Sullivan misses from touch and it’s 10-0 Rabbitohs.
26′ Souths can’t have another
Kiraz loses the ball as he tries to offload on a kick return and Souths are on the attack again.
Sullivan positions Aitken but the backrower spills it in contact. Canterbury hang on.
24′ Fifita scores South Sydney’s first
Sullivan nearly cuts through and gets lasooed by Kikau who slams him to the ground hard, that would have hurt, and Souths get a penalty as a result.
Walker puts a kick in and Fifita is there for the try! Caps a great start to the game from the big fella, he’s been right in the mix physically.
Sullivan from wide out….he’s got it. Souths lead 6-0.
17′ Dogs can’t close
Tatola loses the ball in a tackle and the Bulldogs have a chance at points.
The Bulldogs get a penalty for Duncan lifting Preston, I thought it was alright, and they take the tap.
Galvin rolls a kick through and Salmon is chasing but it goes over the dead ball line. Souths hang on…and get a penalty for a high tackle a few seconds later.
14′ Another Souths trysaver
Canterbury have the better of the field position right now but Souths keep denying them at the last second – this time it’s Rinakama who flies over Graham to claim a bomb and he looks like he’ll score for all money only for Murray to hold him up, just!
Good start this, plenty in it.
dan