Rabbitohs triumph in a Monday night slogfest

v BYE

South Sydney Rabbitohs have extended the Cronulla Sharks losing streak to three after a torrid game which they ran out 12-6 victors in front of 7,588 fans at ANZ Stadium. 

The rain had been streaming down all day in Sydney, and the conditions brought both teams to the same level. Cronulla had to get back into that grinding style of football to break themselves out of a two-game rut. 

It was the Rabbitohs, fresh from walloping the Warriors in their own backyard that started the brighter. Adam Reynolds until he was forced off with injury was driving the attack around but it was his deputy in Cody Walker that steered a wobbly ship into the harbour. 

First the 26 year old, stayed active from a Nathan Brown offload to find space between the markers and dived over for the only try of the first forty minutes. Cook added a penalty goal after the halftime hooter for an 8-nil lead. 

For the Sharks, who looked unstoppable for most of the season - it was a stuttering display as none of their stars could make inroads against a bruising Souths defense. Young Jack Bird particularly was forced into several errors trying to create the sweep play that served the Shire side well all season. 

They got a rocket from coach Shane Flanagan at the break because they spent the first ten minutes of the second half camped on the Rabbitohs line with three dropouts but the home side wouldn't crack - Brown snaffled an intercept to break the run. 

The points would come eventually though, Wade Graham stood up in the absence of Paul Gallen, missing through a calf strain and the NSW representative crashed over to bring it back to 8-6. 

Buoyed by the points, Cronulla kept probing the line but couldn't get Ben Barba involved in the game unlike the previous 23 weeks which allowed South Sydney to defend quite well. The closest they went was a dogged piece of effort from the retiring Mick Ennis that resulted in red lights. 

It just wasn't happening for the minor premiers elect for most of the season highlighted by a passage of play where Ben Barba threw it forward on his own line then the resulting dropout didn't go ten, as South Sydney sensed victory. 

Greg Inglis confirmed the two points when he swept down the shortside for Joe Burgess to fly across the line for a 12-6 win. 

Questions will be raised about the Sharks now after three straight defeats, with two of those to teams who won't be playing finals football. The Sharks face the similarly out-of-the-eight Roosters next week before a final round clash with Melbourne.

For South Sydney, it is a glimpse into what could've been as they play spoiler for the last two rounds against the Knights and Bulldogs.