Panthers v Broncos preview
7 hours ago | Rhys Sullivan
A late Luke Keary try and Adam Reynolds conversion have helped the South Sydney Rabbitohs to a two-point victory over Parramatta tonight at Pirtek Stadium in front of 16,013 supporters.
With both sides coming into the contest desperate for a win - and for different reasons - the start was relatively quiet. The Eels dominated field position early off the back of several penalties before the Bunnies got a bit of the ball back, and off the back of two penalties of their own bagged the first try around 12 minutes in off late inclusion Michael Oldfield on the wing.
Adam Reynolds' conversion attempt missed from the Oldfield try, but the Rabbitohs were able to take their lead to 6-0 a few minutes later when another penalty was blown right in front of the posts. From there the hosts looked to reassert their dominance, with a view of eventually turning it into points. It wasn't until the 26th that they got on the board, with winger Semi Radradra scoring his first try against the red-and-green, despite late contact from a Rabbitohs chaser in Paul Carter.
Radradra and the Eels doubled their efforts with five minutes remaining in the opening half with big Semi making a fantastic break down the left edge. Michael Gordon converted and the Eels led by four - a lead they would soon stretch to eight points when Vai Toutai scored in the shadows of the break. Gordon missed his second of three attempts for the evening thus far and the home side went into the sheds 14-6 leaders.
Neither side wasted any time coming out of the sheds - Radradra bagged his hat-trick within three minutes of play resuming, and the Eels held what looked to be a match-winning lead.
Souths weren't phased - Auva'a hit back in the 46th minute after finding space out wide, before the contest degenerated into an arm-wrestle. Parramatta held on to an eight-point lead until the 71st minute - when Bryson Goodwin got his name on the scoresheet, Greg Inglis proving a handful at left centre before sending his winger on a run to the tryline.
Inglis would again prove his importance 90 seconds from time, the fullback-cum-five/eighth-cum-centre putting Goodwin away down the left edge again before the former Bulldog and Shark found Luke Keary on his inside to score the equalising points. Adam Reynolds made no mistake with the match-winning conversion to deliver the Rabbitohs victory in what was an at-times controversial contest.
The loss means the Eels will now need around 12 wins from their remaining 14 matches to be a hope of playing finals footy - a task that continues on Monday week back at Pirtek Stadium when they host Melbourne. South Sydney are back in action this coming Thursday when they host the Dragons in an indigenous-themed match at ANZ Stadium.
-
Venue:
Crowd:
Halftime Score: