Souths finish with a bang against Canterbury

v BYE

With seemingly nothing to play for, the Rabbitohs have produced a stellar 28-10 win over the Bulldogs to finish 2016 on a positive note in a match played before 14,731 at ANZ Stadium.

Out of finals contention and against a side with everything to play for, the Rabbitohs defied expectations to produce one of their best performances of the season, while the Bulldogs will be left to lament a host of poor decisions that sees them head into the finals with three straight losses.

Criticised in recent weeks for their poor showings against Brisbane and North Queensland, the Bulldogs started the match enthusiastically and were rewarded with an early try through a determined charge by Josh Jackson in the sixth minute.

Soon after the Rabbitohs responded with a try of their own courtesy of an inside pass that enabled Sam Burgess (16th minute) to burrow over close to the posts.

With the scores tied at 6-all, both sides exchanged blows with high completion rates, with the only other addition to the scoreboard coming via a length of the field effort from Joe Burgess in the 29th minute.

Taking a 12-6 lead into the break, the Rabbitohs looked to extend their advantage through a long-range penalty goal early in the second half, but the wayward angle saw the Bulldogs lift their intensity.

Minutes later the Bulldogs looked to post a decisive score through Kerrod Holland, only for the centre to knock on in the process of grounding, however the Blue and Whites managed to finally strike back in the 65th minute courtesy of a length of the field special from Josh Reynolds.

With Moses Mbye unable to add the extras, the Bulldogs appeared to be rising to a strong finish, but from the kickoff a colossal hit from Thomas Burgess on Danny Fualalo inspired the Rabbitohs to a flurry of tries to finish the match.

A double to Aaron Gray (73rd & 75th minutes) as well as a second to departing winger Joe Burgess in the final minute saw the Rabbitohs run out 28-10 winners.

Returning to form after a nine-match losing slump mid-season, the Rabbitohs produced an inspired showing against their Grand Final combatants from two seasons ago to finish the season on a high. In the only lowlight, interchange forward Nathan Brown's final conversion attempt was well wide in a moment sure to be remembered.

For the Bulldogs, a horror finish heading into the finals will have coach Des Hasler concerned, but as the Canterbury club has shown throughout the years, finals is where the Blue and Whites lift to the best.

However, captain James Graham may find himself in trouble with the match review panel after being placed on report for lashing out against Sam Burgess early in the second half.

Next week the Bulldogs will play Penrith in an Elimination Final; with the Panthers set to play Sunday night the final standings won't be known until the end of the weekend, however the clash will take place at either ANZ or Allianz Stadium, most likely on Sunday afternoon.