The South Sydney Rabbitohs secured their first win since the restart with a comfortable 32-12 result against Gold Coast Titans this afternoon at Bankwest Stadium.
For the first time since his switch to Redfern, Latrell Mitchell looked comfortable as a custodian. Mitchell opened the scoring with a juggling effort and contributed a pair of try-assists as the Rabbitohs did enough to down the Titans. Much of the damage was done in the first half where Souths led 26-6 headed into the break.
Stinging from their defeat to the Storm and Roosters back-to-back, Souths looked energised with the return of five-eighth Cody Walker and crossed after three minutes through Mitchell before the Titans struck back from a slicing effort from Philip Sami making it 6-6.
It might've come against softer opposition but Souths looked more like the side they promised to be in 2020. Cook was scheming, Walker kicked well and the points flowed quickly once they got the roll on.
Alex Johnston, Dane Gagai and Braidon Burns all crossed the stripe. Adam Reynolds, who looked a bit lost without Walker the previous two games, kicked six from six goals today with five of those in the first half and looked back to his composed self.
The Titans were gallant with their effort, briefly rumbling for a comeback when Bryce Cartwright, in the headlines for the wrong reasons during the lockdown, score dhis first four-pointer of the season to bring it back to 14. They probed and pushed but bar a no try to Cartwright Titans lacked enough punch to trouble the Rabbitohs defense in a low quality second half.
Mitchell put the cherry on top of his Man of the Match performance today as he left future Rabbitoh Jai Arrow clutching at air before he slung the ball to Gagai to complete his double in the dying stages of the contest to make it 32-12.
Getting back in the win column will please coach Wayne Bennett as the Rabbitohs eye the chance to put some form together with a much more favourable run in the next month while the Titans have a vital clash against fellow strugglers St George Illawarra next weekend.