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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Jonathan Howcroft

NRL 2020 finals week one: Rabbitohs crush Knights - as it happened

Damien Cook
Damien Cook starred for South Sydney as they overcame Newcastle in their NRL elimination final. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Summary

Well, that was an odd game of footy, especially for a final. You sit down expecting a tense arm-wrestle between two well-drilled units and you end up with a error-riddle try-fest.

The Knights flew out of the blocks, racing to a 14-0 lead inside 12 minutes, and South Sydney looked all at sea. But once Allan crossed for the Rabbitohs on 16 minutes it was one-way traffic with 46 unanswered points until Hunt’s late consolation.

After the helter-skelter first half the game settled down in the second term and for 15 minutes or so leading up to the hour mark it seemed like the contest was up for grabs. But when the Knights assumed anything like the ascendancy they lacked the impetus to cash in. Then Ponga made a critical error in possession near his own line and Souths took full advantage, running in four late tries. Newcastle were beaten and bedraggled long before the final siren.

For the Knights it remains a season of progress nonetheless. After seven years without a final Adam O’Brien has taken them a step in the right direction.

For the Bunnies it’s a satisfying end to a difficult week for Wayne Bennett and co. and now on to a semi-final with Parramatta, a fixture they will probably enter as favourites. South Sydney’s attack, especially the work of Cook, Reynolds and Walker, is in fine order, and if they can figure out their defence they’re a match for anyone. Team selections midweek will be studied intently with the Eels suffering a series of blows last night against the Storm and a fair few Rabbitohs collecting knocks today.

South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney are through to week two of the NRL Finals. Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

The Bunnies sure know how to score.

South Sydney Rabbitohs 46-20 Newcastle Knights

The Rabbitohs are through to take on the Eels in next week’s semi-final.

Tevita Tatola
Tevita Tatola scored two tries for South Sydney. Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

TRY! Rabbitohs 46-20 Knights (Hunt 80)

Hymel Hunt scorers in the right corner as the siren reverberates around ANZ Stadium. Too little too late, but their could be a bit of fun afterwards with the retiring Aidan Guerra handed the kicking tee. AND HE NAILS IT! What a way to bow out, with a left-footed touchline conversion.

TRY! Rabbitohs 46-14 Knights (Cook 76)

Deary me. The ref needs to call this off. Pearce, 20m from the line in attack fumbles a simple pass. Cook picks up the pieces for Souths, breaks the ragged line and dashes 50m until Best scrags him down. The Newcastle chaser doesn’t complete the tackle though so Cook gets off the turf, continues his dash to the line, and ignores a stack of teammates to scramble over the line.

TRY! Rabbitohs 40-14 Knights (Tatola 74)

Mitchell Pearce has been increasingly frustrated, arguing with the ref relentlessly, and he’s now penalised for a high tackle on Cartwright, an opponent he needed a stepladder to reach.

Souths look like scoring with every phase of play thereafter and it’s no surprise when Cook slips Tatola Through for his second, right next to the posts. Newcastle’s defence looks like shrapnel discarded on the ANZ Stadium turf. The end cannot arrive soon enough.

Updated

TRY! Rabbitohs 34-14 Knights (Johnston 70)

Randall is put on report for a tackle that earns the Bunnies a penalty 35m from home. Two tackles later Johnston is over in the left corner. Walker creates the space with another of his double-pumps, Allan catches and passes in the blink of an eye, feeding his prolific winger to fly across the line.

Reynolds kicks his first conversion of the day from the touchline.

Updated

68 mins: South Sydney are taking no risks in possession now, driving through the middle and kicking for depth, it’s all on the Knights to find at least 14 points from sets of possession begining deep in their own half.

66 mins: It just doesn’t look like Newcastle’s day. Mann breaks the line and bolts to halfway, then Best pulls out some magic with a flick past to Lee on the left wing, but Souths get across quickly enough to cover. The Knights are coming though... until they’re not. Lee fumbles the play-the-ball and the attack fizzles out.

65 mins: Souths are in control now and Walker is happy to end a safe restart set with a chip across the touchline in the right corner. It’s going to take something magical for the Knights from here.

TRY! Rabbitohs 28-14 Knights (Tatola 62)

That could be the game. Souths keep things simple after that Ponga knock-on and after Cook’s snipe is repelled, Burgess is held up inches short, then Tatola bulldozes his way to the line with three Knights for company. It should be a completed tackle, but somehow Newcastle don’t finish the job and the determined Bunny finds space to reach out an arm and plant the ball over the line.

Reynolds sends the margin beyond two converted tries with the conversion.

After the Knights looked to be easing their way into a position to mount a charge, they suddenly find themselves deep in the mire.

Updated

61 mins: After ten minutes or so in the ascendancy, the Knights cough up possession in their own half with a clumsy Ponga knock-on at the ruck. Both sides look exhausted, and there’s plenty of banged-up players. This final quarter is going to be a real test of endurance.

61 mins: That break will have to wait because that midfield grind is continuing. Neither side demonstrating much inspiration this second half so far.

59 mins: Newcastle are growing. They’re completing sets and punching holes in the South Sydney defence - you sense a break could be forthcoming.

58 mins: It’s not only Cook struggling for Souths, as a unit they look gassed in the Sydney heat, but there’s still 20 minutes to go. Can the Knights capitalise?

56 mins: How good are the Knights attacking now after that early burst? Aidan Guerra is kicking on last under pressure, that’s how good. Souths almost make an incursion in reply but Cook can’t wriggle free. The Souths hooker has spent some time on the turf this half, but he’s still out there sniping for his side.

54 mins: After the crazy shootout of the first half this contest is settling into a more familiar forward-led grind. That is until Ponga runs into space on the right edge, throws a pass wide and watches it bounce off Best’s shoulder and down to the turf. Souths have excellent field position and make good yardage through Cook after Liam Knight’s offload. With the field opening up Reynolds spreads play to the right, but after going through hands there’s a loose pass and the ball finds touch.

52 mins: Ponga deals superbly with a high ball to the left corner to allay fears over the shoulder he injured in the first half. The Knights can’t make decent field position from so deep though and rely yet again on Pearce to kick them into South Sydney terrain.

50 mins: With an eight-point lead Souths look to be easing into their work, controlling their set after the restart, kicking deep, then defending stoutly. They’ll be happy with a midfield arm-wrestle for the next half-hour. Newcastle, by contrast, can’t take a trick. Even a straightforward looking kick takes an ugly bounce and dribbles through the in-goal.

PENALTY! Rabbitohs 22-14 Knights (Reynolds 48)

After being gifted possession twice in quick succession Souths lay siege to the Knights line. They look destined to score in the left corner through Johnston, then again via Walker, but desperate defence keeps them at bay. But that defence was so desperate there were infringements all over the ruck and one of them is sufficient to award the Bunnies a penalty. Reynolds doesn’t miss from 20m on a slight angle.

46 mins: Two tackles into their next set, guess what? Another Newcastle knock-on.

45 mins: Souths prospered down the left in the first half but they focus on the right edge for an attacking set that ends with a Reynolds bomb to the corner that bounces harmlessly into touch.

43 mins: Solid opening set from the Knights, and a good chase. Nothing flash from Souths in response, then Ponga almost dances his way through the line from first receiver. But any hope that Newcastle have settled down after that frantic first term are dashed when Barnett takes his eye off a simple pass and gifts possession to the Rabbitohs.

41 mins: Back underway at ANZ Stadium...

User avatar for HarryofOz

A sloppy first half, which never reached any great heights for an extended period. Some moments of individual brilliance here and there.

Sloppy is an understatement! The defending from both teams was woeful in that first half, and stick on the handling and kicking errors on top of that and you have a very messy half of football. You get the impression that with Cook, Reynolds and Walker on their games the Bunnies could score from every attack.

Half-time: Rabbitohs 20-14 Knights

As Russell Crowe might say, are you not entertained? A weird old half of footy that began with the Souths playing like they’d never met, and the Knights racing to a 14-point lead, ends with the Rabbitohs a converted try to the good. Both defences have serious questions to answer and with the heat taking effect in the second term this could be a wild scoreboard by full-time.

Alex Johnston
Alex Johnston scores for the Rabbitohs. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Updated

TRY! Rabbitohs 20-14 Knights (Murray 36)

Brilliant individual skill from Cook. From dummy half 40m out the rapid hooker evades his marker, dashes through a gap and finds Murray on his left shoulder to accept the try-assist and cross next to the posts. That was textbook from the quicksilver No 9 and the kind of move Adam O’Brien must have been preparing for when he boasted of his team’s excellent defensive work in training earlier in the week.

Reynolds can’t miss the conversion.

Updated

35 mins: Short drop-out from Reynolds means Newcastle get a full set from 20m out. Ponga snipes, Barnett almost breaks through, but the Souths defence is never seriously threatened and they survive after a lengthy spell of sustained pressure.

33 mins: The Knights are enjoying their best spell in 20 minutes. They enjoy a seven tackle set after a poor Souths kick, then they benefit from six more tackles with the Rabbitohs impeding the play-the-ball. Camped in their attacking third all eyes are on Pearce for the kick but his grubber to the right corner is smuggled off the island.

Campbell Graham is receiving an HIA in-goal, and he remains on the field but doesn’t look 100%.

31 mins: Conservative couple of sets from both sides until the Knights gain field position with a six-again. Pearce kicks on the fourth tackle and it’s to the left corner where an incredible chase and leap from Lee sees the Novocastrian claim the ball. In an instant he flings the ball back but the nearest chaser is a Bunny and Souths escape.

Ponga is still on the field but he looks to have a stinger injury to his AC joint following a heavy tackle. He doesn’t look in tip-top condition.

29 mins: The Knights create a couple of nice moves following the scrum and the second opens a gap behind the Souths defence on the right edge. Pearce spots it, kicks, but doesn’t execute and Walker recovers. Let-off for Souths who finally hold onto the ball for a full set and drive the game back into Newcastle territory.

27 mins: A Souths error at the play-the-ball gifts possession to the Knights on halfway. Two tackles later Graham comes out of the line and knocks on to gift Newcastle a scrum 20m out. This is a weird game.

TRY! Rabbitohs 14-14 Knights (Johnston 24)

And now a penalty against Newcastle, inviting Reynolds to boot his side deep into attacking territory. Of course, Souths score soon after. Four tackles probing through the middle precedes the cut left where the Knights are woefully undermanned. Reynolds and Walker combine superbly, ran smart lines, timed their passes, and in the blink of an eye Johnston is flying over in the corner. This is not a defensive masterclass.

Reynolds misses his second conversion effort from the left touchline.

Updated

23 mins: Reynold’s resulting drop-out is a shank, but somehow it bounces between Knights and jags over the touchline! This is crazy!

22 mins: Walker fumbles the restart kick in-goal. What on earth is happening at ANZ Stadium?

TRY! Rabbitohs 10-14 Knigths (20)

It’s all turning in the Rabbitohs’ favour all of a sudden. A solid set from the restart ends with a bomb to the left corner that Ponga makes a dreadful mess of. Three tackles later Walker crosses after a beautiful runaround set play orchestrated by Reynolds. That was a quality training ground manoeuvre, with the Knights defence playing the role of witches hats to perfection.

Reynolds kicks the extras.

Updated

TRY! Rabbitohs 4-14 Knights (Allan 16)

First attack of the day for Souths, and they cross! There was nothing flash for four tackles but then 15m from the line Walker, sliding his attacking unit from right to left, double-pumps, straightens up, and creates a gap for Allan to hit. The fullback does just that, and the attempted tackle is awfully flimsy and the No1 streaks through and over the line.

Reynlods misses the conversion.

Updated

15 mins: The first error of the day from Newcastle. Two runners almost break the defensive line down the left edge, Ese’ese in particular, but when the ball is spun right Ponga misses his target and there’s a knock on.

14 mins: Solid from Newcastle, who have looked secure through the middle, only broadening their horizons when the opportunities have presented. Souths reply by completing just their second set - but it ends with Fitzgibbon charging down the kick and gathering possession 30m out. This is incredible.

PENALTY! Rabbitohs 0-14 Knights (Ponga 12)

Two tackles into the set following the scrum, Souths are penalised for offside and Ponga accepts the easy two points on offer. This has been a shambolic opening with and without the ball for the Rabbitohs.

10 mins: Another error in possession from the Bunnies! They have completed just one of four sets so far. The Knights have a scrum 40m out.

TRY! Rabbitohs 0-12 Knights (Best 7)

The Knights are in again! Fitzgibbon drives through some flimsy Souths defence and after breaking the line Best is on hand for the simple outside pass to burn his way into the left corner. Adam Reynolds was in no-man’s land, Pearce read the play superbly and Fitzgibbon did the rest.

Ponga nails another touchline conversion, this time from the opposite flank. Newcastle in dreamland. But we’ve seen this story before this weekend, haven’t we? Can the Knights prevail where the Eels and Sharks faltered?

Updated

6 mins: Both teams keep things tight through the middle before kicking for a set apiece, but Souths’ effort ends with Reynolds misjudging the wind and punting his effort into touch. Newcastle again have decent field position for an entire set.

4 mins: A less dramatic, but solid, drive from the Knights after play resumes, sees the Rabbitohs regain possession near their own line. With their second set they make decent yardage and settle some early nerves.

TRY! Rabbitohs 0-6 Knights (Hunt 2)

It only takes two plays after that scrum - the first to the left edge, the second to the right - for the Knights to cross. Hunt does superbly with the finish in the right corner, diving from well behind the line to avoid stepping into touch, but he was invited to score by a beautiful pass from Ponga who had entered the line.

Ponga nails the touchline conversion. Incredible start for Newcastle! What a captain’s challenge from Pearce.

Updated

1 min: It only takes three tackles for Newcastle to concede a penalty, and it’s immediately referred upstairs by Mitchell Pearce. And the challenge is successful! So, let me rephrase, it only takes three carries for Souths to knock-on. The Knights get a scrum 30m out.

Kick-off!

We’re underway in the final match of the first week of finals.

And here come the Rabbitohs, in their traditional green and red hoops.

The Knights, in their all-white change strip are making their way out onto a sundrenched ANZ Stadium.

Updated

In case you missed it, if Wayne Bennett didn’t already have enough on his plate, earlier this week he was confirmed as Queensland’s State of Origin coach... again.

Tonight’s winner moves on to face Parramatta next week after the Eels failed to convert a fast start against the Storm at Suncorp Stadium last night. Whoever prevails today will feel the Eels are gettable after watching both Maika Sivo and Blake Ferguson suffer painful injuries during the defeat.

Elsewhere, it’s been a terrific opening round of finals footy. Penrith’s one-point victory over the Roosters deserves all the plaudits it has received, but Canberra - and Jack Wighton in particular - deserve credit for running over the top of the Sharks.

Surely the Panthers have now established clear premiership favouritism, but the chasing pack is of such high quality the preliminary finals and grand final are set to be titanic battles.

It’s been a hot day in Sydney with temperatures hitting 30C, so conditions will be testing at ANZ Stadium. To make matters worse there’s a stiffening northeasterly breeze that could become a factor in the kicking game.

Knights XVII

Early in the week Lachlan Fitzgibbon was inked in for a return to the starting line-up for Newcastle’s first final in seven years after missing the defeat to the Gold Coast, but Adam O’Brien had a couple of late changes up his sleeve as well. Josh King and Mason Lino come out of the original listed side with Kurt Mann shifting to five-eighth. Chris Randall and Herman Ese’ese have been promoted to the starting side, with Aidan Guerra and Tex Hoy both starting on the bench.

O’Brien is optimistic after a strong week on the track. “I’d say the mid-week session, defence day, was our best session this year,” he told the press earlier this week. “The boys were really clear, our energy’s up and about.”

There are only six Knights with finals experience on display. Among the greenhorns, Sione Mata’utia, in his 124th appearance, will end the record for most appearances for Newcastle without playing finals football.

NEWCASTLE: 1. Kalyn Ponga, 2. Edrick Lee, 3. Enari Tuala, 4. Bradman Best, 5. Hymel Hunt, 9. Kurt Mann, 7. Mitchell Pearce, 8. David Klemmer, 14. Chris Randall, 10. Daniel Saifiti, 11. Lachlan Fitzgibbon, 13. Mitch Barnett, 16. Herman Ese’ese. Interchange: 20. Tex Hoy, 15. Jacob Saifiti, 12. Aidan Guerra, 17. Sione Mata’utia.

Rabbitohs XVII

Jaydn Su’A is back from suspension as Wayne Bennett finesses his matchday squad at the end of a gruelling campaign. But obviously the supercoach was pressed into answering other questions at his weekly media call, saying: “it has no impact on the team whatsoever. Sam’s not part of the team in the sense that he’s not playing, he’s not required to play.

“We’ve come this far without him. Obviously he’s retired. And so you can make it out as big a headline as you like, you can blow it up as much as you like, but I’m going to tell you now it’s not going to have an impact on the playing group here.

“It’s distant from us, it’s got nothing to do with us. It’s not something that’s happened at the time I was here.”

Back to the task in hand, and while Souths have greater finals experience than the Knights, Adam Reynolds, Alex Johnston and Tom Burgess are the only remaining players from the team that won the 2014 premiership.

SOUTH SYDNEY: 1. Corey Allan, 2. Alex Johnston, 3. Campbell Graham, 4. Dane Gagai, 5. Jaxon Paulo, 6. Cody Walker, 7. Adam Reynolds (c), 8. Tevita Tatola, 9. Damien Cook, 10. Thomas Burgess, 15. Liam Knight, 12. Bayley Sironen, 13. Cameron Murray. Interchange: 11. Jaydn Su’A, 14. Mark Nicholls, 16. Jed Cartwright, 17. Keaon Koloamatangi

Updated

Maria Recouvreur has cast her eye over this year’s finalists. On Souths it’s all about the halves. “Cody Walker is having one of the best seasons of his career, backed up by his halves partner Adam Reynolds.” While for the Knights: “Their great hope is Kalyn Ponga but if he is starved of ball, there is not much else doing.”

Preamble

When the schedule for week one of the NRL finals was released, the last match of the weekend seemed like an afterthought. Following the evenly-matched blockbusters preceding it, the in-form Souths against a Knights outfit running out of steam looked a done deal with little to merit anything other than fourth billing. Then The Australian dropped its almighty bombshell, Sam Burgess left the hub, and the Rabbitohs are headline news up and down the country. How will they respond? We’ll find out from 4.05pm.

The initial reaction - especially from fans of a club under intense scrutiny - to a situation like the one facing the Bunnies is that it must be detrimental to their finals campaign. It’s a distraction, it’s sapping energy, it’s not difficult to posit an argument there’s even calculated sabotage at play. But on the flipside there’s nothing a wily old coach like Wayne Bennett would enjoy more than latching onto an us-against-the-world narrative to motivate his troops. Not only do Souths have to do the undoable and come from outside the top four, but they have to do it against a backdrop of scandal. For a prematch address it beats having to rewatch Any Given Sunday for a rev-up.

Only one point and one place separated the Rabbitohs and the Knights on the ladder during the regular season but they arrive in the finals in contrasting form. Last time out the Bunnies turned in arguably the performance of the season in a 60-8 shellacking of the Roosters, while the Knights slumped 36-6 to Gold Coast.

In the last five weeks of the season Newcastle lost not only to the Titans but also to the Warriors, as well as being comprehensively dismissed by the Chooks. During that same period Souths not only demolished the Roosters but held the Eels scoreless and led the Storm for an hour. They also contrived to lose against the Bulldogs, so for all their star turns they remain unreliable.

That’s enough for now. I’ll be back shortly with the line-ups. If you want to join in the conversation, you can get in touch via Twitter or email.

Sam Burgess and Wayne Bennett
Revelations about Sam Burgess in The Australian provide the backdrop to today’s final. Photograph: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
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