NRL Round-22: Rabbitohs vs. Wests Tigers
The South Sydney Rabbitohs took on the Wests Tigers at home in ANZ Stadium over the weekend.
The meeting was an important match-up for both sides as the Tigers looked to challenge for first spot in the table, while the Rabbitohs looked to move closer to a playoff spot.
Recap
The match was heavily contested with a great deal of scoring at both ends. The Tigers took the lead into the half, but the Rabbitohs were able to put together an impressive second stanza to complete the comeback and steal a 34-30 victory away from the Tigers.
The Tigers wasted no time getting on the board with a Blake Ayshford try in the second minute.
Dylan Farrell responded with a try for the Rabbitohs in the 14th minute, and Chris Sandow notched the conversion to give the Rabbitohs the lead early on.
The end of the first half, however, belonged solely to the Tigers. Robbie Farah managed a try in the 24th minute, which was followed promptly by Benji Marshall’s first conversion on the day. Shortly after, Lote Tuqiri crossed the whitewash for a try of his own, and after another Marshall conversion, the Tigers had a 16-6 lead.
After the break, Fetuli Talanoa only took a minute to put another try on the board for the Rabbitohs, and Sandow hit the conversion, cutting the lead to 16-12.
The game seesawed back and forth for a while as Chris Lawrence and Keith Galloway managed tries for the Tigers. Both were met with Marshall conversions, and the Tigers were back on top with a 28-12 lead.
The Rabbitohs took exception, and Dylan Farrell crossed the line for a score in the 53rd minute, while Rhys Wesser trucked over for another try in the 65th minute. Meanwhile, the kickers continued their strong outings, as Sandow notched both conversions to cut the lead to 30-24.
John Sutton set up what would be a thrilling finish with the tying try in the 77th minute.
In the end, it was Farrell who tallied his second try of the game in the 91st minute to give the Rabbitohs the exciting 34-30 victory over the Tigers.
It was an incredible offensive display by both sides as there were a total of 11 tries in the match.
Wesser played an impressive game for the Rabbitohs, managing 155 all-metres-run for the match. Marshall also made a case for man-of-the-match with 130 all-metres-run and 10 points of his own for the Tigers.
Analysis
In the end, the match meant more to the Rabbitohs, who currently sit in ninth position in the table. The Sydney club is pushing hard for a playoff spot, and are only two points behind the Warriors for the last position. The Rabbitohs have an easy match-up against the Storm next week, and are favoured to take the victory over the home side.
The Tigers are sitting in fifth position now, but are still only four points out of first place. The top of the table was in view heading into the match-up against the Rabbitohs, however, now the Campbelltown natives will have to try and gain some ground next week against the Panthers.
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