Souths thrash Dragons to win eighth game on the trot

South Sydney’s potent attack has continued their scintillating form of the past two months as the Rabbitohs scored nine tries to thrash a hapless St George Illawarra 50-14 in Brisbane on Sunday night.

The Rabbitohs move joint second on the ladder with Penrith on points after extending their winning streak to eight games with a demolition of the Dragons that showcased the cohesive brilliance of Souths’ spine.

The combination of Adam Reynolds, Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell toyed with the Dragons as the Rabbitohs showed they’re one of the form teams a month out from the finals. Wayne Bennett’s team has now scored six tries or more in their past six games while the 110 points scored in their last two games is the club’s best tally in two successive games since 1910.

It took the Bunnies just seven minutes to open their account when Mitchell finished a sweeping move across their left flank to power his way over for the first try. Seven minutes later, Walker doubled their tally after again targeting the Dragons’ weakened right edge, slipping through the line to make it 12-0.

With a number of players out, the Dragons looked to Ben Hunt for inspiration and the Origin star led their revival. A short kick caught Souths’ defence napping and Billy Burns’ well-timed run turned Hunt’s kick into six points.

Rabbitohs fullback Latrell Mitchell was a constant threat to the Dragons on Sunday night.Credit:NRL Photos

Hunt continued to pull the strings and another fine kick from the halfback delivered the Dragons’ second try. A chip across the line was dropped by Walker, allowing Tyrell Fuimaono to score a simple try. Only a wayward conversion by Corey Norman prevented the joint venture club from drawing level.

Instead, Souths rediscovered their attacking nous. A short ball from Walker created space for Taane Milne to break the Dragons’ line and score to extend their lead to eight points before Jayden Su’a made the Rabbitohs’ lead all the more comfortable minutes before the break. He wrestled his way over the line to give Souths a 24-10 lead at half-time.

Souths continued their dominance after the break. Jaxson Paulo made light work of the Dragons’ defence with a blistering kick return to race half the field to put the Rabbitohs within striking distance. Two plays later, winger Josh Mansour finished the move with a try on the opposite flank to make it 30-10.

The Dragons had little hope of mounting a comeback but refused to surrender nevertheless. Impressive youngster Tyrell Sloan continued his red-hot form since being promoted to the NRL by scoring his third try in as many games, collecting an offload to race away to the corner.

However, it couldn’t so much as tilt the momentum. Reynolds continued the Rabbitohs’ onslaught with a brilliant chip-and-chase try to reclaim the 20-point lead. A no-look inside ball from Walker minutes later put Jai Arrow across the line. Keaon Koloamatangi crashed over from close range in the dying minutes before Mitchell scored his second try on the stroke of full-time to seal the 36-point win.

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Dominic Bossi is a football reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald.

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