AT A GLANCE
( Adam Reynolds, Campbell Graham, Ethan Lowe tries; Reynolds 5 goals)
(Sione Katoa 2, Wade Graham tries; Shaun Johnson 3 goals). 16-8.
losing Sam and George Burgess and John Sutton from their pack at the end of last year.
Tevita Tatola was particularly impressive as he ran 177 metres, while he, Tom Burgess and Liam Knight reached almost 300m combined in their opening 26-minute stint.
Knight also provided a crunch play late, with a big hit on Graham to force an error on the Sharks captain with Cronulla on the attack and hunting a matchwinning try.
Adam Reynolds impressed in his maiden showing as captain, scoring Souths’ first when he spotted a gap and came back through the middle.
Winger Campbell Graham scored a crucial try on halftime to extend the Rabbitohs’ lead to 16-8, despite being down a man with James Roberts sin-binned for a professional foul.
And Ethan Lowe scored their other, chasing through on a Cody Walker kick which ricocheted off Johnson to give Souths their 22-8 lead early in the second half.
■ Brisbane forward Tevita Pangai faces his fourth ban in the space of a year and up to six games on the sidelines, for dangerous contact on North Queensland centre Justin O’Neill.
Pangai has been hit with grade-two dangerous contact charge for the late shot, after he connected with O’Neill’s head early in Friday’s 28-21 away win.
The incident angered Cowboys players, given O’Neill was about to get up from the ground after taking a hit, when Pangai hit him hard with his bicep.
If he pleads guilty to the charge, he will miss four matches – double the minimum sanction because of his poor judiciary record. If he fights it at the judiciary and loses, he would miss an extra two games and won’t be able to return until round eight.
The 24-year-old missed the last four games of 2019 for a late crusher tackle on Penrith’s James Maloney. He was also suspended for a late shot on Roosters star Cooper Cronk last April and for a high tackle in July.
The Tongan international claimed during the pre-season that those bans had been ‘‘unlucky‘‘, and that he did not need to curb his aggression.
‘‘I thought two of them were unlucky – [they] were high speed, high intensity – it’s a fast game and sometimes things go wrong,’’ he said in January.
‘‘I know where the line is but obviously if I go out not wanting to tackle then we are not going to win the game – we’ve got to tackle hard.
‘‘I just want to make big plays and inspire my team-mates. That’s what I feel I can bring and that’s what I try to do.’’
Any suspension will also come as a serious blow to a Broncos pack already stretched to the limit.
Joe Ofahengaue still has another match to serve on his suspension after he was disqualified from driving in February, while Matt Lodge’s season has been destroyed by a knee injury.
Skipper Alex Glenn is also battling a hamstring injury, meaning Brisbane had to blood Jamil Hopoate and Herbie Fenworth from the bench on Friday night. – AAP
Rabbitohs 22
Sharks 18
HT: