Rabbitohs dispatch Sharks
South Sydney face a nervous wait on several stars after easily dispatching Cronulla 38-12 to book a date with Penrith in a fifth straight NRL preliminary final.
On a dominant night for the Rabbitohs, Cameron Murray was brilliant in Saturday’s do-or-die semifinal, while Lachlan Ilias also stood up and Taane Milne scored two tries.
But it didn’t come without some concerns, with Alex Johnston suffering a hip flexor injury, Siliva Havili a calf problem and Jai Arrow a groin issue ahead of this Saturday’s clash at Accor Stadium.
Prop Tevita Tatola also found himself on report for a chickenwing tackle on Ronaldo Mulitalo, with fellow front-rower Tom Burgess already missing through suspension.
However, Tatola has escaped suspension and will be available for selection against Penrith.
For his grade one dangerous contact charge, Tatola can accept a $1800 fine but would be forced to pay $2500 if he unsuccessfully challenged his charge at the judiciary.
‘‘Physios hope [Havili] is not too bad and he’ll be OK. Jai has a groin issue he has had for a few weeks and will be fine,’’ coach Jason Demetriou said.
‘‘AJ has a hip flexor. Fingers crossed we can get them into rehab and we can get them back.’’
But regardless, little was going to sour the Bunnies’ night at Allianz Stadium as they qualified for a fifth straight preliminary final.
They jumped out to an 18-0 at halftime and while Cronulla got themselves back into the game at 18-6 and 24-12, the Rabbitohs never looked in trouble.
Souths also did it without relying on Latrell Mitchell for an impact play. Mitchell kicked seven goals from as many attempts but he also threw an intercept pass that led to a Sharks try.
Cody Walker also had a quiet evening, but he did skip over for the try that put the match to bed at 30-12 before Milne crossed late.
Instead, this time it all started with their inspirational skipper Murray. The lock has been one of the unsung heroes of South Sydney’s surge to the finals, routinely playing a part in tries for his outside men by digging into the line.
He was at it again for Souths’ second try, helping Ilias and Keaon Koloamatangi give Mitchell the space to put Milne over.
Murray also provided the decisive play of the match just before halftime, breaking free from Dale Finucane’s hold to go over from 15 metres out.
But for all the Rabbitohs’ brilliance, Cronulla were poor in defence.
Souths’ first try came when Mark Nicholls crashed through Toby Rudolf from close range, after Damien Cook put him one-on-one with the defender. And while the Sharks briefly threatened in the second half, any hope of that was snuffed out when Walker scored with 17 minutes to play.