Latrell revs up Rabbitohs machine
LATRELL Mitchell has produced arguably his best game in South Sydney colours to orchestrate a 32-12 win over Gold Coast, snapping a three-game losing streak last night.
Mitchell scored a try and set up three others to push his team into a 20-point lead before the Rabbitohs were forced to withstand a second-half rally from the Titans. Mitchell sealed the two points with a sublime shimmy and flick pass for Dane Gagai’s second try in the 76th minute at Bankwest Stadium.
The match also marked the anticipated return of Cody Walker following his controversial two-game ban for his role in a street fight in December.
The star five-eighth slotted seamlessly back onto South Sydney’s left edge, where he set up a try for Alex Johnston in the first half.
Rabbitohs skipper Adam Reynolds kicked a perfect six of six with the boot.
The win lifts the Rabbitohs to within sight of the top eight on four points, while Gold Coast remain rooted near the bottom of the table in 15th spot.
The contest started disastrously for Mitchell, whose kick-off sailed out.
But the clanger proved his only blemish, with the player immediately redeeming himself when he crashed over from close range just three minutes later.
Gold Coast opposite Phillip Sami got one back soon after, but the Rabbitohs responded quickly when Johnston pounced on a Walker grubber.
Wayne Bennett’s side looked set to run away with the game thereafter, with Mitchell putting Gagai over with his hands, then Braidon Burns with his feet.
Bryce Cartwright’s try soon after resumption gave the Titans a glimmer of hope, and was the start of an improved showing in the second half from the Queenslanders. But Mitchell added the finishing touches late in the contest.
● Issac Luke is set to depart St George Illawarra immediately, but embattled coach Paul McGregor has dismissed speculation of player unrest.
Luke was named to face Cronulla today, but will be granted an immediate release to join an injury-hit Brisbane side.
McGregor confirmed Luke approached the club two weeks ago about a move into the sunshine state, where he has family.
McGregor denied the Kiwis hooker is disgruntled with the club.
AAP
WARRIORS captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has revealed the cunning plan to deal with Jason Taumalolo, which worked so well in the 37-26 win over the Cowboys on Friday night.
The Auckland-born Taumalolo is regarded as the best forward in the game, but at Central Coast Stadium he was held to just 137 metres – his lowest of the season — well short of the 290m against the Titans, and 340m against the Bulldogs in his previous two games.
Tuivasa-Sheck said the Warriors knew how much of an impact Taumalolo could have, so came up with the plan to wear him out by running at him all night.
Taumalolo made 53 tackles in the game, which compares to 19 and 16 in his last two appearances.
‘‘One of our talking points throughout the week was that we knew he was coming back, and would bring some fire back to that team,’’ Tuivasa-Sheck said of Taumalolo, who sat out the 26-16 loss to the Sharks the previous week because of a knee injury.
‘‘So it was important for us to apply pressure to Jason, make him work, make him tackle, because if we can put all of his energy into tackling, that takes away his running game.
‘‘It’s a tough job to do, but I was proud of the boys for getting it done.’’
As it turned out it was a Warriors player returning from an injury who made a bigger impact.
Peta Hiku, coming back from a rib injury, made a schoolboy error on defence, by not noticing Kyle Feldt chasing down a ball before it went out and gifting the Cowboys a try, but made amends by going on to score a hattrick.
Some players would have gone into their shell after making such a mistake, but centre Hiku is a person who doesn’t seem to get overemotional about things, whether they’re good or bad.
‘‘Peta has really matured with his game,’’ Tuivasa-Sheck said. ‘‘He’s one of our most experienced players, he’s been around the game for so long, and he knows that those areas need to be moved to the side as quick as you can.
‘‘He showed that if you stick at it, you get the job done, and for him to have that big mistake in the first half and then come away with a hat-trick, shows the type of player he is.’’
The victory was the Warriors’ second of the season, but given that the Dragons are an abysmal team, this result has more meaning.
But the big question now is whether they back this performance up for this Friday’s game against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Bankwest Stadium.
After the game, players from both teams came together in a circle and dropped to one knee to show their support to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Tuivasa-Sheck said a couple of the players in his team came up with the idea.
‘‘It was such an awesome thing to do,’’ he said.
‘‘Jamayne Taunoa-Brown and Josh Curren, our aboriginal brothers here, they linked up with the Cowboys’ aboriginal boys and asked if we could all get together and kneel. Just to show support at a time like this.
‘‘We back each other and we all believe in the cause and what’s happening, so we thought it would be a good idea . . .’’