South Sydney have firmed as premiership favourites, claiming a snug 28-12 win over the Melbourne Storm at Magic Round.
Any doubts the Rabbitohs could also be pretenders slightly than contenders have been answered over the previous 5 weeks with wins over the Bulldogs, Dolphins, Panthers, Broncos and now Storm.
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The most spectacular half is that the Rabbitohs have been so dominant within the video games, with solely the Panthers recreation taking place to the wire.
Fox League’s Cooper Cronk labelled the membership “competition favourites right now”.
“What South Sydney have done in their five-match winning streak has been outstanding,” Cronk mentioned.
“They’ve been able to dominate teams on the scoreboard, they’ve been able to hold in contests, they’ve been able to fight back but defensively, so strong.
“The goal line defence and the ability to continually repel the Melbourne Storm — remember, it was four line breaks to nil, that’s how good South Sydney defended.”
But on the opposite facet of the ledger, the Storm’s invincible aura is lastly beginning to dissolve after 20 years on prime.
While the Storm have been the final crew to beat the Rabbitohs again in spherical 5, and sit equal second with seven different groups, the loss noticed the heavyweights go 5-4 over the opening 10 rounds.
With seven minutes left and the Rabbitohs comfortably forward, the cameras caught a reasonably despondent coach Craig Bellamy within the coach’s field.
Bellamy laughed off solutions through the week that he’d chase Wayne Bennett’s 900-game file he reached within the Dolphins win over the Sharks, suggesting that the Storm may have a alternative as early as subsequent 12 months.
But that he nonetheless hadn’t decided.
“I won’t be going for 900, I’m pretty sure about that. I’ll probably make a decision in the next week or two, hopefully we can get that done,” he mentioned.
“It has taken a while, there’s been a few twists and turns. I’ll just trust my gut. I always encourage other people to do that when you’ve got to make a decision, a big decision or a little decision.”
It comes after he advised earlier than the season started that it was “time for the club to have a new coach”.
Cronk mentioned that he wasn’t certain if Bellamy was going to stroll away.
“I know he’s still got the connection to the playing group and connection to the football club but things may have changed a little bit because he’s still coaching at a very high level,” he mentioned.
“He’s got a great relationship with his staff and players so obviously he’s umming and ahhing.”
Cronk mentioned the choice for the likes of the ageless coaches like Wayne Bennett and Bellamy is that if they don’t have rugby league anymore, “what do they do?”
He added: “I’ve said for the past three years, I’d like to see Craig retire and enjoy the finer things in life but he doesn’t listen to me.”
An image of Queensland coach Billy Slater, who has been advised as a potential alternative for Bellamy regardless of denials he’d have an interest within the function, within the change rooms after the match additionally obtained tongues wagging.
Yvonne Sampson mentioned it was an “incredible visual”.
Bellamy mentioned there have been communication breakdowns by way of the sport the place the Storm regarded like “we didn’t know each other”.
But the Storm efficiency was raked over the coals by the Fox League specialists.
Mal Meninga mentioned it was fairly snug win and the Storm didn’t put the Rabbitohs below an excessive amount of strain.
“The Storm’s second half was very clunky,” Meninga mentioned. “A lot of errors, I think they only completed 69 per cent. So they didn’t really threaten the Rabbitohs defence at all down their end.”
Cronk did level out the Storm made practically 100 extra tackles however mentioned: “No forward on the Melbourne Storm was really truly dominant, where you could name five or six from South Sydney.
“The Melbourne Storm, they tried, they weren’t at their clinical best. But I just thought South Sydney were that good.”
Greg Alexander mentioned it was a superb first half however that the Storm missed their alternatives to stamp their authority on the match.
“They had plenty of ball down in Souths’ 20 and just couldn’t make anything count,” he mentioned.
“I thought their execution was poor.
“Melbourne just off their game slightly when they had a chance and didn’t capitalise on field position. Souths did.”
Source: www.foxsports.com.au