Whilst they were not necessarily convincing or clinical throughout the clash, a 20-6 win for the South Sydney Rabbitohs means that they are still undefeated in the premiership so far.
Playing at home against the Wests Tigers at ANZ Stadium, the clash was billed as the game of the round as two undefeated teams went head-to-head.
It was a battle of the forwards as the Burgess brothers came up against Taupau and Woods, a battle that the Tigers props won.
Both performed brilliantly despite the loss and although they may have lost the game, Tigers coach Jason Taylor was pleased with the effort and attitude of his side.
“Yeah, that’s exactly how we feel,” he said.
“We’re disappointed, very scrappy in attack. We’re way off there, and we have been for both of our games. We’ve played some patches, but the fact that we hung in there like we did and were still in the game with 10 or so minutes to go was really encouraging.”
To further dampen the blow, veteran winger Pat Richards was put on report for a lifting tackle.
As for Souths, whilst they may not have been at their best, their immediate concerns go towards centre Dylan Walker who fractured his hand during the game and courageously played on.
“I’d like to say he’s no doubt but we have to wait and see what the scans show. He has got a sore hand so we’ll wait and see how that comes up,” coach Michael Maguire said.
“He definitely was going to get back out there. He’s learnt that and he’s grown in himself to be able to do those sorts of things for the team which is a great sign for a young kid.”
For Walker, it was simple. He wanted to do right by his team-mates, not let them down and stay on the field.
“I didn’t want to come off. I didn’t want to let the team down. I just tried to do my bit, tried to do the best I can. I’m really thankful for the boys. They really backed me up and really helped me through the game,” he said.
“I played through it last year, so I knew that I could try and do it again. I really had to have the boys rally before me and get stuck into my ear.”
Player of the Game:
3. Greg Inglis
2. Dylan Walker
1. James Tedesco
South Sydney 20 (Dylan Walker 2, Alex Johnston, Greg Inglis tries; Adam Reynolds 2 goals) def. Wests Tigers 6 (Robbie Farah try; Pat Richards goal). Crowd: 23,211. Halftime: 10-6.