South Sydney Rabbitohs forward Sam Burgess.

Trailing late in the game, the South Sydney Rabbitohs had to do something. And they did. Scoring two tries in the final seven minutes gave them a narrow but classic 20-18 Good Friday win over the Canterbury Bulldogs.

The match could have gone the other way, had the Bulldogs made the most of their chances and held onto the ball. Instead, Souths capitalised and came away victorious.

The fierce rivals traditionally put on a show when it comes to the Good Friday clash and this one was no different.

However, it was mired with controversy when Souths scored from an overlap after referee Ben Cummins failed to allow Josh Jackson time to return to his position of centre.

This resulted in a try to the Bunnies and was perhaps a turning point in the game.

”I’m sorry Josh, I didn’t realise,” Cummins said at the time.

The Bulldogs case was made harder when their best player this season, fullback Moses Mbye, went off after a sickening head clash.

With the crackdown on penalties at the forefront, neither team was safe, both pinned for repeated infringements.

It was a day to remember for the Morris brothers as Brett and Josh combined on two occasions to give the latter two tries in the match.

In an embarrassing moment for Bulldogs half Kieran Foran, from right in front, he managed to kick the ball under the crossbar, missing the conversion.

Although the Bulldogs gave their best efforts to salvage something in the game, it was not to be.

The win gives the Bunnies their second success of the season as the Bulldogs are left to lick their wounds. They are sweating on the fitness of Moses Mbye (possible jaw/cheekbone) and Aiden Tolman (ankle).

Not a team to fear the clock winding down, Bunnies coach Anthony Seibold said his team had prepared for these late-game situations.

”We’ve done a lot of drills in the preseason and into the season where we’ve put scenarios on the scoreboard and had the clock ticking down,” Seibold said.

”When we were down six points with seven and a half minutes to go, that was a game scenario that we’ve practised at training numerous times during the preseason.

”The boys were talking about it on the field, that this was a training scenario. We were really confident that we could at least give ourselves a chance and we did.”

Jackson was left frustrated in the post-game press conference of this Good Friday clash, at Cummins’ inability to hold up play to allow him to get back in the defensive line.

“I got there in the end but missed the tackle,” Jackson said afterwards.

“I probably should have made the tackle but I would like to have been set when they tapped the ball.

“He blew the try and I went over to talk to him. I think it was after that that he realised what had happened. I was playing out in the centres and that is exactly where they went. He basically owned up to the fact that he had made a mistake.”

Player of the Game:

3. Sam Burgess

2. Cameron Murray

  1. Josh Morris

By ricky

2 thoughts on “Bunnies edge Bulldogs in Good Friday classic”
  1. In a game that had few genuine standouts, we thought Burgess did his job well and so picked him.

    Good to know you’re reading our articles, though.

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