Superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell put on an absolute clinic as the Rabbitohs thrashed the Warriors 48-10 on Saturday afternoon.
Mitchell scored 24 points after producing two tries, two assists, two line breaks, four tackle busts and making 8/8 conversions.
MATCH CENTRE: Rabbitohs v Warriors, score, teams, videos, stats
It was South Sydney’s highest score of the season and the win moves them up to sixth on the NRL ladder with a real shot at a top four spot.
Souths started as clear favorites and quickly proved why, scoring almost a point per minute in the first half.
The Warriors defense has been atrocious all afternoon and is now the worst in the competition.
Rabbitohs lock Cameron Murray set up the first three tries, with Lachlan Illias, Damien Cook and Tevita Tatola all crossing.
“He’s run for 75 metres, he’s made loads of tackles and now he’s got a third, yes a third, assist,” Warren Smith said on Fox League after 17 minutes.
Murray passed to half-back Lachlan Ilias, who got off his right foot and slotted through a yawning gap to score the opener in the fourth minute.
Murray then made a break down the middle and offloaded to hooker Cook, who showed good footwork to score in the 10th minute.
The Souths captain made three assists as he broke a few tackles near the line before offloading for Tatola to score.
Next it was Keaon Koloamatangi who broke through a softer defense to score from close range in the 22nd minute.
The Warriors pulled one back through Edward Kosi but the Rabbitohs were soon at it again as Mitchell burst through several tackles to score under the posts.
“You can’t let him down when he’s got a chance to get out of that kind of range,” Warren Smith said on Fox League after Mitchell charged in from nearly 20 yards.
Mitchell then became a provider for winger Alex Johnston, who joined NRL legends Matt Sing and Hazem El Masri on 159 career tries.
Mitchell picked up where he left off in the second half, throwing a bullet pass for rookie Izaac Thompson to score.
Warriors half-back Shaun Johnson crossed for a strong try in the 51st minute when he went through and then got wrapped up to win the ball back from Josh Curran and score.
Mitchell scored the simplest of tries after Jai Arrow skied and first crossed untouched in the 56th minute for his brace.
Here are three of the main takeaways from the match.
LATRELL SHINES AGAIN
Souths transformed into a different team following the return of superstar Latrell Mitchell in Round 16.
They have now won five of six games since Mitchell returned from a long hamstring layoff, with their only loss coming in a golden point against the Sharks.
Mitchell’s individual brilliance simply makes his teammates better, and it was on display again against the Warriors.
The stylish defender scored a personal best 24 points after producing two tries, two try assists, two line breaks, two line break assists, four tackles. He was rested for the last 20 minutes of the game.
“This was a big step in the right direction, tonight was about earning the right and all the guys stepped up,” Mitchell told Fox League.
Latrell Mitchell of the Rabbitohs celebrates scoring a try. Getty Images Source: Getty Images
“It’s about holding the ball and whoever does that and defends their line better takes the lollipops.
“I’m really enjoying this group and I couldn’t be at a better club.”
Mitchell set up tries either side of half-time for winger Alex Johnston and debutant Izaac Thompson, with the latter leaving rugby league great Steve Roach in awe.
“We’re watching a wizard play here, Latrell Mitchell. Sit back and watch how good that pass is,” Roach said.
“Go with that in class. Just the vision, hit, catch and pass. There’s not a lot of guys that can throw that pass in the history of the game. That’s just great.”
“That was a poor game by the Warriors, they got caught flat-footed and Ilias couldn’t believe his luck,” Steve Roach told Fox League.
RABBITS WITH THE FOUR MAIN
Souths charge into the top four after claiming their fifth win in six games and setting a new club record against the Warriors.
It is the first time in more than 100 years since the Rabbitohs have scored more than 30 points in five consecutive games against an opponent (North Sydney 1917-19).
It was the highest score and biggest win for the Bunnies this season, their fourth 40-point score and fifth win by at least 18 points.
They now sit sixth and just one win outside the top four with four rounds remaining. They face top eight sides, the Eels, Panthers, Cowboys and Roosters in their run home.
“I thought the first half was pretty clinical,” Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou said.
“We are looking good for the end of the year, with some of our key players fit.
South Sydney Press Conference | 05:54
“Everyone talks about the draw, but the best thing about what we have behind us is that we have teams that will influence where we end up and it’s up to us.
“Every two points will decide where we finish at the end of the year. There are two more points to play for next week against a team who are also playing good football.”
Latrell Mitchell and Cameron Murray were sensational as the latter set up three tries but left the game late on with an HIA.
“I feel good, I came out of it unscathed,” Murray said.
“Overall I thought we were pretty good tonight, we’re building well, everyone’s committed to what we’re doing and we’re building our combinations.”
THE WARRIORS CONTINUE
The Warriors started the game with the second-worst defense in the competition and ended it with the worst.
The Kiwis were simply abysmal in defense as the Rabbitohs crossed with ease, scoring eight tries in the opening 56 minutes.
The Warriors have given up 561 points in 20 games this season, allowing more than 28 points per game.
They have lost 10 in a row away from New Zealand and four of their last six by more than 20 points. It was the fourth time the Warriors scored 40 points this season.
Interim manager Stacey Jones said it was the worst performance he had seen since replacing Nathan Brown two months ago.
“Since taking over this role, this is the most disappointed I’ve been,” Jones said.
NZ Warriors Press Conference | 03:18
“I thought our attitude in defense was terrible, we didn’t want to get physical with them and if you allow a team like this to dominate early that’s what happened.
“I told the boys that we have to address not only how we present ourselves on game day, but also how we train. We have four weeks to go and we have to show a lot more than we showed tonight.”
The Warriors picked it up from Fox League commentators Warren Smith and Steve Roach all afternoon.
“That was a poor game from the Warriors, they were caught flat-footed and Ilias couldn’t believe his luck,” Roach said after the first try.
“That was a little too easy. I said they were brittle, maybe scratch that, they’re more than brittle, they’re Swiss cheese, not a lot of Warriors defense,” Smith added after the third.
FOLLOW THE ACTION ON OUR LIVE BLOG BELOW. CAN’T SEE IT? CLICK HERE