A resurgent Rabbitohs strung together back-to-back wins for the first time this season by downing the Dolphins but in-form five-eighth Cody Walker knows they will need to improve their starts if they want to continue their winning ways.
Coming up against his old mentor Wayne Bennett, Walker said his side - who let in the first try of the match for the third straight week - knew what to expect, but still took their time to adjust during the game at Suncorp Stadium.
“Wayne has always got his sides up to be energetic and aggressive and do all those things Wayne loves in footy teams; we know that better than anyone,” Walker said.
“We just needed to put all our energy into our kick-chase and putting them inside their half, be disciplined coming out of yardage and not give them any easy outs.
“I think the very first set they got, we made an error off the kick and they scored the very next play. That is no-one’s fault in particular, we are a team sport. We’ve just got to be able to defend that error and back our defence.
“I am pretty disappointed in the first half if I am honest, with a couple of our effort areas. That’s probably the reason why the game was 14-6 (to the Dolphins at half-time).
“We just weren’t putting all our energy and effort into winning the possession rate. That showed on the scoreboard.
Cody Walker all class
“Once we were able to flip that around in the second half, we were able to put the pressure on the Dolphins and put them deep inside their half. That allowed us to play the style of footy we want to play.
“I think we went for a period in the second half for six or seven sets in a row where they didn’t even touch the ball. That is when we are at our best.
“We just need to find the improvement in that in the first half. The pleasing thing about it is that we found it. The challenge is to find it earlier.”
Much of South Sydney’s recent success has come due to the form of their stars, with a fit Latrell Mitchell firing at the back and Walker pulling the strings.
That was again the case last night, with both players scoring in a display of dominance in the second half which saw the Rabbitohs run in five tries while keeping the Dolphins - who led 14-6 at half-time - scoreless.
With a tough run of games ahead, including a return match against the Panthers next week, into a match against Broncos again at Suncorp Stadium and then the Storm, Walker - who scored a try and produced three try assists against the Dolphins - said his side would need to be on their game.
“We have a couple of big weeks coming up with Penrith next week. That is always a huge game and a massive game for us, “ Walker said.
“We understand the challenges ahead of the next week. We understand that if we start poorly against them they can hurt us. The improvement in us is starting (to play well) earlier and getting our kick-chase on, because their back five is pretty dangerous with the footy.
Match: Rabbitohs v Panthers
Round 8 -
home Team
Rabbitohs
2nd Position
away Team
Panthers
7th Position
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
“It is obviously a huge challenge for us. They have been the most consistent side over the past three or four years. They are the benchmark of the competition at the moment.
“It is always an exciting battle against them. We are always so close when we play against them. I think the margins have been two to four points or six points at the most. We are always in the game.
“We just need to find little improvements in our game where our effort areas are high. I think trying to keep them inside their half is the key to beating them. Easier said than done because of the talent they have.
“If you give too much opportunity for (Nathan) Cleary to get out of his end, he has got one of the best attacking kicking games in the comp. We obviously know that if we give them too much opportunity they can hurt us.”
