South Sydney Rabbitohs hammered 42-12 by Penrith Panthers in ...
Things have gone from bad to worse for last-placed South Sydney, who lost halfback Dean Hawkins and young fullback Jye Gray to injury in a 42-12 drubbing at the hands of Penrith.
It came just days after coach Jason Demetriou was fired and leaves the Rabbitohs with one win from eight games to start the season, with their for-and-against almost twice as bad as the second-last Gold Coast Titans.
"I don't know where they go next week. They're in a lot of trouble," former Canberra halfback Sam Williams said in commentary for ABC Sport.
The Ben Hornby era had started remarkably well at Sydney's Olympic stadium, with Cody Walker creating tries for Izaac Thompson and Hawkins to put Souths 12-0 up after 10 minutes.
But Jai Arrow's sin-binning, one of three on the night, helped the Panthers level the score against 12 men before taking an 18-12 lead to half-time after Luke Garner ran through Walker close to the line.
"You can't blame coaches for this kind of thing," Williams said.
"There's a reason they sit last on the table, they're just not making these tackles. They just let themselves down once again."
Gray (ankle) and Hawkins (quadriceps) left the game at half-time and the Panthers ran over the top of their depleted opponents on the back of 42 straight points.
Hawkins's injury to his already heavily strapped right thigh initially looked like forcing a change many have been calling for, with Jack Wighton moving from centre to join Walker in the halves, potentially allowing Latrell Mitchell to make his return from suspension in the centres next week.
But Hornby confirmed after the game that Gray's injury looked like a syndesmosis and Mitchell would be in the number one to face the Dragons next Saturday
Look back at all the action in our live blog below, and check out all the latest stats in our ScoreCentre.
Another rough night for South Sydney and once again the Panthers get it done while looking well below their best.
A couple of talking points from tonight…
No Nathan Cleary, but he'll be back for Penrith next weekSo too will Latrell Mitchell for South Sydney, at fullback according to interim coach Ben HornbyThe Rabbitohs lost halfback Dean Hawkins to a quad strain and fullback Jye Gray to an apparent syndesmosis injury in Izack Tago's hip-drop tackle — neither of which are short-term injuriesThree players were sin-binned tonight — Tago for that hip drop, Jai Arrow after repeated infringements, and Jacob Host for running into the kicking leg of Brad SchneiderAlready last, Souths are now 1-7 with a -166 points differential (Gold Coast is next worst at -87)On that note, we'll see you again tomorrow night for Manly vs the Raiders and the blockbuster in Brisbane, with the Broncos up against the Roosters.
See you then!
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary says he's proud of a "professional" effort from his team in a potential "banana skin" game, considering the five-day turnaround from Townsville and all the drama surrounding the Rabbitohs.
"This week was definitely compromised. In the end I thought it was very professional. Boys got the job done," Cleary says.
Both Cleary and Penrith captain Isaah Yeo both bemoan the "lack of atmosphere" at the 80,000-seat Stadium Australia, which was at least 90 per cent empty tonight.
"It's definitely different," Yeo says.
"We probably didn't realise until we got out there for a warm-up.
"They said there was 8,000 there tonight but there was probably half that.
"It wasn't great for the start, [having] no atmosphere, we started a little bit flat. It was definitely different with the lack of people there."
Key Event
'I don't think we deserved that scoreline': Rabbitohs coachInterim Souths coach Ben Hornby says his team impressed him with their effort and the brutal scoreline reflects an exhausted team that ran out of legs, saying "I don't think we deserved that scoreline".
"We're going up against the premiers, we've got a chance to make a statement and I thought we did that."
Captain Cameron Murray echoes his coach's sentiments that the scoreline
"I still think there's some good moments in there and some good things to reflect on and base the way we play our footy moving forward.
"It's not all smiles but we tried to turn up today. We're gonna be fighting hard for the rest of the season. I'm still proud of the boys."
Hornby gives a bit of an update on the injuries to halfback Dean Hawkins and fullback Jye Gray and it's "not good, not ideal".
He says it looks like Gray has a syndesmosis injury and Hawkins has a quad strain.
Latrell Mitchell is back from suspension next week and Hornby says he'll step straight back into the number one jersey.
It will be interesting to see what Ben Hornby and Cameron Murray make of that effort by South Sydney.
And I don't think Ivan Cleary and Isaah Yeo will be thrilled with about three quarters of that match.
Damien Cook looked emotional as he ran out onto the field with kids Willow and Jagger for this, his 200th NRL game.
(Getty)No doubt it was an ordinary night in a season full of them, but Cook tells ABC Sport he hopes supporters can see some positives in the first 40 minutes and the way the team fought despite losing half their spine players in the game.
"It's been a tough week for the club.
"I'd like to hope they saw a lot of positives.
"I'll sit back tonight and be proud of 200 games."
Cook started the night in his usual spot at hooker, and ended it at fullback where he started his career. Some poetry to that, I suppose.
Key Event
FULL-TIME: Panthers thump South Sydney 42-12That's 42 straight points for Penrith after the Rabbitohs had jumped out to a 12-0 lead in just 10 minutes.
South Sydney's season goes from bad to worse with fullback Jye Gray in a moonboot with an ankle injury, and halfback Dean Hawkins's night ending early with a quad injury.
There's nothing more to say about the woeful Rabbitohs, who fired those early shots but completely came unstuck once Penrith got any ball.
The attack was disjointed, and the defence was abysmal yet again.
Captain Isaah Yeo and fullback Dylan Edwards are off the field for an early shower, and replacement custodian Sunia Turuva steams onto the ball on the short side and creates a try for Izack Tago.
The Rabbitohs won't be back to 13 men until the final two minutes. They already look knackered and are conceding consistently.
This scoreline is set to blow out.
The Panthers go right and Sunia Turuva looks absolutely destined for the first row in the tackle of Jai Arrow, Damien Cook and a late-arriving Cam Murray, but the Fijian gun flicks a ball behind him and all the defenders, and Luke Garner is on hand to catch it and fall over the line.
Key Event
68' We have a third sin-binning for the night!Souths back rower Jacob Host gets into a tussle, gets put on report and sent to the sin-bin for running through Brad Schneider's kicking leg after he bombs.
That's a very harsh call, but referee Adam Gee says there's a "very high risk of injury" as he sends him in the same fashion as Izack Tago and Jai Arrow earlier tonight.
Cameron Murray knocks on as the Rabbitohs try to put on a left-side play from 40 metres out.
He and Cody Walker brushed ABC interviews on the field last week after the 54-20 loss to Melbourne, and Murray barely spoke in the press conference, so what can they offer this time?
Key Event
The Panthers embarrass South Sydney after a horribly lazy effortCody Walker's kick trickles over the dead-ball line and Dylan Edwards charges up to the 20m line to take the tap, and a grand total of THREE Rabbitohs were back onside to defend, so Edwards just barrelled to the 30m line, flicked a pass to Taylan May and he went 70 metres untouched to score.
South Sydney has done a lot of defence and suffered a couple of injuries, but that is utterly inexcusable.
It's typically ugly, but it's effective for Penrith.
Brad Schneider's miskicked bomb comes down in no man's land between fullback Damien Cook and Cameron Murray running back from centre.
Izack Tago sticks a boot out, scuffs a deflection into the path of Liam Martin, who pops a ball to Lindsay Smith, and he dives over.
Dylan Edwards converts and that's 24-12 to Penrith.
South Sydney is all over the shop, but the Panthers refuse to put them away as Matt Eisenhuth drops it cold on the charge in the middle of the field, in the middle of the set.
You have to feel this effort from Penrith has the air of complacency about it.
The Rabbitohs spin it wide with a couple of wide balls and Izaac Thompson drops a cut-out pass from Jack Wighton cold on the left wing.
The bomb goes up and Brian To'o drops it as Damien Cook races through and comes up with fresh air.
Penrith wants a disruptor penalty, but Adam Gee says Cook's effort was genuine and the Rabbitohs will attack from 10 metres out.
The Panthers fullback fields a kick deep behind his own tryline and somehow sneaks down the right to get back into the field of play and steals 30 or so more metres too.
Key Event
43' Jye Gray is out with an ankle injuryIn his 200th game, Damien Cook goes back to where it all started for him, moving to fullback to replace young Jye Gray, who's succumbed to the ankle injury he suffered in that hip drop from Izack Tago in the first half.
So the Rabbitohs initially named a backline of…
1.Jye Gray2.Jacob Gagai3.Jack Wighton4.Isaiah Tass5.Izaac Thompson6.Cody Walker7.Dean HawkinsAnd it's now…
1.Damien Cook (No. 9)2.Isaiah Tass (No. 4)3.Cam Murray (No. 13)4.Michael Chee Kam (No. 11)5.Izaac Thompson6.Jack Wighton (No. 3)7.Cody Walker (No. 6)Will this be a more normal half?
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