The Melbourne Storm and South Sydney Rabbitohs faced off on Saturday night in arguably the most anticipated match of the NRL's Magic Round.
Fresh from a week off, the Storm were hoping to jump the Bunnies on the ladder but ultimately failed to fire at Suncorp Stadium.
The Rabbitohs, on the other hand, were practically unstoppable, playing with the flair and confidence of a serious premiership-contending side.
MORE: NRL team lists: Every side's confirmed lineup for Magic Round
Melbourne Storm vs. South Sydney Rabbitohs score, result First half Second half Final score Storm 6 6 12 Rabbitohs 12 16 28Try-scorers
Storm:
Reimis Smith (35th min)
Bronson Garlick (75th min)
Rabbitohs:
Cody Walker (5th min)
Jacob Host (18th min)
Alex Johnston (46th, 51st min)
Isaiah Tass (66th min)
Rabbitohs continue to prove themselves as premiership contendersAfter a mixed few weeks to open the season, the Bunnies have seriously started to hit their straps.
They entered this clash on a four-match win streak and as genuine premiership threats and exited as even more serious premiership contenders.
Jason Demetriou's side picked up from where they left off after their crushing defeat of the Broncos last round, showcasing their attacking potency and defensive stability.
Latrell Mitchell delivered a special kick in behind for Cody Walker to open the scoring, and they never looked back from there.
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 6, 2023The win also creates some separation between the Bunnies and the Storm on the ladder, with the pair tied on points prior to the clash.
Storm fail to build on winning record against the BunniesThey came into this match as slight underdogs, but Melbourne's record against the Rabbitohs was a source of confidence for Craig Bellamy's men.
The Storm had won 32 of their previous 38 NRL games against the Bunnies, with their 84% win rate against them the highest of any team against a single opponent.
That win rate has now been reduced, and there was no sign of their historical dominance in this particular affair.
Whilst they created plenty of pressure, they were regularly let down by errors, which is sure to rub their coach the wrong way.
Their coach highlighted the inconsistency of his side post-match.
"[We lost the match because we were] being inconsistent like we have been all year," Bellamy said.
"In the first half we had a lot of good field position but it just looked like we didn't know each other.
"The communication must have been right off."
Alex Johnston marks 200th NRL appearance with two triesMaking 200 appearances for a single club is a significant feat, and Souths winger Alex Johnston achieved just that on Saturday night.
Already the Rabbitohs' top all-time try-scorer, there was no doubt that AJ wanted to mark the occasion with a four-pointer.
He waited until half-time, but dove over for a quick double to pull the Bunnies away from the Storm.
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 6, 2023Melbourne had conceded 33 per cent of their tries on the right-hand side of their defence this season (per Stats Insider) prior to the match but conceded three to their opposing winger and centre.
Storm vs Rabbitohs Round 10 team lists STORM TEAM LIST RABBITOHS TEAM LIST1. Nick Meaney
2. Will Warbrick
3. Reimis Smith
4. Justin Olam
5. Xavier Coates
6. Cameron Munster
7. Jahrome Hughes
8. Nelson Asofa-Solomona
9. Harry Grant
10. Christian Welch
11. Trent Loiero
12. Eliesa Katoa
13. Josh King
14. Bronson Garlick
15. Aaron Pene
16. Tom Eisenhuth
17. Tariq Sims
1. Latrell Mitchell
2. Alex Johnston
3. Isaiah Tass
4. Campbell Graham
5. Taane Milne
6. Cody Walker
7. Lachlan Ilias
8. Tevita Tatola
9. Damien Cook
10. Hame Sele
11. Michael Chee Kam
12. Jacob Host
13. Cameron Murray
14. Jed Cartwright
15. Jai Arrow
16. Liam Knight
17. Thomas Burgess
