Saturday 11 April
South Sydney v Canberra
Perth Stadium 1:00pm (WST)
It was Gather Round in the Barossa, with flags flying, and shop windows decorated in AFL team colours.
At the Nuriootpa Park Run, a wide variety of club colours were on display, including Essendon, St Kilda, Richmond and the Brisbane Lions, as well as the usual Crows and Port Adelaide kit.
Murray Street Tanunda was prepared for the Saturday night street party.
Like the Tour Down Under, but perhaps a little more going on.
After a tough win over the highly fancied Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs on Good Friday, South Sydney had travelled across the Nullarbor for a home game against the Canberra Raiders. South Sydney’s recent results in previous Perth fixtures (0-5) were cause for some concern; however, the Raiders form was possibly a little patchy.
At half time Canberra held a commanding lead of 24-4.
An unnecessary attempted ‘tap on’ pass from Latrell that resulted in a turnover and a try at the other end under the posts summed up South Sydney’s first 40 minutes.
Those South Sydney fans who parted with their hard earned to cross the nation to support their beloved team must have been shaking their heads in the stands as the players left the field for oranges. It was a tough enough watch in the longue room in the Barossa.
South Sydney did respond to Wayne Bennett’s half-time speech to score the first three tries of the second half.
At 22-24, the game had swung, however errors gave the Raiders more opportunities to score, twice.
The dynamic Canberra fullback Kaeo Weekes ran 95m to score what will be a contender for the 2026 Try of the Year. Needless to say, Weekes beat many South Sydney defenders in the process. Weekes would not have been out of place in Murray Street, Tanunda on Saturday evening! What a run, what a celebration of athleticism.
The energetic Jye Gray had left the field in the first half with a suspected shoulder injury. To say South Sydney missed him would be a massive understatement.
Five-eighth Ethan Strange, another young, dynamic Canberra player then scored to give the Raiders breathing space.
Johnston and Wighton scored late tries for South Sydney to somehow conjure a possible miracle comeback win.
South Sydney did have the ball for the last set of six of the game. Since Adam Reynolds’ departure from Redfern, I have often lamented our lack of on field leadership, or as the experts call in in 2026, ‘game management’. Call it what you like, when Sean Keppie has the ball with seconds left on the clock and takes the tackle, South Sydney need to work on their ‘on field management’. Then, with Cody and Latrell on the left side, the ball first goes to the right side as the full-time hooter is about to sound. South Sydney need to work on ‘game management.’
Well played Canberra! A deserved win.
South Sydney players could perhaps do with some reading.
Many decades ago, Wayne Bennett wrote (co-wrote) several books and also wrote a newspaper column.
The theme of his books ‘League is a lot like life’ (1996), ‘Don’t die with the music in you’ (2007) and ‘Man in the mirror’ (2008) was attitude, perseverance, and responsibility.
Bennett would often refer to the farm, to hard work, and to mentors. Effort, consistency, playing hard from the opening whistle. His 2026 squad could do with some of that wisdom.
Lachie Kennedy would not run 9.96seconds for the 100m if his first 50m was rubbish.
Rugby league is an 80-minute game.
On to the winless Dragons in the uninspiring Saturday 5:30pm timeslot at Sydney Olympic Stadium.
Full time: Canberra 36 d South Sydney 34
South Sydney team list: Gray, Johnston, Latrell, Wighton, Graham, Cody, Humphreys, Tetola, Smith, Koloamatangi, Fifita, Duncan, Murray (captain), bench: Mamouzelos, Hubner, Keppie, Le Blanc, Sullivan, Le Blanc, Kosi.
South Sydney points: tries: (6) Walker 24’ & 46’, Humphreys 49’, Latrell 55’ Johnston 75’, Wighton 76’.
Goals: Latrell 5/6.
Half time: Canberra 24-4
Penalties: 3-3
Crowd: 33,404
Referee: Liam Kennedy
Highlights:
NRL 2026 | Rabbitohs v Raiders | Match Highlights | Round 6
Press conference:
south sydney press conference – YouTube
Rabbit in the Vineyard player of the year points:
3 Cameron Murray 2 Peter Mamouzelos 1 Tallis Duncan
Progressive: 5 Jye Gray & Cameron Murray, 4: Tallis Duncan, 3: Latrell, 2: Alex Johnston & Peter Mamouzelos, Cody, Jack Wighton, 1: David Fifita & Keon Koloamatangi
Honour roll: 2023-2024 Cameron Murray, 2025 Jye Gray
South Sydney full weekend results
NSW Cup round 5: South Sydney 38 d Parramatta 16
U/21 Jersey Flegg Cup Parramatta 30 d South Sydney 4
U/19 SG Ball Cup Manly 36 d South Sydney 30
U/17 Harold Matts South Sydney 33 d Penrith 28
Round 7 program:
Barossa Valley (Eden Valley) red wine of the week
Poonawatta 2021 The Cuttings Eden Valley Shiraz
Russel Hansen, South Sydney football club diamond member 6199, lives in Nuriootpa, Barossa Valley, South Australia. His golden retriever, Murray, is named after the South Sydney captain. Twitter/X: @Rabbit in the Vineyard @Russel_Hansen
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About Russel Hansen
Russel Hansen Has worked in schools for over thirty years – as a teacher, coach, coach educator, sports coordinator and in pastoral care roles. Whilst at Brisbane Boys’ College as Director of Athletics, he led teams to six GPS premierships in track and field, and cross country. He has coached (athletics) at all levels from school to international. His squad at the University of Queensland (to January 2023) included Lachlan Kennedy OLY, Paris 4x100m relay runner, Australian record holder. He is married to Heidi, a Primary school principal, and is father to two adult daughters. Twitter: @Russel_Hansen
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RITV, perhaps the proportion of chiefs to Indians is somehow amiss!
I have an uneasy feeling that Souths are going to be an inconsistent team this year, good one week, ordinary the next. Gray was/is a big loss of course. I hope they can get their act together and make a run.
very perceptive comments IJH & Prospector
IJH: the disproportion of chiefs to Indians mirrors South Sydney’s messy salary cap – the money on Cody, BLM & Wighton translates to a lack of props … and, at the risk of repeating myself, the lack of an on-field leader ‘
Prospector: inconsistency will continue whilst Cody & BLM play the way they do … their temperaments have never been addressed, not to mention their enigmatic tendencies