NRL Round 7: Saturday 18 April
South Sydney v St George-Illawarra
Sydney Olympic Stadium, 5:30pm
Kelechi Ekwomadu, Gout Gout, and no NRL at a Brisbane Pub on a Saturday night!
Saturday 18 April was circled in my diary many, many months ago.
Nothing to do with the 2026 NRL draw.
U/20m 100m final at the Australian (Junior) Athletics Championships in Brisbane.
Semi-finals 12:00pm, final 2:20pm.
Rewind twelve months and a young man from country South Australia, Stockport (population 283), won the U/18 national 100m championship on the fast, bouncy track in Perth.
In 2026, Kelechi Ekwomadu is now a resident of Kapunda, completing his secondary education at Trinity College, Gawler. In January this year, following an Australian Athletics relay camp on the Gold Coast, Kelechi ran two relays on a Saturday afternoon in Australian teams at QSAC (Brisbane). Unfortunately, the young man injured a hamstring tendon that day.
With some words of encouragement from Lachie Kennedy, and treatment from the QAS physiotherapist, rehabilitation started.
The previous Sunday, we had discussed the first eight months of 2026, with the goal of selection in the Australian team for the World U/20 championships in Eugene, Oregon in August.
The theme: opportunity.
By 2:22pm last Saturday, Kelechi, despite four weeks of training on the running track, had flown in the last 50m of the 100m final to finish fourth in the national final, in a race replayed across media platforms regularly as the winner was the young man from Ipswich, Gout Gout.
Will Kelechi be selected as part of the Australian relay squad?
We will know next Thursday.
Saturday afternoon was a time of many emotions including relief and gratitude.
RITV & Kelechi Ekwomadu after the U/20 100m final at the national
championships in Brisbane last Saturday.
Photo credit: Eliza Hansen
U/20 100m final 2026 Australian Junior Championships
A few short hours later, South Sydney, back from the opportunity lost (yet again) in Perth the pervious Saturday, were taking on the winless Dragons, Keon Koloamatangi’s club for 2027 onwards (remember, Keon wants to win a premiership) in the uninspiring 5:30pm time slot.
Due to the national athletics championships schedule, I was warming up the U/16 South Australian 4x100m relay team as the game kicked off. The young lads were great, picking up the silver medal behind the NSW team. Unusually, the Queensland team was back in fifth place.
I saw some of the first half on my phone, looking forward to the second half at the Glen Hotel. To my complete amazement, on a Saturday night in Brisbane, there was no NRL on the big screen at the Glen Hotel!
As I enjoyed a chicken schnitzel with my younger daughter Eliza, South Sydney lead at half time, even with Peter Mamazoulos in the sin bin.
Latrell was in the mood, scoring four tries. The human headline did let himself and his team down with an unnecessary and immature brain explosion during the first half when he slung Daniel Atkinson into the goalpost.
Latrell is in his eleventh season in the NRL. He turns 29 in June. He is father to three children, with a fourth on the way. Is there any need for this?
This game would be Shane Flanagan’s last as St George-Illawarra’s coach. The Dragons did lead early, after former Rabbitoh Damian Cook easily ran around fullback Matt Dufty to score one of the simplest tries of his long career.
On to Melbourne, where South Sydney are still yet to taste victory in twenty-seven years (twenty losses) dating back to April 1999 at the old Olympic Park, a 52-6 thumping win for the men in purple.
Can the 2026 South Sydney team break through for a long-awaited win?
I live in hope!
Highlights:
NRL 2026 | Rabbitohs v Dragons | Match Highlights | Round 7
Press conference:
Wayne Bennett full of praise after the Bunnies hold off the Dragons ? ? | Rabbitohs press conference
Full time: South Sydney 30 d St George-Illawarra 12
South Sydney team list: Dufty (South Sydney debut, number 1216) Johnston, Latrell, Wighton, Graham, Cody, Humphreys, Tetola, Smith, Keppie, Garlick, Duncan, Murray (captain), bench: Koloamatangi, Hubner, Mamouzelos, Sullivan, Fletcher, Kosi.
South Sydney points: tries: (6) Latrell 5’, Latrell 30’, Johnston 38’ (try number 217) Dufty 46’, Latrell 70’, Latrell 74’.
Goals: Latrell 3/7
Half time: South Sydney 16-12
Penalties: 3-3
Sin bin: 37’ Mamouzelos
Sent off: Jayden Su’A
Six again: St George Illawarra 5 – South Sydney 3
Off loads: St George-Illawarra 14-4 (stat of the week)
Crowd: 15, 115
Referee: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski
Rabbit in the Vineyard Player of the Year points
3 Latrell, 2 Tallis Duncan, 1 Cameron Murray
Progressive: 6: Cameron Murray, Tallis Duncan & Latrell, 5: Jye Gray, 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 7: South Sydney 28 d St George Illawarra 22
U/21 Jersey Flegg Cup round 7: St George Illawarra 44 d South Sydney
U/19 SG Ball Cup finals week 2: South Sydney 36 d Parramatta 10
U/17 Harold Matthews Cup: preliminary final this Saturday
Round 8 program
U/19 SG Ball Cup: Preliminary Final: (1st v 3rd) South Sydney v Eastern Suburbs, Leichhardt Oval, Anzac Day 3:30pm
U/17 Harold Matthews Cup: Preliminary Final (1st v 3rd) Newcastle v South Sydney, Leichhardt Oval, Anzac Day 5:30pm
Barossa Valley red wine of the week
Turkey Flat Sparkling 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, some huge moments there for you at the athletics. Well done!
It’s now or never for the Rabbitohs in Melbourne. That puts as much pressure on them as Melbourne face with the prospect of 6 losses on the trot. Who will keep the coolest heads? I’ve offered you whatever help I can by tipping the Storm (as has Prop).
Murray (the golden retriever, named after the captain) has gone with his heart and tipped South Sydney
Agree, it’s now or never, no more from the skinny coach about “I cannot fault their effort” … funnily enough, I find it quite straight forward to fault some of the ‘effort’ at times
If young Kelechi makes that Australian team for Oregon, it will cost him $6000.00 for the privilege of running in that Australian singlet … and people wonder why I blow up about BLM on a million for 11 games a season in 2024 & 2025