NRL Round 13 – Rabbit in the Vineyard: Opportunity lost as AJ scores his 200th

 

 

 

 

 

2025 NRL Round 13

South Sydney v NZ Warriors

Sunday 1 June, Sydney Olympic Stadium, 2pm

 

Opportunity lost as AJ scores his 200^th NRL try

 

Sunday afternoon footy. South Sydney, coming off the bye taking on the top four Warriors.

 

After Watene-Zalezniak outleapt Alex Johnston to score an unconverted try in the third minute, South Sydney dominated much of the first half to lead 12-4. However, two tries to the Warriors in the last eight minutes of the first half had the visitors in front by two as the players trudged into the sheds for oranges.

 

The visitors then piled on three more tries after the break to lead 30-12.

 

Latrell then led a revival of sorts for Souths to be back in the contest at 24-30.

 

As ABC Grandstand expert Matthew Elliott commented: this passage of play summed up the difference between the teams – Souths gained possession from a Warriors’ error and were on the attack 20m out – Koloamatangi dropped the ball in a set of six for the Rabbitohs Elliott used a ‘Primary School raspberry’ sound to describe!

 

The Warriors marched downfield, gained a repeat set – Latrell made a mess of the short drop out – gifting the visitors field position for Tuivasa-Sheck to score his second try of the afternoon to put the Warriors back out by 12 points …

 

Latrell subsequently scored a barnstorming try himself, reminiscent of his try against Manly in the first NRL game played in Las Vegas. The Warriors held on to their six-point lead for the win.

 

In Wayne Bennett’s 950^th NRL game as coach, his Souths side did not play for the 80 minutes.

 

 

The Clive Churchill-Mario Fenech-Ian Roberts most inspirational player

Alex Johnston scored three tries to become only the second player in NRL history to reach the ‘Jason Gillespie double ton’ mark.

‘AJ’ now is 12 tries away from Ken Irvine’s record.

 

The Phil Blake chip n chase best attacking moment:

Johnston’s first try was a 90m intercept effort. Just after it seemed certain the visitors would score on the back of a ‘six again’ call on the South Sydney goal line, Alex plucked the ball out of the air and sprinted down the touchline to score, despite the chase of Tuivasa-Sheck from the opposite wing.

 

South Sydney now moves on to play the second placed Canberra, coming off a gritty win over the Sombrero, in the nation’s capital on Sunday afternoon. The Raiders will be celebrating Josh Papali’i’s record breaking 319^th game.

For Souths, with Jack Wighton and Cody both returning, the energetic Jye Gray, who lead the Dally M medal count earlier in the season, now finds himself in reserve grade.

In addition to leading the Dally M medal earlier in the season, Gray still has a six point lead over Blues Origin hopeful Keon Koloamatangi in the Rabbit in the Vineyard Player of the Year standings.

South Sydney now sits ninth on the congested NRL ladder. The Bunnies’ points difference of -58 is a concern, with only the Tigers, Knights, Parramatta and the Titans having higher numbers in the column that teams always want to be on the plus side of.

Interesting times …

 

 

Full time: Warriors 36 defeated South Sydney 30

 

Souths line up: Latrell (capt.), Johnston, Tass, Graham, Bentley- Hape, Sullivan, Humphreys, Arrow, Havili, Koloamatangi, Duncan, Aitken, Hubner, bench: Gray, Keppie, Moale, Tatola.

 

South Sydney points: tries (5) Kolamatangi 8’, Johnston 27’, 58’, 62’, Latrell 75’, goals: Latrell 5/5

 

Half time Warriors 14-12

 

Crowd 16, 237

 

Highlights

NRL Highlights: Rabbitohs v Warriors – Round 13 | NRL on Nine

 

 

Press conference

‘Not just a good athlete’ – Wayne all praise for AJ after cracking 200th career try | Fox League

 

 

RABBIT IN THE VINEYARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR

 

3 – Keon Koloamatangi, 2 – Alex Johnston, 1 – Latrell

 

Progressive points:

17 – Jye Gray, 11 – Keon Koloamatangi & Jamie Humphreys, 7 – Campbell Graham & Lachlan Hubner, 5 – Latrell, 3 – Tallis Duncan, Jack Wighton, Jai Arrow, 2 –Alex Johnston, Sean Keppie, 1 – Euan Aitken, Davvy Moale, Peter Mamouzelos, Cody.

NB: 2023 and 2024 winner: Cameron Murray

 

 

South Sydney full weekend results:

NSW Cup Warriors 24 d South Sydney 6

Jersey Flegg Cup Warriors 30 d South Sydney 26

 

 

BAROSSA RED WINE OF THE WEEK

 

Gomersal 2023 Touringa Nacional

Enjoyed in Tanunda with fellow Almanac member Andy Thurlow last Friday evening.

2023 Gomersal Wines Premium Touriga Nacional — Gomersal Wines

 

 

 

Read more from Rabbit in the Vineyard HERE.

 

Russel Hansen, South Sydney football club diamond member 6199, lives in Nuriootpa, Barossa Valley, South Australia.  His golden retriever, Murray, is named after the (injured – for the season) South Sydney captain. Twitter/X: @Rabbit in the Vineyard @Russel_Hansen

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