South Sydney came agonisingly close to overcoming a 20-point deficit – and the loss of fullback Jye Gray – before succumbing to a Canberra outfit that snapped a four-game losing streak.
Playing in the first game of a double-header at Optus Stadium, Perth fans witnessed a 36-34 thriller that wasn’t decided until the final seconds, when record-breaking Rabbitoh Alex Johnston had the chance to steal the result, only to spill a Latrell Mitchell bomb with the tryline in sight.
It ended six tries apiece, with just one shot at goal proving the difference.
The Raiders appeared to be cruising after posting four tries in the opening stanza to open up a 20-point advantage. But with Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker calling the shots, Souths equalled the most points they have ever scored in a defeat. Thirty of them came in the second half alone.
It was a case of two Rabbitohs comebacks, both which fell just short. The first came with a flurry of three tries in just nine minutes, a radical shift in momentum after a rare Wayne Bennett spray.
With the errors mounting and their defence regularly perforated, Ricky Stuart’s men were in desperate need of a spark. In came in the form of Kaeo Weekes, whose epic run began three metres out from his tryline and finished under the posts at the other end. Hudson Young (two tries) and Simi Sasagi were other standouts for the Raiders.
“The legs were a bit heavy, lucky Simi took a defender off [me],” Weekes said of the more spectacular of his two-long range tries in an interview with Fox League.
“Once I was in the clear I wasn’t too sure [if I would make it]. The lungs were burning, the legs were heavy. I’m just glad to get over and glad to get the win.
“It was a bit tense at the back end. We knew it would be a game of two halves. We let them back into the game at the start of the half. I’m really proud of the boys for showing up defensively and I just got lucky, I guess.”
Such has been the form of Sasagi since displacing Kiwi international Matt Timoko in the Green Machine backline that NSW officials made discreet enquiries about his availability for State of Origin.
Unfortunately for the Blues, Sasagi doesn’t qualify for the interstate arena.
Gray’s AC shoulder injury is the same as the one that has sidelined Stephen Crichton indefinitely. The nature of the injury makes a comeback timeframe difficult to predict; for context, the Canterbury captain’s return range between four and eight weeks. Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo is hopeful Crichton will be back in time for Origin, while scans will determine Gray’s immediate future.
Gray was in agony after landing awkwardly in the 13th minute and could take no further part in proceedings. The diminutive custodian could only watch on from the sidelines with his arm in a sling as the points-fest unfolded before him.
Had the Raiders not squeaked home in golden point against Manly in round one, last year’s minor premiers would have arrived at Optus Stadium winless in 2026. A fifth consecutive loss could have effectively ended their campaign just after it started.
However, the Raiders just hung on in a classic see-sawing encounter.
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