What happened in Round 1 2007?
The South Sydney Rabbitohs defeated the Sydney Roosters in emphatic style on Monday 19 March at Aussie Stadium, knocking over their neighbours 18 points to six in front of 24,127 fans in the return of Monday Night Football.
International centre Nigel Vagana scored two tries in his debut for the Rabbitohs, playing his role in a fantastic team effort.
The Rabbitohs' defensive effort was something to behold, not allowing one line break throughout the entire match.
The Rabbitohs played an outstanding first half, punishing the Roosters in defence and creating plenty of opportunities in attack.
A dominant performance from halfback Joe Williams put the Rabbitohs 12 points ahead at the break.
Williams scored the first try in the 15th minute. He charged towards the line from about ten metres out, dummied three or four times and slipped between Anthony Minichiello and Danny Nutley to score. Williams converted his own try to give the Rabbitohs a six-point lead.
In the 17th minute, Williams kicked a booming 40-20 to give the Rabbitohs fabulous field position.
From the ensuing set, Nigel Vagana scored in the 18th minute. Jeremy Smith put in a deft grubber kick to the right hand corner and Vagana charged through, collected the ball and planted it down centimetres inside the dead ball line. The video referee awarded the try and Williams' conversion from the sideline gave the red and greens the 12-point advantage.
The Rabbitohs defence was excellent during the half and looked very dangerous in attack. The Roosters had their moments but errors from Braith Anasta, Minichiello and Craig Wing, and some deadly defence from South Sydney, thwarted their best attacking chances.
Williams extended the lead to 14 with a penalty goal in the 47th minute. The Rabbitohs continued to cause the Roosters problems, with Williams making a huge break up field to set up a repeat set of six, and the team repelled two sets of attack from the Roosters on their own try line.
Captain Peter Cusack was denied a try by the video referee in the 58th minute, before the Roosters responded with a try to halfback Josh Lewis two minutes later. Craig Fitzgibbon converted to bring the score to 14-8 in favour of Souths.
Eight minutes later, Vagana scored his second try when he finished off a well-worked backline move. From dummy half Daniel Irvine found Williams who threw a lovely cut out pass to David Peachey who put Vagana in space to score.
The Rabbitohs defence remained inpenetrable, sealing the win and the two competition points.
Coach Jason Taylor was very happy with his team's performance.
"We defended extremely well and we showed some promising signs in attack," Coach Taylor said.
"We have areas we'll be working on and improving on and we'll need to work hard before playing Parramatta next Sunday.
"We're looking forward to playing on home turf at Telstra Stadium in front of a big Rabbitohs crowd and we urge all Souths fans to get to the game on Sunday and support the boys."
South Sydney Rabbitohs 18 (Nigel Vagana 2, Joe Williams tries; Joe Williams 3 goals)
defeated
Sydney Roosters 6 (Josh Lewis try; Craig Fitzgibbon goal)
Source – www.souths.com.au
What are the words to the victory song?
And now that we’re all round the bar
And the captain’s declared it a quorum
We’re drinking our way through the night
And we’re having the time of our lives.
Throw the empties away, start again (start again)
For the boys of South Sydney are together
And we’ll drink ‘til the dawn breaks again
And may the sessions of South Sydney last forever.
UP THE RABBITOHS!
What happened at the press dinner?
Rabbitohs co-owners Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes à Court invited a group of influential journalists, editors, reporters and producers to a dinner at Darcy’s in Paddington to discuss the Rabbitohs plans for the year and into the future, and to provide the media with a casual environment in which to get to know Russell and Peter.
The Rabbitohs Drum Squad made their first appearance as a troupe at the dinner and a controversial television commercial featuring a cartoon rabbit tearing its opposition to shreds (literally) was shown for the first time.
The journalists asked the pair about their friendship away from football, how they met, what certain actors are like and had an enjoyable chat in a relaxed environment.
What is a recovery session?
A recovery session is a post-match training session designed to help the players recover from the previous game. Recovery sessions are often taken in pools, the ocean and gyms and contain activities such as swimming, walking, stretching and yoga. These sessions are designed to stretch muscles, ease muscle pain and reduce swelling after a tough and bruising game of Rugby League.
Where/What is Cook + Phillip Park?
Cook + Phillip Park is a unique public facility combining a state of the art indoor aquatic, fitness and recreation complex in a parkland setting right in the heart of Sydney's Central Business District.
The Centre offers a full range of swimming, gym, ball-court and recreational activities for all ages.
The Rabbitohs’ players use Cook + Phillip Park for their recovery sessions, along with Maroubra Beach. Located in College St in the CBD of Sydney, Cook + Phillip Park provides the Rabbitohs with all of the facilities they require for an effective recovery session.
To check out Cook + Phillip Park visit there website at www.cookandphillip.com.au.
What changes have been made to Erskineville Oval?
Erskineville Oval now has training facilities the equal of any other in the NRL.
A $600,000 overhaul of the Oval began in May 2006 and a further $250,000 was spent on upgrading training equipment and Erskineville Oval is now a one stop shop for Rabbitohs players and staff.
The upgrade included recreational rooms so players can spend their time watching TV or on the internet in between training sessions. Some players live as far away as Cronulla and Penrith and this eliminates the need for them to spend a great deal of time on the road.
A full time physiotherapist is also employed by the club for use by the players in their down time.
The new facilities at Erskineville Oval are also used by the club’s junior representative players.
What happened in Round 2 2007?
The South Sydney Rabbitohs punished the Parramatta Eels 31 points to six at Telstra Stadium on Sunday 25 March in front of 15,165 fans.
The Eels had no answers to the Rabbitohs tight defence and imaginative attacking options, with the Rabbitohs completely dominating their opposition on all fronts.
The Rabbitohs led the Eels at the break by a 12-six margin, after some committed defence and dangerous attacking raids on the fringes of the ruck.
Renowned try scorer Nathan Merritt opened the scoring in the eighth minute when he touched down in the left hand corner. The try was set up in the prior set-of-six, with fullback David Peachey offloading a fantastic ball to Merritt on his own 20 metre line, who charged 60 metres down field. An ensuing penalty led to the try in the next set, with Merritt scoring out wide.
The Rabbitohs dodged two bullets in 24th and 25th minutes when video referee Steve Clark denied the Eels two tries. On the first occassion, Rabbitohs hooker Daniel Irvine was sin-binned for ten minutes when it was deemed he held back PJ Marsh when he was trying to score a try.
The Rabbitohs defended for the middle 20 minute period of the half, not seeing much of the ball.
In the 31st minute, Joe Williams extended the Rabbitohs lead to six with a penalty goal, with the Rabbitohs holding strong in defence for the ten minute period in which they were reduced to 12 men.
In the 35th minute, the Eels leveled the scores at six-all through a try to Rugby-bound Timana Tahu and the conversion to Luke Burt.
In the 39th minute, Rabbitohs winger Paul Mellor scored a try and Williams' conversion gave the Rabbitohs the six-point buffer at the break. Jeremy Smith slid across field and put captain David Kidwell through a gap. Kidwell charged ahead before flicking a ball out wide right to Mellor who scooted around the defence to score.
The Rabbitohs looked dangerous on the fringes, with Kidwell and Dean Widders causing their opposition, and former team mates, plenty of problems. The Rabbitohs were defending well again, picking up where they left off against the Roosters the week before.
The try of the season so far was scored by Rabbitohs try scoring freak Merritt in the 43rd minute. The Rabbitohs ran the ball on the last tackle, with Williams finding Jeremy Smith on his left. Smith chip kicked for Merritt on the left wing from the halfway line. Merritt steadied, chipped over Joel Reddy, regathered the ball and ran 35 metres, tip-toeing up the sideline, to score in the corner.
A penalty goal nine minutes later to Williams extended the lead to 12, with the Rabbitohs continuing to defend solidly on their own line.
In the 61st minute, Kiwi second-rower David Fa'alogo scored a four-pointer. Prop Roy Asotasi charged at the line and got a quick play-the-ball away. Williams took the ball at first receiver and threw a beautiful short pass to Fa'alogo to crash over. Williams converted to extend the lead to 24-six.
Five minutes late, Williams popped over a field goal to give the Rabbitohs an unassailable 19-point lead.
The video referee denied Daniel Irvine a try in the 68th minute, before Nigel Vagana scored his third try in two games in the 69th minute. In a perfectly worked set move, the Rabbitohs went right, through Joe Williams to David Peachey, the pass going behind to decoy runners. Peachey ran to the line and put Vagana in the hole to score. Williams' fifth conversion gave the Rabbitohs the 31-six victory.
The Rabbitohs commitment to defence, in particular, was epitomised by the 73rd minute tackle by Roy Asotasi on Eels five-eighth Brett Finch. Finch drifted across field and Asotasi snapped him in two in one of the biggest hits seen this year.
Rabbitohs Head Coach Jason Taylor was delighted with his team's performance.
"I'm very pleased with the effort. It was a strong win in the end," Taylor said.
"They were twice the team we played last week and to win so convincingly was unreal.
"We lifted when we were down and stepped it up another notch from Bubsy's (Irvine) sinbinning right through to the end of the game.
"The tries on either side of half time to Mellor and Merritt turned the game in our favour I thought."
Taylor said his side was starting to shape up after all of the hard work in the pre-season.
"Good teams in the competition defend well and that's what we've been doing for the first two games," Taylor said.
"We've got over the top of one of the better teams in the comp which is pleasing."
Captain Peter Cusack said: "We're controlling the play-the-ball really well and winning the ruck goes a long way to winning the game."
"We've worked hard on our defence and it's paid off for us to this point."
On Nathan Merritt's second try, Cusack had one thing to say.
"Freakish!"
The Rabbitohs will take on the Cronulla Sharks at Toyota Park on Saturday 31 March at 7:30pm in round three of the NRL Telstra Premiership, before returning to Telstra Stadium in round four to play the Bulldogs on Good Friday, April 6 at 7:30pm.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 31 (Nathan Merritt 2, Paul Mellor, David Fa'alogo, Nigel Vagana tries; Joe Williams 5 goals; Joe Williams field goal)
defeated
Parramatta Eels 6 (Timana Tahu try; Luke Burt goal)
Source – www.souths.com.au
Who is the Burrow?
The Burrow is one of the Rabbitohs largest supporter groups.
The Burrow travel with the Rabbitohs right around the country, and internationally, to watch them play, standing and singing there way through the matches supporting their team.
The Burrow can found in aisle 133 at Telstra Stadium for Rabbitohs home games.
To learn more about The Burrow visit www.theburrow.com.au.
What happened in Round 3 2007?
The South Sydney Rabbitohs won their third straight match to open the 2007 NRL Premiership, defeating the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 26 to 16 in front of 17,866 fans at Toyota Park on Saturday 31 March.
Try scoring machine Nathan Merritt added another double to help the Rabbitohs amass five tries in tonight's clash, their toughest hit-out so far this season.
The five former Sharks (David Peachey, Nigel Vagana, Nathan Merritt, Paul Mellor and Luke Stuart) in the Rabbitohs line-up were given the expected unwelcoming reception from the Cronulla crowd, but they took to the field wearing their new colours, displaying their strong allegiance to the Rabbitohs.
The Rabbitohs opened the scoring in the sweetest way with David Peachey scoring in the seventh minute. The Rabbitohs ran their double wrap play to the right hand side, with the ball being scooped up by Paul Mellor. Mellor ran inside, attracting the defence and offloaded to Peachey on his outside. Peachey held off two defenders to score right next to the corner post. Joe Williams converted from the sideline for the six-point lead.
Ten minutes later the Rabbitohs scored their second try through winger Nathan Merritt, his third for the season in his 50th first grade game for the Rabbitohs. The Rabbitohs swung the ball to the left early in the set through Daniel Irvine to Williams, then to Jeremy Smith who found Shannon Hegarty, who gave the last pass to Merritt to score in the left hand corner.
Just two minutes later, hooker Daniel Irvine added another try. The length of the field try came from the kick off. On the third tackle and 20 metres out from their own line, the Rabbitohs made a huge break through captain Peter Cusack, who ran 45 metres before finding Peachey backing up. He drew two defenders before throwing an around-the-back pass to Irvine who scored under the posts. Williams converted to give the Rabbitohs a 16-nil lead after 20 minutes.
The Sharks scored their first points in the 32nd minute through a try to winger Luke Covell to take the scores to 16 - four in favour of the red and greens.
Nathan Merritt scored his second try in the 35th minute in a brilliant individual display. Running from dummy half just 20 metres from his own line, Merritt beat the tackle of Greg Bird and scooted 80 metres to score in the right hand corner.
The Rabbitohs had answers for everything the Sharks threw at them in the first half. Merritt, Peachey and Williams were looking particularly dangerous with Nigel Vagana creating space on the right hand side. The Rabbitohs forward pack gained plenty of metres and were rock solid in defence, the Sharks only try coming from a bomb. The Sharks were a one-man-band in the opening stanza with Brett Kimmorley doing everything from kicking, running and tackling virtually on his own.
The Sharks opened the scoring for the second half in the 53rd minute when replacement dummy half Isaac De Gois crashed over from dummy half. Covell converted to bring the Sharks within 10 points.
The Rabbitohs bounced back in the 59th minute when captain David Kidwell scored his first try in Rabbitohs colours. The Sharks' Dustin Cooper spilled the ball about 25 metres out from his own line. From the mistake, the Rabbitohs peppered the right hand side of the field, until Kidwell stepped into a hole and scored. Williams' conversion restored the Rabbitohs' 16-point advantage.
The Sharks scored a consolation try in the 78th minute to winger Fraser Anderson, and Luke Covell's conversion brought the Sharks within 10 points, but it was all too late as the Rabbitohs sealed their third victory in as many weeks.
The Rabbitohs put in an excellent team performance, continually looking dangerous in attack and punishing the Sharks in defence at every opportunity. South Sydney's kick-chase was outstanding throughout the entire game, with the Rabbitohs consistently getting a field-width of defence in the face of the Sharks' back three.
Rabbitohs Head Coach Jason Taylor was happy with his team's performance, but warned against taking the foot off the pedal.
"We started to cruise a bit in the second half and we can't fall into that habit," Taylor said.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the win and we really set it all up in the first half, but we did slow down in the second half and we can't afford to do that."
Captain Cusack was asked about his break to set up the Irvine try: "I think we had a big wind at our back and that pushed me along but I saw Peach and he and Bubsy (Irvine) did the rest."
Captain Kidwell said it was important the players kept a level head: "We're playing some exciting football but we have to keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard at training and on the field."
The Rabbitohs will take on the Bulldogs on Good Friday 6 April at Telstra Stadium, in their first Friday night outing since 2002. Tickets are available now from Ticketek by calling 132 849 or by clicking here.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 26 (Nathan Merritt 2, David Peachey, Daniel Irvine, David Kidwell tries; Joe Williams 3 goals)
defeated
Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 16 (Luke Covell, Isaac De Gois, Fraser Anderson tries; Luke Covell 2 goals)
Source – www.souths.com.au
When is the last time the Rabbitohs won their first three games in a season?
The last time the Rabbitohs had started the season with a three-game winning streak was in 1972.
The Rabbitohs’ first victim in 1972 was the Parramatta Eels, defeating them 37-3 at Redfern Oval.
Second up was the Eastern Suburbs Roosters at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with the reigning Premiers winning 21-12.
The third win was against the Canterbury Bulldogs at the Sydney Cricket Ground with South Sydney taking the match 26-12.
The winning streak ended with a 23-16 defeat at the hands of eventual premiers Manly-Warringah in round four.
What is the white hoodie?
The white hoodie was distributed to the players as part of their playing uniform as a reward for their away victory over the Sharks at Toyota Park in round three.
The white hoodie is a white version of the black hoodie which was given to the players before the Bra Boys movie premiere and the Anthony Mundine fight.
What’s happening at South Sydney Leagues Club?
The former South Sydney Leagues Club building and car park, covering 12,000 square metres, was purchased by the Football Club in February 2007, and a new company called High Concept Commercial was formed to redevelop the building in partnership with Albert Bertini’s Trivest group.
Trivest specialises in adaptive re-use of city fringe commercial buildings and has been very successful in the development of buildings in Alexandria, Pyrmont, Surry Hills and Ultimo.
South Sydney Leagues Club will retain ownership of 1,500 square metres on the first floor, by strata title, in the new Rabbitohs building, with brand new licensed club premises.
The Football Club will have new management and player facilities in the building, which will be finished in 2008 along with the new South Sydney Rabbitohs’ training facility at Redfern Park, being built by the City of Sydney.
Other prospective tenants for the remaining 10,000 square metres in the building, which include a small, express style supermarket, a small public gymnasium and commercial offices.
Rabbitohs’ Executive Chairman Peter Holmes à Court, said: “We will develop a state of the art commercial facility for South Sydney, providing first class amenities for the Football Club, Leagues Club members, general public and commercial lessees.
“This building will return as the hub of social activity in the Redfern area and we are delighted to be developing an icon property in the city fringe, with other High Concept projects currently being considered”, he added.
The Football Club will benefit from the rental payments to be generated by the leasing of the commercial space and funds generated by the newly refurbished building.
What are the words to ‘Glory Glory to South Sydney’?
When speaking of the champions
One stands above the rest,
Glories old and records proud
Were often put to test,
Of fine traditions, histories
That others cannot best,
They wear the Red and Green.
Glory, glory to South Sydney,
Glory, glory to South Sydney,
Glory, glory to South Sydney,
South Sydney marches on.
They mauled the Balmain Tigers
Slew the Dragons from St George,
Seagulls and the Panthers next
Were crushed with mighty force,
They humbled Parramatta
And the Berries in due course,
They wear the Red and Green.
Glory, glory to South Sydney,
Glory, glory to South Sydney,
Glory, glory to South Sydney,
South Sydney marches on.
They plucked the Western Magpie
Slashed the Newtown bag of blue,
The Eastern Suburbs Rooster crowed
And then was conquered too,
The greatest name in any game
Within South Sydney grew,
They wear the Red and Green.
Glory, glory to South Sydney,
Glory, glory to South Sydney,
Glory, glory to South Sydney,
South Sydney marches on.
Glory, glory to South Sydney,
Glory, glory to South Sydney,
Glory, glory to South Sydney,
South Sydney marches on.
What happened in Round 4 2007?
The Rabbitohs were dealt their first defeat of the 2007 season on Friday 6 April, going down 34-10 in front of a bumper crowd of 34,315, the all-time highest NRL Club game attendance at Telstra Stadium.
The crowd figure also usurped the Rabbitohs' highest home attendance at Telstra Stadium, previously 24,566 in the 2006 Charity Shield, and the Rabbitohs highest home NRL attendance, previously 16,741 against the Roosters in 2006.
The first half was the quintessential armwrestle with the Bulldogs holding a slight advantage at the break. The 'Dogs stretched the Rabbitohs wide and the Rabbitohs line held solid except for once which led to Trent Cutler's second try.
It was a ferocious forward battle early with both packs trying exert their dominance early.
In the fifth minute the Bulldogs bombed a try when they knocked on over the line. The Rabbitohs were throwing the ball around and playing some very exciting, attacking football.
The Rabbitohs opened the scoring in the 13th minute when mercurial fullback David Peachey scored. Halfback Joe Williams attacked the line on the right hand side, drew two defenders and then turned the ball inside to Peachey. 'Peach' stepped Bulldog Andrew Ryan and beat two defenders to score. Williams converted giving the Rabbitohs a six-point advantage.
In the 18th minute the video referee awarded Cutler his first try when a Ben Roberts grubber kick wasn't cleaned up by the Rabbitohs. Hazem El Masri's conversion, and penalty goal five minutes later, gave the Bulldogs an eight-six lead after 23 minutes.
The video referee denied Ryan a try and the 'Dogs knocked on again over the line, thwarting two chances to score.
In the 33rd minute, Cutler scored his second when he carried two defenders over the line to score in the left hand corner. El Masri converted to give the Bulldogs a 14-six advantage at the break.
Souths winger Paul Mellor left the field in the 36th minute, forcing Shannon Hegarty to the left wing, John Sutton to left centre and Nathan Merritt to the right wing.
The second half was a tough slog for the Rabbitohs, with the Bulldogs running in three more tries.
Former Rabbitoh Kane Cleal scored the first in the 57th minute, followed five minutes later by a Daryl Millard four-pointer, then an El Masri try in the 70th minute, all converted by the sharp-shooting El Masri. A 74th minute penalty goal to El Masri sealed the deal for the Bulldogs.
In the last minute of play, Nathan Merritt scored another freakish try to add to his growing list memorable four-pointers. He received the ball from Dean Widders 50 metres out from his own line, ran ten metres, kicked the ball ahead, ran out of the field of play and back on to the field before collecting the ball near the line and diving over to score.
The Rabbitohs ball control left a lot to be desired throughout the match, not playing up to the standard they had set over the past three weeks, completing only 67% of their sets. Props Luke Stuart, Peter Cusack, Scott Geddes and Roy Asotasi made some good charges, with Sonny Bill Williams and Willie Mason making damaging in roads throughout the match for the Bulldogs.
Rabbitohs Head Coach Jason Taylor said the Bulldogs were fired up and we couldn't match them for the full 80 minutes.
"They were very strong tonight. We were a long way from where we've been the last couple of weeks," Taylor said.
"We got away to a great start but we gave them too many opportunities and a side like that will make you pay.
"They were at their best tonight and they're one of the contenders for the title."
"How we respond to this will determine how our season will pan out. I'm very happy with three wins from our first four games."
Captain David Kidwell said: "We'll learn from this and stay tight. We learned some hard lessons tonight and we'll improve from that."
Captain Peter Cusack said: "No one stopped trying. We just made too many silly errors."
Taylor praised the fans for turning up in such great numbers tonight.
"It was superb to see the fans turn out tonight. They shouldn't be disappointed. We'll be ready for next week against the Knights."
Mellor suffered bruising to his back and will be assessed over the next 24 hours. Merritt was feeling some discomfort in hos shoulder after scoring his try but was fine at the end of the match.
The Rabbitohs will take on the Newcastle Knights at Gosford's Bluetongue Stadium next Sunday 15 April at 2pm.
Bulldogs 34 (Trent Cutler 2, Kane Cleal, Daryl Millard, Hazem El Masri tries; Hazem El Masri 7 goals)
defeated
South Sydney Rabbitohs 10 (David Peachey, Nathan Merritt tries; Joe Williams goal)
Source – www.souths.com.au
What happened with David Kidwell’s injury?
The Rabbitohs had played against the Bulldogs on Friday 6 April at Telstra in what was touted in the media as ‘The Greatest Club Battle of the Year.’ The Rabbitohs fought hard in that game however a loss was the final result.
The Rabbitohs had the rest of the weekend off to spend with family over the Easter holiday. Kidwell was attending a family BBQ and was playing with his two daughters, Zali and Aaliyah, in the backyard when he tripped and caught his foot underneath his two-year-old daughter Zali. In avoiding falling on her with all his weight, Kidwell twisted and injured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), a season ending injury.
What happened in Round 5 2007?
The Newcastle Knights have defeated the South Sydney Rabbitohs 23 points to 22 at Bluetongue Stadium this afternoon (Sunday) in front of 18,321 fans.
The Rabbitohs played strongly in the opening half, but their ball-handling let them down in the second half, going down by a solitary point at the full time siren.
The Rabbitohs led 12-10 at the break, dominating the half in both attack and defence. The Rabbitohs created a number of chances, with the Knights really struggling to contain the likes of fullback David Peachey, and second rowers David Fa'alogo and Dean Widders.
Fa'alogo opened the scoring for the match in the fifth minute of play. Hooker Daniel Irvine threw a perfect cut-out pass to the left to Fa'alogo, who dummied and charged straight through two defenders to score. Joe Williams' conversion gave the Rabbitohs an early six-point advantage.
Three minutes later the Knights hit back through fullback Kurt Gidley, who converted his own try to level the scores at six-all.
Winger Yileen Gordon left the field within the opening ten minutes, leaving the Rabbitohs with a three-man bench.
The tussle remained tight, with the Rabbitohs scoring in the 21st minute when Widders crashed over out wide. Peachey drifted right and hit Widders who split the defence to score. Williams converted to give the Rabbitohs a 12-6 lead.
The Rabbitohs had all of the momentum, with Williams kicking a 40/20 in the 29th minute. From the subsequent set of six, Fa'alogo crashed over on the right hand side, but the video referee denied him saying he knocked on over the line.
Two minutes later Knights winger James McManus scored in the right hand corner, bringing the Knights within two.
In the 35th minute, Jeremy Smith kicked another 40/20 but the Rabbitohs couldn't get over the line to finish the half.
The Rabbitohs started the second half on fire, with Nigel Vagana crossing in the 43rd minute. The Rabbitohs capitalised on a Knights error and threw the ball right from Jeremy Smith to Peachey, who found Vagana running straight and hard on to the ball, giving the Rabbitohs a six-point lead.
From that point on the game took an ugly turn with both sides continually dropping the ball and turning over the possession. The Knights handled the game better, moving ahead 23-16 after tries to Brad Tighe and Kurt Gidley, plus two conversions and the match-winning field goal from Gidley.
After the siren, the Rabbitohs scored the final try of the match through lock John Sutton who was lurking out wide left. Williams converted to bring the Rabbitohs within one point but it was all too late.
Rabbitohs Head Coach Jason Taylor said: "I thought we did a great job in the first half and we started the second half well.
"We just invited them back into the game too many times.
"Our interchange became a juggling act on the hottest game of the year because of the injury to Yileen and we made too many clumsy errors.
"We'll work hard on the areas in which we need to improve and we'll be ready for next week's game."
Captain Peter Cusack said: "We need to lift when a decision goes against us.
"We'll work on that and other parts of game before next week and we'll be better for it."
Rabbitohs winger Yileen Gordon suffered an ankle injury, suspected to be broken, and will undergo diagnostic tests to determine the damage.
The Rabbitohs will play the North Queensland Cowboys in round six on Monday 23 April at 7pm.
Newcastle Knights 23 (Kurt Gidley 2, James McManus, Brad Tighe tries; Kurt Gidley 3 goals; Kurt Gidley field goal)
defeated
South Sydney Rabbitohs 22 (David Fa'alogo, Dean Widders, Nigel Vagana, John Sutton tries; Joe Williams 3 goals)
Source – www.souths.com.au
What happened with Yileen Gordon’s ankle injury?
Yileen Gordon fought his way back into first grade to be selected to play against the Newcastle Knights in round five of the Telstra Premiership at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford.
Only minutes into the match, Gordon’s ankle was caught underneath the player he was affecting a tackle on, and snapped his ankle, putting him out of the game for several months.
It was a massive blow to a young player returning to first grade from previous injury and selection.
Versus (US) Schedule (ET/PT)
10/24/07 11pm – 11:30pm
10/31/07 1:30am - 2pm
10/31/07 4:30pm - 5pm
10/31/07 10pm - 10:30pm
11/5/07 6:30pm - 7pm
11/5/07 10:30pm - 11pm
11/6/07 1:30am - 2am
11/12/07 10:30pm - 11pm
11/13/07 1am - 1:30am
11/13/07 4:30pm - 5pm
11/14/07 9:30pm - 10pm
11/15/07 12:30am - 1am
11/17/07 6pm - 6:30pm
Star-TV (Canada) Schedule (ET)
13/11/07 9pm - 9:30pm
14/11/07 3am - 3:30am