SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS 4 NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 30
IAN HOWE Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Saturday
WOULD former St Helens star Lewis Dodd make his starting debut for the Rabbitohs after having made only two previous appearances off the bench?
That was the question English fans were asking and Dodd did indeed find himself on field at the start of the game, partnering Jayden Sullivan at halfback and playing for the full 80 minutes.
But the player who stole the show was his opposite number, Knights’ stand-off Fletcher Sharpe, who celebrated his 21st birthday by scoring a hat-trick of tries in wet conditions, the first two within the first ten minutes, with Jack Cogger’s try on 13 minutes putting the Knights 18-0 ahead.
The Rabbitohs were without four star players – Jack Wighton, Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and skipper Cameron Murray – and their absence was too much for them to cope with, while the Knights were delighted to return to the winner’s circle after five straight defeats, earning their third win that puts them two points outside the top eight.
And the Rabbitohs’ injury worries continue to mount, with fullback Jye Gray lasting 58 minutes before coming off with a hamstring injury and hooker Peter Mamouzelos suffering what appeared to be a dislocated elbow late in the game.
RABBITOHS: 1 Jye Gray, 2 Bayleigh Bentley-Hape, 3 Euan Aitken, 4 Campbell Graham, 5 Isaiah Tass, 19 Lewis Dodd, 7 Jayden Sullivan, 8 Sean Keppie, 9 Peter Mamouzelos, 10 Tevita Tatola, 11 Keaon Koloamatangi, 12 Tallis Duncan, 13 Jai Arrow; Subs (all used): 14 Liam Le Blanc, 15 Lachlan Hubner, 16 Davvy Moale, 17 Fletcher Myers
Tries: Tass (66); Goals: Tass 0/1
KNIGHTS: 1 Kalyn Ponga, 2 James Schiller, 3 Dane Gagai, 4 Bradman Best, 5 Greg Marzhew, 6 Fletcher Sharpe, 7 Jack Cogger, 8 Jacob Saifiti, 9 Phoenix Crossland, 10 Leo Thompson, 11 Dylan Lucas, 12 Kai Pearce-Paul, 13 Tyson Frizell, 13 Mat Croker. Subs (all used): 14 Jayden Brailey, 15 Mat Croker, 16 Adam Elliott, 17 Brodie Jones
Tries: Sharpe (5, 9, 61), Cogger (13), Best (47); Goals: Ponga 5/5
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 0-12, 0-18; 0-24, 0-30
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match: Rabbitohs: Campbell Graham; Knights: Fletcher Sharpe
Penalty count: 3-3; Half-time: 0-18; Referee: Liam Kennedy; Attendance: 50,638
