Match report: Mitchell facing ban as Storm beat Bunnies
The Storm have continued South Sydney’s misery in Melbourne, stretching the Rabbitohs’ winless streak against them to 20 matches with the visitors’ captain Latrell Mitchell also put on report.
Competition heavyweights Melbourne rebounded after last week’s heavy loss to take a tight AAMI Park win 24-16 in a sell-out match in wet conditions on Anzac Day.
Mitchell — who faced five charges last season — was sent to the sin-bin and put on report in the 50th minute for an alleged high shot on Sua Fa’alogo, with the Melbourne winger then failing a HIA.
While Souths have still never tasted victory south of the border, they delivered a much-improved effort on their shut-out by Canterbury last round.
The teams were locked at 10-10 at halftime, which showed Souths’ effort given they only had 43 per cent of possession and 34 per cent of territory.
An error by Campbell Graham from the second half kick-off gave the Storm possession, and second-rower Eli Katoa plucked a Jahrome Hughes kick out of the air to score three minutes into the second half.
That lead went out to 18-10 when Ryan Papenhuyzen kicked a penalty following Mitchell’s sin-binning.
Starting at his preferred fullback for the first time this season and captaining in the absence of injured five-eighth Cody Walker, Mitchell otherwise had a solid game.
Rabbitohs centre Jack Wighton bagged two tries while youngster Jye Gray, starting at halfback, was also a stand-out, with a couple of try-saving tackles.
Gray was involved in a bizarre incident with eight minutes remaining when he made a break and kicked ahead but collided with Papenhuyzen.
The Storm fullback challenged the decision but the bunker denied the challenge and also ruled it was a professional foul with Papenhuyzen spending the remainder of the match in the sin-bin.
While that gave Souths a sniff, the home side had built a 14-point lead courtesy of a 66th minute try to Tyran Wishart, with the Storm able to send the ball wide before Nick Meaney turned it back inside to his teammate.
Wighton got his second with three minutes remaining and while his team kept pressing, the margin proved too big to peg back, consigning Souths to their third straight loss.
AAP
Signing off
That’ll do us after a big day of footy action. Be sure to tune in again tomorrow, we’ll have all the news from around the league and more live blogging goodness.
See you next time.
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Storm press conference
Craig Bellamy says the Storm defended better than last week but their attack wasn’t up to scratch. Praises South Sydney’s toughness in a difficult situation.
He admits the Papenhuyzen sin-bin was a head-scratcher.
“It’s probably the worst result I’ve ever seen from a challenge and will be until someone does a challenge and gets sent off,” said Bellamy.
Bellamy says he didn’t see the Mitchell tackle clearly.
“I’m not the one to judge on that. In the game, now, there’s a lot of people getting hit high when they drop. I don’t know if you can control that,” said Bellamy.
“I know that’s a dangerous place to go…but I don’t think there was too much malice in it.”
Bennett and Mitchell skip press conference
Wayne Bennett and Latrell Mitchell have both skipped the post-match press conference. Assistant coach Ben Hornby and Jack Wighton are standing in instead.
Hornby said Bennett’s “tooth fell out” which seems absolutely bizarre to me. Hornby says he thinks Mitchell attempted to lower his body height and they’ll leave it to the judiciary.
I really don’t know how to react to this. Hornby and Wighton do their best to answer the questions but a coach and captain skipping a post-match presser is very, very unusual.
Fulltime: Storm 24 def Rabbitohs 16
Not a great performance from Melbourne but they did enough to finish among the winners again. A valiant effort from Souths considering the injuries they suffered along the way but that’s the 20th consecutive loss for the Bunnies in Melbourne.
79′ Final Souths raid falls short
Wighton gets taken high and the Rabbitohs are on the attack again. If they score in the next minute or so they’ll have a shot at a miracle….but Dodd knocks on a bad pass from Mitchell. That should do us.
77′ Wighton crosses for his second
There’s a little bit of a spark of hope for Souths after they run it left through Sullivan and Gray for Wighton to cruise over for a well-deserved second try. Mitchell nails it from touch and it’s 24-16 Storm. Souths still have a hope but they have to score on this next set.
Sin bin: Ryan Papenhuyzen
Souths run it on the last with Mitchell firing a pass to Gray who rockets down the wing and chips over the top, Papenhuyzen takes him out and it’s a penalty. Papenhuyzen challenges it and it’s upgraded to a professional foul and a sin-bin! Haven’t seen that before, Melbourne will play the last eight minutes of this game with 12.
67′ Wishart strikes as Melbourne take control
Bentley-Hape has left the field, meaning Dodd has gone to five-eighth and Grey to the wing. The Storm attack down that edge immediately, Papenhuyzen and Katoa combine to put Meaney away and he has Wishart inside to score. Pass wasn’t great but ref clears it.
A goal here will put the Storm up more than two converted tries and Papenhuyzen makes no mistake. Storm lead 24-10.
Failed HIA: Sua Fa’alogo
The Storm winger has failed his HIA and because it was a result of foul play that saw Mitchell binned, they can activate their 18th man, Kane Bradley. The winger will hit the field shortly and Mitchell is back on the field now.
Sin bin: Latrell Mitchell
Fa’alogo cuts through and draws and passes on Mitchell, who hit him as he was falling and it was bad. Wishart took the pass and also got hit high but Mitchell could be in real trouble here.
It’s a sin bin for sure and off he goes. He’ll miss at least a week or two as well. Melbourne take the two through Papenhuyzen and it’s 18-10 Storm.
44′ Katoa flies high for magic try
Well, that was just magnificent. Hughes puts up a bomb, Katoa flies downfield after it and the big man leaps high, claims it and gallops 20 metres to score. There is not another backrower in the competition who could have scored that try.
Papenhuyzen converts and it’s 16-10 Storm.
Second half is underway!
Couple of big moments to start the second half, first there’s an error from Graham which puts the Storm right on the attack and from the scrum Hughes floats a pass out to Fa’alogo who books it for the corner only for Grey to just make it across in time and bundle him into touch. Awesome play from the five-eighth.
Halftime: Storm 10 Rabbitohs 10
Melbourne’s last attack falls short and we’re all square in Victoria. It’s the first time in nine years the Rabbitohs haven’t trailed at the break in Melbourne and, as you’re no doubt aware, they have never won on Victorian soil.
Match report: Warriors add to Knights’ woes with comprehensive win
Newcastle’s NRL season is threatening to implode as the Warriors consigned the Knights to a five-game losing streak with their 26-12 win in Christchurch.
The Knights’ attack was once again their biggest issue on Friday night and now averages just 7.2 points across the side’s last five outings.
Their right edge also struggled to defuse Chanel Harris-Tavita’s kicking game close to the line as Newcastle fell to a match-defining 16-0 half-time deficit.
Newcastle have not led any game on their longest losing streak for nearly three years and could slip to last on the ladder if they fall to South Sydney at Magic Round next week.
The drums will no doubt beat louder for sixth-year coach Adam O’Brien should they drop that must-win game.
The Knights will take some confidence from recent history; they memorably sat 14th on the ladder after 19 rounds in 2023 before riding a Kalyn Ponga-inspired surge into the top eight.
But even superstar fullback Ponga is struggling to spark the 2025 Knights, who never had this long a losing streak two seasons ago.
Halves pairing Harris-Tavita and Luke Metcalf were superb for a Warriors side that remains entrenched in the top four through eight rounds with a 5-2 record.
The Warriors’ first two tries came on the back of Harris-Tavita’s kicks inside the red zone, first as Kurt Capewell regathered the ball to find Adam Pompey, then as Ali Leiataua sent an inside pass to Jackson Ford.
Metcalf dragged Greg Marzhew’s arm into touch as the winger looked certain to score the Knights’ first try before grabbing an intercept from opposite man Jack Cogger and sprinting 65 metres ahead of Wayde Egan’s second-half try.
By contrast, the Knights’ halves Cogger and Fletcher Sharpe each sprayed a kick dead on the side’s first two advances towards the line.
In another wasted chance, James Schiller dropped the ball when he looked certain to score from a Dane Gagai tap-on, the toughest moment on a tough night for the right winger.
The Warriors scored minutes after each of Newcastle’s two first-half tries scrubbed out by the bunker, with Ford backing up in support to seal his first double.
Gagai set Schiller up by burning Leiataua down the right edge 10 minutes after the break.
But Metcalf’s intercept dampened the Knights’ spirits only minutes later and Pompey sealed his own double to confirm the result in the last 10 minutes.
Marata Niukore and Leo Thompson could be charged by the match review committee after landing in the sin bin for high shots in the opening five minutes.
AAP
38′ Storm strike back right on halftime
Papenhuyzen puts in an excellent grubber to force another drop out for Souths. Melbourne have had a lot of good ball in this first half but have yet to make the most of it.
But they do this time! Papenhuyzen goes short to Blore, he very nearly pulls through as the cover converges and he pops a good ball to Coates to go over in the corner.
Papenhuyzen’s kick bangs into the post and it’s 10-all.
34′ Wighton power leads to South Sydney score
Coates looks to link with Papenhuyzen on a kick return but it”s forward! Souths now get a rare chance up the Storm’s end, can they strike?
They spread it left, Wighton hits a massive fend on Meaney to bust through and he looks certain to score only for Katoa to knock the ball out at the last second and smack it free!
But Bentley-Hape is on the spot to put it down and score the try, the Rabbitohs take a very unlikely lead! Mitchell’s kick is wide, but the Rabbitohs lead 10-6.
28′ Bunnies hold on despite Storm threat
Melbourne hit the middle with three of their speed men – Papenhuyzen, Fa’alogo and Hughes – on three straight tackles, Hughes busts through on the latter and drops a beautiful kick over the top that forces a drop out.
Fa’alogo nearly cuts in on the ensuing set but Souths hold fast. They’ve recovered well after a shaky start.
16′ Souths strike back with a beauty
The Rabbitohs get some field position after an error from Utoikamanu and Koloamatangi runs a great line to get outside of Meaney before throwing an unreal back-hand offload to Wighton and he’s in! Great footy from the big man, the Rabbitohs really needed that one.
Mitchell nails it from out wide and it’s 6-all.
13′ Storm stars combine for first try
Melbourne have been dominating field posiiton an possession, they sweep it right through Katoa and get Fa’alogo some space on the wing. He dances inside two defenders and has Papenhuyzen in support and the fullback is over for the first try of the night.
He converts his own try and it’s 6-0 for the Storm.
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