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- Nov 11, 2008
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I'm 28 years old and that was the best game I have ever seen the Rabbits play....EVER!
Im no rabbits fan, but I do love to see an underdog stick it to an over cocky team and man did they stick it... and they owe so much to Sandow that cocky little kid has transformed the team beyond recognition. Hope the fans enjoyed it too!
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http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,865 ... 14,00.html
Nathan Merritt scores a hat-trick as Rabbitohs thrash Roosters 52-12
By David Beniuk
March 15, 2009 South Sydney found their attacking mojo to destroy Sydney Roosters 52-12 in an opening round NRL massacre at the Sydney Football Stadium.
With halves John Sutton and Chris Sandow inspiring them and winger Nathan Merritt bagging a hat-trick, Souths piled on nine tries to two in their season opener against a woeful Roosters side.
The Rabbitohs attack has been toothless in recent seasons but Sutton's move to No.6, the emergence of half-back Sandow and try-scoring buys Colin Best and Rhys Wesser appear to have provided the solution for coach Jason Taylor.
Man-of-the-match Sutton had a hand in four tries, two with pinpoint cross-field chips, while veterans Best and Wesser each scored on debut for their new club.
"I've been training there (at five-eighth) all pre-season and I'm enjoying it there and it's feeling all right," Sutton said.
"I've been doing a little bit (of extra kicking practice), probably not as much as I should ... I'm just trying to step it up in the kicking department."
Taylor said he had never had any doubts about Sutton's move from the forwards, even with injured utility Craig Wing still to come back.
"I've never had any question that that's the way for us to go, no one at the club has," Taylor said of the 24-year-old pivot.
"It was an easy decision and I'm comfortable with it and we'll have some days where the boys don't do so well and we'll have some days where they do well.
"Those two guys (Sutton and Sandow) are really high quality players and I think the club's in really good shape in key positions."
Merritt scored two first half four-pointers, including a 95m intercept, and one five minutes after the break to shatter the Roosters spirit and send plenty of the 24,486 fans to the car park.
The livewire Rabbitohs scored five first-half tries and led 30-6 at the break as the Roosters continually made errors coming out their own end and fell off tackles.
Souths rushed to a 12-0 lead within 10 minutes after Best embarrassingly stood up Sia Soliola and then Sutton stood and offloaded cleverly to Merritt after Braith Anasta's kick-off had gone dead.
The Roosters looked briefly like they might get back into it when Anasta chimed onto a one-handed offload from Setaimata Sa to make it 12-6.
But the tide turned with a controversial 23rd minute try awarded to Souths by video referee Sean Hampstead.
He ruled that Sandow had not caused obstruction on two separate occasions in a movement that resulted in Wesser touching down a grubber from his half-back.
Sandow had first run behind skipper Roy Asotasi and then collided with Roosters winger Sam Perrett before Wesser touched down and the conversion opened up an 18-6 lead.
There was no doubt over Souths next two four-pointers, though.
Sutton laid on a pin-point chip for Fetuli Talanoa to athletically grab and plant while brushing the sideline in the 26th minute, before Merritt intercepted an Anasta pass in the 36th minute and ran the length of the field, easing into a Usain Bolt like jog as Roosters winger Shaun Kenny-Dowall pursued in vain.
Merritt got his third when he latched on to another perfect Sutton bomb to make it 34-6.
Interchange player Jake Friend burrowed over for the Roosters in the 59th minute to narrow the margin slightly, but Talanoa got his second two minutes later after Sutton had again stood in a tackle and offloaded.
Taylor, though, was going out of his way to keep his side's feet on the ground.
"We've been there, done that, we've learnt a lot over the last couple of years," he said.
"It's one game, it's a good performance."
Shell-shocked Roosters coach Brad Fittler was at a loss to explain his side's performance.
"In front of 24,000, we always whinge we've got no people following us so that was really disappointing and we can't complain if 8,000 turn up next week," he said.
"We got beaten by 50 in a trial so we've got some form there.
"Obviously we've got to look at our defence, that's a lot of tries."
It was 46-12 when Eddy Pettybourne crashed through some soft defence in the 66th minute and the Rabbitohs reached the half-century when Sandow chipped and regathered in the 71st.
Sandow also booted five goals from seven attempts, while hooker Issac Luke kicked three from three.
Im no rabbits fan, but I do love to see an underdog stick it to an over cocky team and man did they stick it... and they owe so much to Sandow that cocky little kid has transformed the team beyond recognition. Hope the fans enjoyed it too!
............................................................
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,865 ... 14,00.html
Nathan Merritt scores a hat-trick as Rabbitohs thrash Roosters 52-12
By David Beniuk
March 15, 2009 South Sydney found their attacking mojo to destroy Sydney Roosters 52-12 in an opening round NRL massacre at the Sydney Football Stadium.
With halves John Sutton and Chris Sandow inspiring them and winger Nathan Merritt bagging a hat-trick, Souths piled on nine tries to two in their season opener against a woeful Roosters side.
The Rabbitohs attack has been toothless in recent seasons but Sutton's move to No.6, the emergence of half-back Sandow and try-scoring buys Colin Best and Rhys Wesser appear to have provided the solution for coach Jason Taylor.
Man-of-the-match Sutton had a hand in four tries, two with pinpoint cross-field chips, while veterans Best and Wesser each scored on debut for their new club.
"I've been training there (at five-eighth) all pre-season and I'm enjoying it there and it's feeling all right," Sutton said.
"I've been doing a little bit (of extra kicking practice), probably not as much as I should ... I'm just trying to step it up in the kicking department."
Taylor said he had never had any doubts about Sutton's move from the forwards, even with injured utility Craig Wing still to come back.
"I've never had any question that that's the way for us to go, no one at the club has," Taylor said of the 24-year-old pivot.
"It was an easy decision and I'm comfortable with it and we'll have some days where the boys don't do so well and we'll have some days where they do well.
"Those two guys (Sutton and Sandow) are really high quality players and I think the club's in really good shape in key positions."
Merritt scored two first half four-pointers, including a 95m intercept, and one five minutes after the break to shatter the Roosters spirit and send plenty of the 24,486 fans to the car park.
The livewire Rabbitohs scored five first-half tries and led 30-6 at the break as the Roosters continually made errors coming out their own end and fell off tackles.
Souths rushed to a 12-0 lead within 10 minutes after Best embarrassingly stood up Sia Soliola and then Sutton stood and offloaded cleverly to Merritt after Braith Anasta's kick-off had gone dead.
The Roosters looked briefly like they might get back into it when Anasta chimed onto a one-handed offload from Setaimata Sa to make it 12-6.
But the tide turned with a controversial 23rd minute try awarded to Souths by video referee Sean Hampstead.
He ruled that Sandow had not caused obstruction on two separate occasions in a movement that resulted in Wesser touching down a grubber from his half-back.
Sandow had first run behind skipper Roy Asotasi and then collided with Roosters winger Sam Perrett before Wesser touched down and the conversion opened up an 18-6 lead.
There was no doubt over Souths next two four-pointers, though.
Sutton laid on a pin-point chip for Fetuli Talanoa to athletically grab and plant while brushing the sideline in the 26th minute, before Merritt intercepted an Anasta pass in the 36th minute and ran the length of the field, easing into a Usain Bolt like jog as Roosters winger Shaun Kenny-Dowall pursued in vain.
Merritt got his third when he latched on to another perfect Sutton bomb to make it 34-6.
Interchange player Jake Friend burrowed over for the Roosters in the 59th minute to narrow the margin slightly, but Talanoa got his second two minutes later after Sutton had again stood in a tackle and offloaded.
Taylor, though, was going out of his way to keep his side's feet on the ground.
"We've been there, done that, we've learnt a lot over the last couple of years," he said.
"It's one game, it's a good performance."
Shell-shocked Roosters coach Brad Fittler was at a loss to explain his side's performance.
"In front of 24,000, we always whinge we've got no people following us so that was really disappointing and we can't complain if 8,000 turn up next week," he said.
"We got beaten by 50 in a trial so we've got some form there.
"Obviously we've got to look at our defence, that's a lot of tries."
It was 46-12 when Eddy Pettybourne crashed through some soft defence in the 66th minute and the Rabbitohs reached the half-century when Sandow chipped and regathered in the 71st.
Sandow also booted five goals from seven attempts, while hooker Issac Luke kicked three from three.
