MATCH REPORT
Benji Marshall fitted in seamlessly with the Rabbitohs to help out-of-contract skipper Adam Reynolds lead them to a comfortable 35-6 win over the Broncos at Stadium Australia Thursday night
Fullback Latrell Mitchell was at his best with two tries and a test assistant while Reynolds shut down keen interest in his contractual future to get a try and score a historic two-point field goal
The losses of suspended duo Cody Walker and Keaon Koloamatangi were barely felt as Marshall partner Reynolds showed his vast experience, lending support for the team’s first try and showing a nice touch to get a try in the second half create
Jacob Host was strong on the left, playing for Koloamatangi in a performance that will give coach Wayne Bennett food for thought when Koloamatangi is available in round seven
Conference location:
Australia Stadium, Sydney
Bennett praised the way his team was covered for the loss of Walker Marshall played in half and Dean Hawkins made his NRL debut off the bench in the final 15 minutes of play
“I always train teams to play with what we have, not what we don’t,” said Bennett
“I don’t think anyone looked over their shoulder that Cody wasn’t there this week. We all know what a wonderful player he is for us and what he brings to a team
“We had to do without him and we did. I thought Benji was amazing, he did a great job for us. That’s what you want, you want guys to come on the team, and we did it last year done when we had a lot of injuries late in the season and guys kept showing up ”
Marshall, who turned the match in round one in the Rabbitohs’ favor when he was injected, has been just as valuable off the field this year as he has been before, Bennett added
“He was wonderful, it’s not just what you see on the field, it’s what he does off the field,” said Bennett
“I just can’t imagine why clubs – why we were so lucky to get it”
“It was wonderful,” said Bennett. “It’s one of the great joys of what you do. Since he was a little boy he wanted to play for South Sydney”
After trailing 10-0, Brisbane made an impressive recovery to contest the race for much of the first half, but persistent defensive problems on both edges and some mistakes in killing coaches kept the Rabbitohs never taking off seriously Loss of the game were threatened
The worrying signs for Brisbane started early when the home team made easy meters and Marshall scored in the seventh minute after a cross-field kick from Reynolds
After a missed conversion, the Bunnies rejected the option of a full attack set in favor of a penalty and scored the 6-0 after 12 minutes
Brisbane’s right defense was in the 16th Minute felt poor when Souths switched to the left and a Mitchell clipping helped Johnston remain completely untouched, with the signs at 10-0 threatening
A couple of big chunks from Halfback Tom Dearden have turned the tide, however He took a clean break first but couldn’t beat Mitchell one-on-one and then forced a turnover with a big shot the next time Souths had the ball
The attacking area resulted in Jamayne hitting Isaako Reynolds and Jaydn Su’A to get his team on the board after 20 minutes
With halftime approaching, the Broncos were poised to put a respectable 10-6 score in the sheds until Dane Gagai ran right through Jordan Riki to overtake Reynolds and the halfback made the last set of the half with a booming one 43- graduated Meter drop goal, the first game since the grand finale in 1970, scored the 18: 6
during the break
Despite a poor opening in the second 40 minutes, the Bunnies continued to advance as Mitchell found himself in 53 Minute made its way through Brisbane’s right defense
Isaako took off when the Brisbane game slipped and some nifty work by Marshall spawned a Campbell Graham attempt from a scrum game to bring the score to 28-6
Mitchell jumped on a Reynolds bomb to drop his second just before full-time before icing victory in the final moments with field goal practice – this time for just a single point
Broncos, Brisbane Broncos
World News – AU – Reynolds, Marshall Double Act brings Bunnies to great victory over Broncos
Source: https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/04/08/reynolds-marshall-double-act-sparks-bunnies-to-big-win-over-broncos/