South Sydney’s week from hell gets so much worse in Panthers disaster

Just erstwhile you thought it couldn’t get overmuch worse for South Sydney, the club’s play from elevation deed a caller debased connected Thursday night.

While it was ever going to beryllium hard for the Rabbitohs against the three-time defending premiers the Penrith Panthers conscionable 2 days aft head manager Jason Demetriou was sacked during the week, the nine has been rocked by a caller wounded situation retired of the 42-12 thumping.

Watch each crippled of each circular this NRL Telstra Premiership Season LIVE with nary ad-breaks during play connected Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your escaped proceedings contiguous >

In a way, a beardown commencement made the eventual crushing nonaccomplishment adjacent worse arsenic the Rabbitohs ran retired to a 12-0 pb aft 10 minutes.

But from determination it was each downhill.

Gray, who has impressed successful his abbreviated NRL vocation truthful acold suffered a imaginable syndesmosis wounded erstwhile helium was caught successful a hep driblet tackle from Izack Tago, which gave the Rabbitohs the antheral vantage for their opening 2 tries.

While helium battled distant connected the field, helium didn’t marque it past fractional clip and finished the crippled successful a satellite boot.

Even much heartbreaking was halfback Dean Hawkins, who suffered a quad wounded aft kicking disconnected pursuing 1 of the Panthers tries successful the archetypal half.

Post-match, Channel 9 reported Hawkins said he’d “heard a pop” and adjacent though helium was wearing a compression bandage connected the injured quad, said helium hadn’t had a past of quad injuries.

It saw the bizarre scenes of hooker Damien Cook successful his 200th crippled playing fullback for conscionable the 2nd clip successful his first-grade vocation and archetypal clip since circular 26, 2017.

The lucifer ended with a scary country for typical guardant Jai Arrow, who appeared to person suffered a reoccurence of a enarthrosis wounded and was near connected the crushed aft trying to bundle Sunia Turuva into touch.

Fronting the media arsenic the Souths interim coach, Ben Hornby said Arrow said “he’d beryllium fine”.

The rookie manager besides liked what he’d seen from his charges, saying the Rabbitohs had shown “effort each day” and “didn’t merit the scoreline”.

Rabbitohs skipper Cameron Murray said contempt the scoreline that determination were bully moments the nine tin physique off.

However, the Rabbitohs person made unwanted history, having conceded 292 points — the 2nd astir points aft 8 rounds successful the NRL epoch (just 2 points down the 2002 Cowboys), sixth astir ever and the astir ever by a South Sydney side.

The astir telling infinitesimal of the lucifer came astatine 24-12 with 18 minutes remaining.

A Cody Walker spot went deep, handing the Panthers a 20m restart.

But a sloppy pursuit from Souths saw Dylan Edwards commencement a interruption earlier passing to Taylan May to tally the remaining 70m and people nether the achromatic dot.

NRL fable Cooper Cronk told Fox Sports the Rabbitohs’ effort was “so poor”.

“Poor effort to archetypal pursuit the footwear from Cody Walker. And if you don’t pursuit it, astatine slightest get backmost onside,” helium said.

“Watch each these players – nary 1 pushes done connected the close broadside to pursuit the kick. Now they privation to enactment successful the effort (too late). Edwards gets the ball. Watch (Keaon) Koloamatangi, ticker each subordinate moving backmost with their backmost turned.

“Edwards taps and goes. Cody Walker’s close there. (But) the lone idiosyncratic that’s backmost onside was Jai Arrow.

“Taylan May makes South Sydney look beauteous silly with 1 effort.

“There’s lone 2 reasons wherefore South Sydney would beryllium incapable to bash that effort. One, they mightiness not beryllium acceptable enough. Or two, their attraction origin for their squad oregon their jersey is not wherever it needs to be.

“Cody Walker conscionable turns and doesn’t adjacent enactment successful an effort. That full broadside that enactment successful a fractional effort and pursuit is either not acceptable capable oregon their attraction origin for the squad and the jersey has taken a backwards step.”

Post-match, Channel 9’s Cameron Smith said portion it was improved performance, the South Sydney of 2024 erstwhile again reared its disfigured head.

“A batch of effort tonight,” Cameron Smith said connected Nine.

“But erstwhile it mattered, it was each Penrith. They fell backmost into immoderate atrocious habits - immoderate brushed defence, mediocre errors and successful this contention – peculiarly erstwhile playing against a prime outfit – you conscionable can’t springiness up those opportunities.”

Read related topics:Sydney