Latrell Mitchell lands miracle two-point field goal to take struggling Souths to golden point – but Melbourne prevail to notch win for Craig Bellamy’s 500th game as coach
- Souths trailed Melbourne Storm 14-0 at the break on Thursday night
- Rabbitohs have lost 18 out of 18 games in Melbourne against Storm
- Bunnies suffered surprise loss to Brisbane Broncos in Round 1 of NRL season
- Brad Fittler felt Souths were sloppy in their preparation ahead of season
- Rabbitohs turned game on its head in the second half, keeping Storm scoreless
- Latrell Mitchell miracle field goal tied it, but Melbourne dug out the win
First Souths puzzled their supporters by leaving skipper Cameron Murray on the bench to start their match against Melbourne – then they dismayed them with sloppy offence and yawning gaps on defence as the Melbourne Storm ran out to a 14-0 halftime lead on Thursday night.
But thanks to a couple of sin bins against the home team – and an absolutely freakish Latrell Mitchell two-point field goal in the dying minutes – Souths climbed off the floor to take the match to extra time.
The Bunnies struck back with tries to Alex Johnson, Jaxson Paulo and Campbell Graham in the second half before Latrell pulled a rabbit out of his hat.
Latrell Mitchell was anonymous in the first half but delivered a brilliant performance after the break as Souths came back from 14 points down
But prior to that, they were struggling just to hold on against a pin-sharp Melbourne side.
The Storm’s third try would’ve taken about a year off Bunnies coach Jason Demetriou’s life expectancy as they left a hole the width of the Sydney Heads around the ruck, with Harry Grant screaming upfield before offloading for Cameron Munster to score.
After last week’s horror run with injury, the Storm welcomed back the five-eighth, Grant and prop Jesse Bromwich for coach Craig Bellamy’s milestone game, and none of them disappointed.
The Souths fullback kicked a stunning two-point field goal to draw the Bunnies level
Munster in particular looked very sharp and motivated as he returned after a stint in rehab that followed his involvement in the notorious ‘white powder’ that cast a pall over Melbourne’s offseason.
Grant helped fans forget the loss of Brandon Smith with a broken hand, putting in a great first 40 minutes that included an audacious kick on the first to set Xavier Coates up for Melbourne’s first try.
In contrast, the Bunnies looked to have gone backwards from last week’s disappointing and disjointed loss to the Brisbane Broncos.
The Rabbitohs have lost each of their 17 games in Melbourne against the Storm
Ryan Papenhuyzen (second right) scored a first half try as Melbourne hit the ground running
The Storm proved too good for an out-of-sort Souths side and took a 14-0 lead at the break
At least they defended relatively soundly in that game, in contrast to the effort against the Storm, where their opponents terrorised their left-side defence, offloaded with aplomb and clocked up three line breaks to nil.
Siliva Havili started at lock with Murray on the bench at the kickoff in a decision that left Nine commentator Andrew Johns baffled.
‘I’m trying to work it out,’ the Newcastle Knights legend said.
NSW great Brad Fittler questioned Souths preparation after a dismal showing in the first half
Sideline eye Brad Fittler questioned how prepared new coach Jason Demetriou’s men are for the 2022 season.
‘There are different players in South Sydney who are at different levels,’ he observed.
‘It’s like three quarters of them look ready to go, while there’s a few of them that are a little bit off the pace.’
Melbourne showed plenty of class on the field – and plenty off it, too.
The crowd rose to give late spin king Shane Warne a minute-long standing ovation with 23 minutes left in the first half in a heartwarming moment.
The visitors erased a 14-point deficit with a brilliant comeback in the second half at AAMI Park
But were ultimately left empty handed as the Storm beat Souths at home for the 18th time in 18 meetings in Melbourne between the two teams
The second half was a completely different story, with the Storm held scoreless while two sin-binnings gifted Souths ample opportunity to even things up.
They almost squandered it, putting the ball to ground on several attacking raids, with Latrell Mitchell a major culprit in his first game back from a six-match suspension.
The fullback’s lack of effort when he didn’t bother attacking a kick set off a firestorm on social media and almost led to a Storm try.
Mitchell came up with crucial errors and kicked terribly for goal when he had a chance to tie the contest after Graham’s try – before totally redeeming himself with that truly stunning field goal.
Melbourne displayed all the poise they’ve become known for in extra time, capitalising on yet another Souths error before Ryan Papenhuyzen calmly potted the one-pointer for the win.
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