Match Report | Round 5

Press Conferences: There will be plenty to discuss after a night at drama at Accor Stadium, so be sure to check out the press conferences as the coaches and captains discuss all the action and injuries that unfolded throughout a chaotic contest.

Full-time: The Rabbitohs have secured a win for the ages, defying a horror injury toll to triumph 20-14 in a match that will go down in history as one of their best over the Roosters. 

South Sydney trailed 14-8 and looked dead and buried with just one man left on the bench, before Latrell Mitchell produced a crazy line drop out to swing the match in his team's favour. 

Tries to Jye Gray and Isaiah Tass secured the victory, their first over the Roosters since 2022. Rabbitohs 20 - Roosters 14

72nd minute: The Rabbitohs don't just have a pulse, they have the lead. Latrell Mitchell is playing halfback and rather than kicking the ball on the last, the superstar has delivered a pinpoint 30-metre cut out pass to winger Isaiah Tass. Tass' foot came awfully close to the sideline, however the bunker ultimately cleared the play and confirmed the try. 

The six-point leads comes despite a one-man bench and injuries to both halves and a winger, with players playing out of position and extended minutes. Rabbitohs 20 - Roosters 14

65th minute: They're out on their feet but the Rabbitohs are not giving up. A fortuitous bounce from a line drop out followed by a penalty put South Sydney on the attack. Jayden Sullivan threw a dummy, sliced through the defensive line, linked up with Jye Gray and we're all locked up with 15 minutes to play.

The Roosters have also been dealt an injury blow with Lindsay Collins suffering a medial ligament injury to his knee. Rabbitohs 14 - Roosters 14

56th minute: South Sydney have been forced into a dramatic backline reshuffle after losing star five-eighth Cody Walker and boom halfback Jamie Humphreys in the first half against Sydney Roosters.

Fijian winger Mikaele Ravalawa also suffered a hamstring injury early in the second half.

Humphreys came from the field with a left hamstring injury in just the seventh minute and was replaced by former Dragons and Tigers playmaker Jayden Sullivaln.

The 22-year-old watched the rest of the match from the sideline with ice on his left thigh.

Walker did not return after halftime, with reports that he had hamstring tightness and would not return.

Mitchell moved to five-eighth, with Tallis Duncan taking his place at left centre.

The Rabbitohs lost Ravalawa just nine minutes into the second half forcing a further reshuffle, with Jack Wighton shifting to the wing and forward Jai Arrow moving to right centre. 

The changes left Souths with just one interchange for the last 30 minutes of the match. 

54th minute: The Roosters have all the momentum and they're making the Rabbitohs pay. Latrell Mitchell handed his opponents prime field position when he put a kick out on the full, before Siua Wong beat the centre to send Dominic Young over in the corner. Rabbitohs 8 - Roosters 14

47th minute: Billy Smith has completed a remarkable comeback to the NRL, the Roosters centre diving over in the corner to score in his first match since 2023. The try came on the back of a number of offloads, with James Tedesco putting the side on the front foot and Smith finishing it off. 

The Roosters spent the first half defending, however they've burst out of the gates to start the second and have had all the running so far. 

South Sydney have also been dealt a blow, with Cody Walker not returning to the field after half-time due to hamstring tightness. The five-eighth will not return to the match. Mikaele Ravalawa has also limped from the field with what appears to be a hamstring injury. Rabbitohs 8 - Roosters 10

Half-time: A penalty goal is all that separates the two teams at the break, despite the Rabbitohs complete dominance on the stats sheet. The Roosters have completed just 58% of their sets and held just 39% of possession, with the Rabbitohs generating 38 tackles inside the attacking 20m zone, compared to the Roosters' 4. 

Trent Robinson will be disappointed with his team's attack but thrilled with their defence as they repelled wave after wave of South Sydney attacking set. The Roosters have made an additional 90 tackles yet they've only missed 13 compared to South Sydney's 14 missed tackles. 

For Wayne Bennett, he'll be looking for his side to execute better in attacking, with errors creeping in throughout the final 10 minutes of the half. Rabbitohs 8 - Roosters 6

25th minute: The Roosters are putting themselves under a mountain of pressure, with a string of errors handing the Rabbitohs the ball in attacking territory. Trent Robinson's side has completed just five from ten, holding just 35% of the possession as a result. 

Dominic Young raced away to seemingly score against the run of play, after a Rabbitohs kick was blocked, however the ball rebounded off a teammates' leg, with the winger in an offside position when he gathered the ball.

While disappointed with the errors, Robinson will be thrilled with the defensive effort, the Roosters holding out multiple South Sydney attacking sets. Rabbitohs 6 - Roosters 6

16th minute: Latrell Mitchell has been forced to wait until Round 5 to play this season and he's making up for lost time. Playing in the centres for the first time since he led the Roosters to victory in the 2019 grand final, Mitchell ran from dummy half, fought through the defence and looked to have scored. James Tedesco, however, came across desperately in defence and forced the ball loose before it was grounded. 

In disappointing news for the Rabbitohs, Jamie Humphreys has been ruled out for the rest of the match with a hamstring injury. Rabbitohs 6 - Roosters 6

11th minute: The Roosters lead was shortlived, with Tevita Tatola strollin through under the posts. An error put the Rabbitohs on the attack and they capitalised courtesy of a nice forward's move. Rather than playing out the back like the defence expected, Lachlan Hubner received the ball straight from the dummy half, before hitting Tatola with a short ball to level the scores. Rabbitohs 6 - Roosters 6

7th minute: The Rabbitohs had the better of the early chances but it's the Roosters who have struck first, Sandon Smith stepping off the right foot, taking on the South Sydney defensive line and breaking through the tackles to score the opening points of the game.

South Sydney have been dealt an early blow, with Jamie Humphreys leaving the field after just five minutes due to injury. Jayden Sullivan has replaced him. 

 Rabbitohs 0 - Roosters 6

Kickoff: The latest edition of one of the biggest rivalries in the NRL has begun, with Latrell Mitchell looking to make an instant impact in his return from a hamstring injury. 

Late mail: No changes for either side on Friday night, with the only change coming through 24 hours before kickoff. Roosters centre Mark Nawaqanitawase was ruled out with calf tightness, with Billy Smith into the starting side. 

Panthers v Cowboys at CommBank Stadium

Press Conferences: Catch all the reaction from the coaches and captains at CommBank Stadium with the live stream of the press conference. Cowboys coach Todd Payten will be thrilled with the result, while Ivan Cleary will be searching for answers after another loss.

Full-time: North Queensland have successfully pulled off a shock victory, holding out a last-minute attempt from Penrith to level the scores. The Panthers had one final set of six to strike, but the Cowboys defence was up to the task to consign the Panthers to a fourth-straight loss. Panthers 18 - Cowboys 22.

76th minute: More drama at CommBank Stadium, with Penrith doing everything they can to strike and the Cowboys desperately trying to hold on. The Panthers looked certain to score in the left corner, only for McLean to throw a dummy instead of linking up with an unmarked Jenkins. Penrith shifted to the right from the subsequent play, Paul Alamoti launching through the air and grounding the ball. The referee initially ruled a try, however replays showed his foot had crossed the touchline and the bunker intervened to overturn the decision. Panthers 18 - Cowboys 22

70th minute: The Panthers are throwing plenty at their opponents as the match enters the final 10 minutes, however the Cowboys have an answer to every question their opponents have asked. The injuries are starting to mount for Penrith, with five-eight Jack Cole taken off the field by the independent doctor for an HIA. Hooker Mitch Kenny was originally ruled out for the remainder of the contest, however he has now returned for the final nine minutes with Cole in the HIA process. Panthers 18 - Cowboys 22

52nd minute: Taulagi has scored one of the weirder tries you'll see, but it's the lead up to the four-pointer that will have Ivan Cleary most concerned. Jaxon Purdue broke through the Panthers defensive line from a simple yardage carry deep inside his own half to provide his team prime field position. The break highlighted the defensive issues that continue to plague the premiers to start the season. 

The set finished with a pinpoint Tom Dearden kick to the corner, with Izack Tago unable to gather the ball. The ball bounced around the in-goal, with Taulagi eventually diving on it to put his team in front. 

In more bad news for Penrith, hooker Mitch Kenny has left the field with a right shoulder injury. The dummy half went straight up the tunnel for an assessment.  Panthers 18 - Cowboys 22

46th minute: The Cowboys have struck first to start the second half, Dearden and Drinkwater again linking up, with Drinkwater producing a pinpoint grubber for Jaxon Purdue, who gathered the ball to pull his team within two. The try is exactly what North Queensland needed as they look to finish over the top over the premiers, while Penrith coach Ivan Cleary will be disappointed to concede points so soon after the break.  Panthers 18 - Cowboys 16

 

Half-time: Isaah Yeo has produced a special play on the stroke of half-time to put Luke Garner over in what may turn out to be a pivotal moment in the game. The milestone man engaged the line before putting Garner through a hole to ensure his team leads at the break. The Cowboys will be disappointed to have done all the work to hold out Penrith while reduced to 12 men, only to concede a try shortly after Robson returned to the field. Panthers 18 - Cowboys 12

35th minute: We've just had a footrace for the ages, with Jack Cole throwing an intercept to Robert Derby. The Cowboys winger set off for the  tryline, racing 90 metres before he was run down by Penrith's Casey McLean. It was a mammoth effort by the youngster and prevented North Queensland from scoring a second try while down a man. Panthers 12 - Cowboys 12

32nd minute: North Queensland have been reduced to 12 men after Reece Robson was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle but they haven't dropped their heads. After defending their own line on two separate occasions, the Cowboys marched their way down the field and broke through. Halves Jake Clifford and Tom Dearden combined before Scott Drinkwater created the break to put Viliami Vailea over. Panthers 12 - Cowboys 12

20th minute: The Panthers have their first lead of the night, with Cleary again playing a crucial role in the try. The halfback produced a perfect grubber and Izack Tago won the race to the ball to put his team in front. Panthers 12 - Cowboys 6

 

14th minute: Cleary has been everywhere in his return to the field and he's played a crucial role in his side's first try of the night. The Panthers shifted the ball early in the set, Cleary drifting across field to freeze the Cowboys defensive line before linking up with Casey McLean, who connected with Thomas Jenkins, with McLean eventually getting the ball back in support and crossing to complete a long-range effort. Panthers 6 - Cowboys 6

7th minute: The Cowboys have drawn first blood, Murray Taulagi crossing in the corner off the back of a penalty and set restart. The visitors asked plenty of questions of the Panthers' right flank throughout the set and they eventually broke through, Jaxon Purdue producing a superb offload to put his winger over. Panthers 0 - Cowboys 6

Kickoff: Isaah Yeo has led the Panthers out as he becomes the first man to play 250 games for Penrith, with Nathan Cleary close behind for his return from a concussion. The halfback needs just 14 points to surpass Ryan Girdler as the club's all-time leading scorer.

Late Mail

A big blow for the Cowboys with co-captain Reuben Cotter ruled out on game day due to illness. Sam McIntyre comes into the starting side and Harrison Edwards joins the bench. 

Luke Garner has been promoted to the starting side in the back row with Isaiah Papali'i moving to prop and Lindsay Smith going to the bench in a late switch for the Panthers, who welcome back superstar Nathan Cleary.

The Numbers Game

• The Panthers have lost three of their past four games at CommBank Stadium.
• The Cowboys have won three of their past five games against the Panthers.
• Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary requires 14 points to break the club’s all-time scoring record.
• The Cowboys have lost all three games at CommBank Stadium.