Match Report | Roosters v Rabbitohs

Media conferences

Leading man: Cameron Murray fed off the emotion of the Jai Arrow celebrations and delivered another standout performance with 172 metres from 25 runs, five tackle breaks and 30 tackles.

Full-time: The Rabbitohs did what they had to do against the inexperienced Roosters side and have ensured they will finish sixth and host an elimination final in week one.

79 min: A consolation try for Rex Bassingthwaighte as he comes through and takes a Cody Ramsey kick on the full and strolls over without a hand being laid on him. Ramsey converts. Rabbitohs 50-20

77 min: A try for Brandon Smith against his former club as he shows great strength from close range to hold off several defenders and slam it down. Latrell Mitchell converts. Rabbitohs 50-14

77 min: Latrell Mitchell jams in on Toby Rodwell and flattens him. The bunker rules the contact is not high but rather across the chest. Bunnies fans breathe a sigh of relief. Rabbitohs scrum for the knock on by Rodwell who leaves the field for a HIA.

73 min: Lachlan Hubner and De La Salle Va'a are sent to the sin bin after a melee off the ball. Hubner had knocked over Benaiah Ioelu off the play and Va'a raced in to escalate the situation so both were sent for an early shower.

72 min: Latrell Mitchell has a try down a sneaky short side after Alex Johnston is cut down just short and Jamie Humphreys gets in to dummy half and delivers for Mitchell to steamroll Toby Rodwell and slam it down. Rabbitohs 44-14

70 min: Neat footwork from Toby Rodwell to create space and he offloads for Aston Warwick who is in the clear but the pass is ruled forward.

66 min: Jamie Humphreys skips to the right edge and grubbers towards the corner where Campbell Graham does brilliantly to ground the ball on the fly. Latrell Mitchell sprays the conversion wide. Rabbitohs 40-14

62 min: A neat grubber by Cody Walker into the in-goal sits up for Latrell Mitchell who can't ground the ball but the bunker rules that Tommy Talau had prevented Adam Elliott from getting to the ball and a penalty try was awarded. The bunker ruled that Elliott was well ahead of Mitchell on the chase and would have got their first for a try without the Talau interference. Rabbitohs 36-14

61 min: Taylor Losalu can't hang on to a pass from Cody Ramsey and Souths are inside the red zone again.

60 min: With the Rabbitohs hot on attack Tevita Tatola makes a meal of the play the ball and the Roosters come away.

59 min: Rabbitohs back-rower Euan Aitken leaves the field with a shoulder injury.

57 min: Cody Walker takes a pass 10m out and produces two dazzling sidesteps to get around Benaiah Ioelu and Cody Ramsey to steady the ship for Souths with a four-pointer which Latrell Mitchell converts. Rabbitohs 30-14

56 min: A mistake from Toby Rodwell turns the ball over 30m out from the Roosters line.

53 min: Another long-range special from the Roosters as Benaiah Ioelu busts the line out of dummy half and picks up Taylor Losalu who delivers the final pass for Egan Butcher to score and it's game on. Toby Rodwell misses the conversion. Rabbitohs 24-14

51 min: The Roosters jag a try from their own side of halfway as Cody Ramsey picks up Tommy Talau who puts Rex Bassingthwaighte away down the right wing and the teenager has too much pace for the cover defence. Toby Rodwell converts. Rabbitohs 24-10

48 min: Cody Walker drifts to the left edge and throws a loose pass that contacts the arm of Tommy Talau before spilling to Euan Aitken who plunges over to score. Latrell Mitchell pushes the conversion across the face. Rabbitohs 24-4

46 min: A sublime Latrell Mitchell flick pass puts Alex Johnston away down the wing and he kicks back infield for Jye Gray to chase. Tommy Talau obstructs Gray on the chase and Souths get a penalty.

45 min: Adam Elliott gets his head in the wrong position trying to make a tackle and leaves the field with a head cut and will undergo a HIA. The veteran back-rower passes his HIA.

43 min: Reece Foley leaves the field for a HIA after copping an accidental elbow as he tried to tackle Jye Gray front-on. Hayden Barton enters the field for his NRL debut. Foley fails his HIA and is unable to return.

Dave the Destroyer: When he is on song there is simply no stopping David Fifita, who ran for 79 metres in the opening half and had a staggering 11 tackle breaks. Fifita also powered his way over for a try as the Rabbitohs got on top of the inexperienced Roosters outfit.

Half-time: The Rabbitohs are in control in Jai's 100th game with a 16-point lead at the break. The Bunnies had 60 per cent of the ball and completed 22 of 25 sets at 88 per cent while the Roosters completed at just 56 per cent.

36 min: A forward pass from Toby Rodwell turns the ball over with the Roosters looking to mount some pressure.

33 min: Slick hands from Jack Wighton to Campbell Graham who cuts hard off his right foot to evade two defenders and cross wide out. Latrell Mitchell nails the conversion. Rabbitohs 20-4

31 min: Aston Warwick takes the field on NRL debut for the Roosters.

31 min: An error from Toby Rodwell spills to Cameron Murray who races away and picks up Latrell Mitchell but Rex Bassingthwaighte scrambles back to shut Trell down just short of the line.

28 min: Cody Walker goes to the air and it's not deep enough but Reece Foley can't control the catch. Souths scrum 10m out.

26 min: Latrell Mitchell is penalised for a dangerous tackle.

25 min: Spencer Leniu and Keaon Koloamatangi stand toe to toe and exchange words as emotions boil over between the two big men. Leniu is told several times to play the ball but continues to mouth off and eventually concedes a penalty.

22 min: The Roosters' greatest ever tryscorer Daniel Tupou hits back with the 196th try of his career as the left edge clicks into gear with Reece Foley, Cody Ramsey and Junior Pauga combining well to send Tupou over. Rabbitohs 10-4

21 min: A big play from Toby Rodwell as he comes up with a 40-20 for the Roosters.

19 min: The Roosters go short with a dropout but the ball spills to David Fifita and the Rabbitohs are inside the red zone again.

17 min: Rack up a 30th try of the season for Alex Johnston as Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell combine to put the prolific winger over for his 240th career try. Mitchell can't convert from wide out. Rabbitohs 14-0

14 min: Cameron Murray goes to Jayden Sullivan who skips through a couple of tackles and crawls his way over the line after not being held by the defenders. Latrell Mitchell converts. Rabbitohs 10-0

11 min: Spencer Leniu is penalised for late contact on Cameron Murray after he had released the ball.

10 min: The ball is shifted to Rex Bassingthwaighte on the right wing and he sets sail for the line but Jye Gray gets across in cover to cut him down and take him into touch.

9 min: Jye Gray on the end of some heavy Roosters defence and comes up with a mistake coming out of his own end.

6 min: A storming run by David Fifita puts the Bunnies on the attack. Jayden Sullivan is then taken on the last but a six-again gives Souths another shot and Fifita proves too strong for three Roosters defenders to grab the opening try. Latrell Mitchell fails to convert. Rabbitohs 4-0

3 min: Egan Butcher comes up with an error and the Roosters challenge. The bunker rules a strip against Brandon Smith and the challenge is successful.

Stand With Jai: With 'You'll Never Walk Alone' ringing around a packed Allianz Stadium, Jai Arrow takes to the field after Ron Coote had rung the Legacy Bell. Wayne Bennett holds the interchange card for Arrow as he comes from the field and Cody Walker goes on.

Late Mail

Rabbitohs: No late changes for the Bunnies with Latrell Siegwalt the fresh reserve to join the bench after Jai Arrow has his moment in game No.100. Latrell Mitchell moves into the starting side at centre with Tallis Duncan being rested after feeling some hamstring tightness after the Titans game. Duncan is expected to be good to go for week one of the finals. Arrow has been named at five-eighth with Cody Walker to come off the interchange after the kick-off. Jye Gray gets a run at fullback with Matt Dufty on the bench. A win would guarantee Souths a home elimination final. 

Roosters: Taylor Losalu has been promoted to the starting side 90 minutes before kick-off with Lindsay Collins dropping out of the team. James Tedesco, Billy Smith, Rob Toia, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Daly Cherry-Evans, Naufahu Whyte, Hugo Savala, Reece Robson and Siua Wong are in cotton wool ahead of a qualifying final in week one. Veteran winger Daniel Tupou returns after five games out with a shoulder injury but halfback Sam Walker's season appears over after ankle surgery. The bench includes three potential debutants in Aston Warwick, Lui Lee, Jake Elliott and Hayden Barton. 

Numbers Game

• The Rabbitohs will confirm a home elimination final if they defeat the Roosters.
• The Roosters have won six of their last seven games against the Rabbitohs.
• Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston has scored 10 tries in his last nine games at Allianz Stadium.
• The Roosters have only a 50 per cent winning record without Sam Walker (2024-26).
• Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett has the chance to bring up his 600th victory at NRL level.

 

Titans v Dolphins at Cbus Super Stadium

Media conferences

Full-time: A scare for the Dolphins against a committed Titans outfit but that's an ideal finals tune-up for Kristian Woolf's men. Phil Sami was enormous in his final match as a Titan with 289 run metres and seven tackle breaks.

80 min: Keano Kini grubbers in search of a late miracle but knocks the ball on and the Dolphins have hung on to win 24-20.

79 min: Moe Fotuaika is sent to the sin bin for a slap on Kurt Donoghoe after the Titans prop was less than impressed by the contact from Donoghoe in a tackle.

78 min: AJ Brimson to Phil Sami on the left edge but it's a tough pass for the winger and he can't hang on. Replays show a trip by Jamayne Isaako on Brimson and the Dolphins winger goes on report.

77 min: The Titans are finishing hard as Beau Fermor chases a grubber but the ball takes a cruel bounce and evades him just as he looked to ground it. The ball goes dead just before Keano Kini can get to it after it had rolled away from Fermor. Line dropout Dolphins after the bunker ruled Kurt Donoghoe had played at the ball off the original kick.

75 min: Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow fields a grubber in front of his own posts and Arama Hau forces him back in-goal for a line dropout. Keano Kini makes the catch from the dropout and the Titans go on the attack.

71 min: Jayden Campbell has a double in game No.100 as he swoops on a no-look pass by Isaiya Katoa and races 70 metres to score under the sticks and the Titans are back in it. Campbell converts his own try. Dolphins 24-20

69 min: Jayden Campbell grubbers for Arama Hau to chase and the back-rower beats Jamayne Isaako to the ball but the bunker rules Hau failed to get the ball to ground. Clear separation is the call.

66 min: The Titans are penalised for a high tackle by Moe Fotuaika on Tevita Naufahu. They use a captain's challenge and Fotuaika ends up on report as the bunker rules the contact was a reportable offence.

64 min: The ball spills clear of a bomb contest and AJ Brimson has a try at his mercy but he fails to pick the ball up and knocks it on.

61 min: Connelly Lemuelu looks to have gotten in on the tryscoring action as powers onto a short ball from Jake Averillo and gets over the stripe. The tackle from Sam Verrills is a strong one but he slings Lemuelu towards the goal-line and the Dolphin looks to have scored but the bunker rules double movement.

60 min: Titans halfback Lachlan Ilias leaves the field with back stiffness.

60 min: A pinpoint kick into the in-goal from Isaiya Katoa is contested by Brian Pouniu and Phil Sami. The Dolphins man wins out but Sami does well to hold him up and deny him a try. The bunker rules a mid-air tackle against Sami and the Dolphins have a penalty.

58 min: Slick hands from the Dolphins on the left edge for Tevita Naufahu to launch himself into the corner but he loses control of the ball on the put-down.

55 min: Tino Fa'asuamaleaui gets across the line and is held up on tackle five before Beau Fermor is wrapped up on the last and the Titans fail to get to a kick.

52 min: Jack Bostock and Keano Kini again compete for a high ball 10 metres out from the Titans tryline and the ball spills to Brian Pouniu who sends it on to Isaiya Katoa who crosses the line but the try is disallowed as the bunker rules Bostock had knocked on.

48 min: Good interchange of passing between Jeremy Marshall-King and Kurt Donoghoe at the ruck and the ball goes to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow who glides across the turf on a 40-metre run to the line. Jamayne Isaako adds the extras again. Dolphins 24-14

46 min: Francis Molo takes an inside pass off Isaiya Katoa and powers into the back field before finding Ray Stone in support and the bench forward powers away for the 12th try of his 111-game career. Jamayne Isaako converts. Dolphins 18-14

45 min: AJ Brimson comes up with a loose offload with the Titans on the attack and Kurt Donoghoe picks up the scraps.

44 min: Great height from Jack Bostock again on kick-chase but he knocks the ball on in the contest with Keano Kini.

Follow me, boys: An inspirational opening half from Titans skipper Tino Fa'asuamaelaui as he had 11 runs for 99 metres and made 16 tackles of his own. The captain was well supported by Chris Randall with 75 run metres and 20 tackles.

Half-time: The Titans take a lead to the break for just the seventh time this season on the back of 52 per cent of possession and 87 per cent completions. The Dolphins came up with four errors and conceded five penalties in a sloppy opening 40 minutes but were able to hit back with two tries while Keano Kini was in the sin bin.

40 min: Max Plath chases a high ball but gives away a penalty for tackling Siale Faeamani in the air.

38 min: Keano Kini continues his superb start to the game with an acrobatic bomb catch under all sorts of pressure from Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.

31 min: The Dolphins are penalised for a ruck infringement and then marched 10 metres for backchat. The Titans go into good attacking position.

28 min: The Dolphins go bang-bang and it's Herbie Farnworth on the left edge this time as he takes an inside pass from Jake Averillo and explodes into space from 10m out. Jamayne Isaako adds the extras. Titans 14-12

25 min: Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow gets across on the right edge as the Dolphins cash in on the one-man advantage. Jayden Campbell sprinted out of the line and went for an intercept, leaving the Titans' left edge exposed to Hammer's speed. Jamayne Isaako converts. Titans 14-6

23 min: The Titans go down a man after Keano Kini is sin binned for a professional foul. Beau Fermor had pulled off a great cover tackle on Jamayne Isaako but Kini came in late and pushed Isaako over the sideline. 

22 min: Isaiya Katoa goes to the line on the right edge and telegraphs a pass which AJ Brimson intercepts. At the end of the set the Titans squander an opportunity when Phil Sami puts down Brimson's pass.

20 min: The teams trade sets with Jamayne Isaako and Keano Kini coming up with safe catches for their respective sides.

16 min: Max Plath is penalised for not being square at marker just 10m out from the tryline and Jayden Campbell bangs over an easy two points. Titans 14-0

13 min: The sloppy start continues for the Dolphins as Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow's pass goes behind Herbie Farnworth and the centre knocks it on.

10 min: That's two for the Titans as Lachlan Ilias sends the ball to AJ Brimson who burns Jack Bostock and races over for his sixth try of the season. Jayden Campbell converts. Titans 12-0

9 min: Tevita Naufahu comes up with an error in the ruck and the Dolphins turn it over 30m out from their line.

7 min: The perfect start for milestone man Jayden Campbell as he chases hard on a Lachlan Ilias bomb and out-leaps Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to come down with the ball and score. Campbell converts. Titans 6-0

4 min: A couple of six-again calls have the Titans hot on attack but Phil Sami comes up with an error late in the set and the Dolphins come away.

2 min: A superb leap and take by Jack Bostock from an Isaiya Katoa bomb but the Dolphins centre tries to slip a pass and the ball goes forward.

Late Mail

Titans: Beau Fermor will line up at centre in his return from a rib injury with Jaylan de Groot a late scratching due to a knee injury. That brings Josh Patston into the starting side in the second row and Arama Hau onto the bench. The loss of Oliver Pascoe to concussion sees Luke Sommerton take over in the No.9 with Sam Verrills joining the bench for his first NRL game since Round 23. Development player Sunny Kama has been named on the six-man bench but isn't expected to make his NRL debut. 

Dolphins: No further game day changes after Kodi Nikorima (hamstring tightness) and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki (knee) came out of the side on Thursday. Winger Selwyn Cobbo (ankle) is also being given a break. Brian Pouniu will start in the back row with Tevita Naufahu on the left wing and Jake Averillo at five-eighth. Back-rower Connelly Lemuelu will return via the bench after two games out with a hamstring injury. The Phins have never lost to the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium.

Numbers Game

• The Titans have conceded 180 points in five consecutive losses.
• The Dolphins have won all three games against the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium.
• Titans winger Phillip Sami has scored four tries in his last five games against the Dolphins.
• Dolphins centre Herbie Farnworth has scored four tries in his last four games.
• Titans five-eighth Jayden Campbell will make his 100th NRL appearance.