Sun Oct 5, 7:00pm

Selected Grand Final Teams

Late Changes

Late Changes team was Api Koroisau has come in for suspended Issac Luke. Lowe, L.Burgess and Goodwin dropped off the bench.

WIN 30-6

The South Sydney Rabbitohs are the 2014 NRL Premiers, after defeating the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs by 30-6, to claim a record 21st Premiership. After waiting 43 years to qualify for a decider, the Rabbitohs repaid the loyalty of their fans with victory by putting on a controlled performance to down the Belmore Club in front of a ground-record 83,833 spectators. Rabbitohs lock, Sam Burgess, etched his name into rugby league and South Sydney folklore when the big Englishman became the first Rabbitoh to take out the Clive Churchill medal for being man of the match – playing through the entire 80 minutes with multiple fractures in his cheek-bone and eye-socket. The one on one battle between Burgess and fellow-countryman James Graham was always going to be one for the ages, but few could have predicted just how early in the match the matchup would come to a head – James Graham’s to be precise. With Burgess taking the opening hit-up of the game, the lock-forward collided with the head of Graham – Burgess’ eye closing almost instantaneously to match a depression in the side of his face courtesy of the blow. Fellow Rabbitohs leaders, John Sutton and Greg Inglis, praised Burgess for his courage to play on post-match, citing that the big forward had helped to inspire victory. As though the opening tackle drama wasn’t enough, Lote Tuqiri seemed to score a try against the run of play inside the first ten minutes, but the four-pointer was disallowed owing to a high tackle from Adam Reynolds. Tony Williams made his third mistake of the match inside the first 20 minutes, gifting the Rabbitohs possession. With a penalty helping the side up-field, the red and greens opened their Grand Final points account for the first time in 43 years when Alex Johnston slid over in the far corner. Adam Reynolds’ touch-line conversion attempt was waved away, leaving the score at 4-0 with 16 minutes in the opening stanza remaining. Greg Inglis made a massive break that saw him bring streak 90 metres and evade almost the whole of the Dogs defence, bringing the capacity crowd to its feet. From the ensuing tackle, a penalty to the Rabbitohs right in front of the sticks for hands on the ball allowed Adam Reynolds to kick his side to a converted try’s lead. The red and green’s dominated possession in the first half and seemed to have all the ascendency. But despite the weight of possession and a couple of opportunities, the Bulldogs’ defence held strong until half-time, the score reading 6-0 at the break. The second half started poorly for the Dogs when Josh Reynolds knocked the ball backwards off the kick-off – putting the blue and whites under pressure. But while the Dogs recovered, by the end of their set, a charge-down saw the Rabbits with the ball on the Dogs’ 20 metre line. Two repeat sets to the Rabbitohs on the Belmore club’s line put them under immense pressure, but Canterbury would survive the early Rabbitohs onslaught. Canterbury hit-back 10 minutes into the second half when Josh Reynolds put in a grubber kick to the in-goal that was picked up by Tony Williams and planted over the stripe. Trent Hodkinson converted from close range to level it up at six apiece. But the Rabbitohs would hit back in a very big way, when George Burgess steamed onto a pass at close range before powering his way through the Dogs defence to score directly under the posts. Adam Reynolds converted from right in front to make it 12-6 in the Rabbitohs’ favour. A penalty to Souths on the Bulldogs’ 40 metre line gave Reynolds another opportunity to post points, but the halfback’s radar was off. But Reynolds would get another opportunity less than a minute later from 44 metres out on a slight angle – the Souths Junior making no mistake to make it 14-6. With twelve minutes on the clock remaining, Rabbitohs prop Dave Tyrrell was stretchered from the field after a head clash with James Graham – the injury halting proceedings for five minutes. The Bulldogs looked to have the ascendency when they forced two repeat sets from the Rabbitohs. But Souths would survive the sustained pressure. With the clock reading just over six minutes remaining, a Greg Inglis kick into the in-goal found Kirisome Auva’a, who planted the ball inside the dead-ball line to all but seal the Grand Final. Reynolds added the extras from the side-line to make it 20-6. Reynolds bagged a four-pointer of his own inside the final two minutes after a kick hit the upright. Reynolds converted to make it 30-6. Inglis then added his own long-range try in the dying minutes to round out the match and the Premiership.

19 min  4-0
26 min  6-0
48 min  6-6
55 min 12-6
63 min 14-6
73 min 20-6
77 min 26-6
79 min 30-6

A.Johnston, G.Burgess, Auva'a, Reynolds, Inglis tries
Reynolds 5 from 7, S.Burgess 0 from 1 goals

Crowd       83,833
Referee     S.Hayne/G.Sutton

Penalities  5-6
Scrums      5-3

                 Min Tac Pe MT LB  HU  DR    m Er OL   K TA  T  G/A  FG
Flbk Inglis       80   3  -  -  1  14   -  227  -  -   2  1  1  -     -
LWng Johnston.A   80   5  -  -  1  12   -  129  1  -   -  -  1  -     -
LCnt Auva'a       80  11  -  -  -  11   -   75  -  -   -  1  1  -     -
RCnt Walker       80  20  -  2  -  10   2   74  2  2   1  -  -  -     -
RWng Tuqiri       80   7  -  2  -   7   1   48  1  -   -  -  -  -     -
5/8  Keary        80   5  2  2  1   6   -   37  -  -   1  1  -  -     -
Half Reynolds     80  31  1  3  -   3   -   20  1  -  20  -  1  5/7   -
Prop Burgess.G    55  27  -  1  1  18   -  199  1  -   -  -  1  -     -
Hook Koroisau     61  26  -  -  1   6   3   77  -  -   -  -  -  -     -
Prop Tyrrell      24  13  1  -  -   7   -   58  1  -   -  -  -  -     -
SRow Te'o         67  35  -  2  -  12   -  133  -  -   -  -  -  -     -
SRow Sutton       60  19  -  -  -  10   -   88  -  -   2  1  -  -     -
Lock Burgess.S    80  35  -  4  -  22   -  199  1  3   -  -  -  -/1   -

Int  Clark        43  26  1  -  -   8   -   68  -  1   -  -  -  -     -
Int  Turner       27  14  -  1  -   4   -   29  -  -   -  -  -  -     -
Int  McQueen      26   6  -  -  -   4   -   36  -  1   -  -  -  -     -
Int  Burgess.T    45  23  1  4  -  16   -  173  -  1   -  -  -  -     -

TOTAL                306  6 21  5         1670  8  8  26  4  5  5/8   -

Completion Rate      34/39 87%

Opposition Offloads  3

Effective 1st Tackles

 1 min  22m Reynolds kick
 2 min   7m CB Err / Reynolds kick
 4 min   1m CB Err SCR / Reynolds kick COF
 5 min  35m Reynolds kick COF 10m SS NO TRY SS P(Reynolds)
 7 min  19m Reynolds kick
10 min  14m SCR / Reynolds kick
11 min  39m Reynolds kick
13 min  10m CB Err SCR / Reynolds kick
16 min  78m SCR / Reynolds kick 19m / SS P (GBurgess)
19 min   0m CB Err / CB 6TG P / TRY
22 min  28m Reynolds kick COF
24 min  11m Keary kick COF
26 min   0m P GOAL
28 min   1m Reynolds kick Walker kick
29 min  95m CB 40-20
31 min  15m CB Err SCR / Reynolds kick
32 min   0m Reynolds kick CIG
35 min  31m Sutton kick COF 2m / SS P(Clark)
37 min   8m CB Err / Inglis kick
38 min   0m Reynolds kick CIG
39 min  47m SS Err(GBurgess) SCR

half time

42 min   0m CB Err / Reynolds kick CIG
44 min  12m CB 6TG / SS Err (SBurgess) SCR
46 min  17m SS Err(Reynolds)
48 min  94m SS Err(Walker) / (CB TRY)
52 min  49m Reynolds kick COF 15m / SS P(Keary)
54 min  30m Reynolds kick COF
55 min   0m TRY
59 min   6m Reynolds kick
61 min   0m P NO GOAL
63 min   0m P GOAL
65 min  58m Reynolds kick 21m / SS P(Teo)
67 min  84m SS Err(Tyrrell) SCR 67m / SS P(TBurgess)
69 min  57m SS Err(Tuqiri) DO
71 min  57m SS Err (AJohnston)
73 min   0m CB Err P / Reynolds kick Inglis kick TRY
75 min  91m SKO 70m / 6TG(Walker)
77 min   0m Sutton kick TRY
79 min   0m TRY

Average effective 1st tackle location
- 26.1m - for the whole match

- 22.0m - 1st half
- 30.8m - 2nd half

If you now remove the tries
- 23.1m - 1st half
- 39.6m - 2nd half
   

Judiciary News

Tom Burgess has been place on report for a high tackle in the 68th minute but no further action was taken by the MRC.

Sam Burgess named Clive Churchill Medal Winner

Rabbitohs lock-forward, Sam Burgess has been awarded the prestigious Clive Churchill medal as the official man of the match for tonight’s Grand Final victory against the Bulldogs. Burgess is the first Rabbitohs player to be given the medal, named in honour of the game’s greatest ever player – former Rabbitohs Premiership winning fullback and Coach – Clive Churchill. In his final match in wearing the red and green, Burgess played through the duration of the match following a head-clash with fellow countryman and Bulldogs skipper, James Graham at the opening tackle.

32-28 StAu (1v1) Nrthn Pride  b Penrith