2020 NRL Premiership - Major Preliminary Final

(3v1) South Sydney v Penrith

Stadium Australia

Sat Oct 17, 7:50pm

Selected Preliminary Final Teams

CyberView from the Hill - Last Week

CyberView from the Hill - This Week

Late Changes

Graham failed a fitness test and Marsters were trimmed 24 hours before the game. Dargan and Mago were 18th men. Murray started at centre and Knight at lock.

LOSS 16-20

A couragous South Sydney bowed out of the semi-final race after going down 16 to 20 to the minor premiers Penrith, who recorded their 17th win in a row. The triumph at ANZ Stadium was as thrilling as it was ugly, Penrith bombing a number of scoring opportunities against a busted Bunnies outfit. South Sydney lost Graham with a groin injury before the game, Sironen with a knee injury at the 30 minute mark and Tatola leaving the field but did not return from after a head high tackle. From the outset nervous moments abounded for Penrith, starting with a stumbling charge-down attempt from skipper James Tamou in the first minute. Reynolds sprayed the early penalty shot at goal. But it was South Sydney who go off to the early lead, after Allan stripped the Steeden from Edwards a well placed cross-field kick from Reynolds on the second tackle put Alex Johnston in for a try. Reynolds conversed and Souths led 6 nil after 3 minutes. Within minutes Brian To'o was crossing for a square-up from Johnston's own fumble flying through the air, Cleary with the nudge for a 6-6 game. The score hadn't changed by the 17th minute but both sides had already burned their captain's challenges with ill-advised efforts. Up the middle and down the left edge Penrith began to split the Rabbitohs defence, targeting Souths disrupted right side with fortune and then some. An inexplicable forward pass from Josh Mansour to Kurt Capewell with a try on offer kept South Sydney level. A high shot from James Fisher-Harris on Tevita Tatola then landed the Kiwi enforcer on report and gave the Rabbitohs yet more relief. It proved fleeting though as Penrith's momentum piled up, Cleary once more putting boot to ball and this time his housemate May latched on for a 12-6 lead. Another pin-point Cleary kick saw Cartwright take out a Panthers chaser, the mercurial No.7 knocking over the penalty for 14-6 at the break. A botched try from centre Stephen Crichton, fluffing another Cleary chip that sat up for him in the in-goal, kept the Bunnies in it. So too Johnston's determined grassing of Crichton when he was en route to the line with one of 2020's finer try-saving tackles. Souths came out in the second half down to 15 men, when early in the half Corey Allen went down with a hamstring injury and limped his way through the rest of the second half on the wing, with Johnston moving to fullback. But in a never say die attitude South Sydney were next to score when Dane Gagai finished of move out wide and scored in the corner, Reynolds converted from the sideline and it was now 12 to 14 after 49 minutes. Just as a cardinal and myrtle upset loomed, Isaah Yeo busted up the middle with the type of run that has him in line for a NSW Origin call-up, Dylan Edwards's four-pointer in support providing much-needed breathing space taking the score to 12 to 20 after 66 minutes. With eight minutes remaining the Rabbitohs faithful drowned that out. Despite carrying a significant cork that had him operating at little more than a limp, Allan's effort was Herculean as he grubbered ahead a Cody Walker pass and dotted it for a thrilling finish. With 2 minutes on the clock, Adam Reynolds' toes being four centimetres the wrong side of a critical 40-20 kick allowed Penrith to cling on for their 17th win in a row.

 1 min  0-0  Reynolds miss
 3 min  6-0  Johnston try Reynolds goal
 7 min  6-6
26 min  6-12
39 min  6-14
HT      6-14
49 min 12-14 D.Gagai try Reynolds goal
66 min 12-20
72 min 16-20 C.Allan try Reynolds miss

Johnston, D.Gagai, C.Allan tries
Reynolds 2 from 4 goals

Referee    G.Sutton
Crowd      30,116 (Match played with 50% capacity restricted attendance due to COVID-19)

Scrums      7-9 (1H  5-4 )
Penalities  3-2 (1H  2-2 ) 
6 Again     2-2 (1H  1-1 )

Final Line Up -                      
                                 Min Tac Pe 6A MT LB  Rn  DR    m Er OL   K TA  T  G/A  FG

Flbk -  1 - Allan, Corey          80   4  -  -  3  1  15   -  112  1  2   2  -  1  -     -     
RWng -  5 - Paulo, Jaxson         80   4  -  -  2  -  14   -  117  1  1   -  -  -  -     -
RCnt - 13 - Murray, Cameron       80  38  -  -  3  1  13   -  132  2  1   1  -  -  -     -
LCnt -  4 - Gagai, Dane           80  13  -  1  2  1  19   1  129  1  2   1  -  1  -     -
LWng -  2 - Johnston, Alex        80   3  -  -  -  -   9   -   62  1  -   -  -  1  -     -
5/8  -  6 - Walker, Cody          80  14  1  -  3  -  14   -   89  2  4   4  2  -  -     -
Half -  7 - Reynolds, Adam        80  12  -  -  3  -  15   -  102  -  -  17  1  -  2/4   - (c) 
Prop -  8 - Tatola, Junior        23  12  -  -  1  -  10   -   76  1  -   -  -  -  -     -     [0-23]
Hook -  9 - Cook, Damien          80  51  -  1  3  -   4   3   21  -  -   1  -  -  -     -     
Prop - 10 - Burgess, Tom          44  30  -  -  6  -  10   -   96  1  1   -  -  -  -     -     [0-22,49-71]
SRow - 11 - Su'A, Jaydn           80  36  -  -  2  -  10   -   74  -  -   -  -  -  -     -     
SRow - 12 - Sironen, Bayley       29  11  -  -  3  -   3   -   22  -  -   -  -  -  -     -     [0-29]
Lock - 15 - Knight, Liam          44  29  -  -  2  -  14   -  128  -  -   -  -  -  -     -     [0-24,51-62,71-80]

Int  - 14 - Nicholls, Mark        49  30  -  -  2  -  12   -  121  1  1   -  -  -  -     -     [22-51,60-80]
Int  - 16 - Cartwright, Jed       56  10  1  -  3  -  15   1  108  -  -   -  -  -  -     -     [24-80]
Int  - 17 - Koloamatangi, Keaon   46  23  -  -  -  -  12   -  109  -  2   -  -  -  -     -     [23-60,71-80]
Int  - 19 - Sele, Hame            29  19  -  -  2  -   9   -   97  1  -   -  -  -  -     -     [29-49,62-71]

                                     339  2  2 40  3         1602 12 14  26  3  3  2/4   -

Completion Rate      - 30/40 75% 

Opposition Offloads  - 4
 
Effective 1st Tackles

 0 min   0m Reynolds kick P NO GOAL
 3 min  15m Pe 20-DO / Murray kick
 4 min   0m Pe Err / Reynolds kick TRY
 6 min  27m Walker kick
 7 min 100m SS Err(Johnston) (Pe TRY)
 8 min  15m KO
 9 min  70m DO
11 min  34m Pe Err Pe-CC(x) SCR / Pe-6A / Reynolds kick COF 2m / SS-6A(DGagai) / (Pe NO TRY)
14 min  15m Pe Err (Pe NO TRY) SCR / Walker kick COF / (Pe NO TRY)
17 min  65m Pe Err / SS Err(Tatola) SS-CC(x) 26m / SS-6TG(Murray)
19 min  11m Reynolds kick
20 min  39m Reynolds kick COF
23 min  20m Pe Err SCR / P / SS Err(Walker) SCR
26 min  35m Reynolds kick / (Pe TRY)
28 min  14m KO
30 min  56m SS Err(Nicholls) SCR
32 min   4m Pe Err / Reynolds kick COF
34 min  36m SCR / SS Err(Paulo) SCR
37 min 100m Pe Err SCR / SS Err(Sele) SCR 49m / SS P(Cartwright) (Pe GOAL)
39 min  58m KO 17m / SS P(Walker)

half time

40 min   8m KO
41 min  18m Reynolds kick COF
43 min  80m SS Err(DGagai) SCR
45 min   0m Pe Err SCR / Reynolds kick DGagai kick CIG
47 min  17m Reynolds kick
49 min   0m P / TRY
51 min  28m Reynolds kick
53 min  90m SS Err(CAllan) SCR 95m / SS-6A(DCook)
56 min  33m SS Err(Burgess) SCR
58 min  39m Pe Err / Reynolds kick COFIG
60 min   8m Pe Err SCR / Walker kick COF
62 min   9m Reynolds kick COF
64 min  15m DCook kick SCR
66 min  37m Walker kick / (Pe TRY)
68 min  39m Sh-KO
69 min  16m Pe Err / SS Err(Walker)
72 min   0m Pe-6A / CAllan kick CAllan kick TRY
74 min  28m Reynolds kick COF
76 min  16m Reynolds kick SCR
78 min  22m Reynolds kick COF
80 min  54m Reynolds kick SS Err(Murray)

Average effective 1st tackle location
- 31.7m - for the whole match

- 38.1m - 1st half 
- 25.9m - 2nd half 

Other First Grade Matches

30-10 LngS (2v4) Melbourne   b Canberra

Other First Grade Matches - Grand Final

26-20 StAu (2v1) Melbourne   b Penrith   (Oct 25)
      

Judiciary News

Corey Allan has been charged with a grade 1 shoulder charge on Penrith Panthers Winger Josh Mansour in the 15th minute of last Saturday's Preliminary Final. The base penalty is 200 points. He has since taken the early guilty plea reducing the charge by 25% to 150 points and will miss one game with 50 carry over points.


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