This was never just another game.
Everyone knows the story – for the Roosters, it was about revenge over a brutal high shot, and for Souths it was about standing by Latrell Mitchell through the ensuing fallout.
Both sides insisted it was business as usual – a suggestion that was scoffed at by fans and pundits alike – and it was clear from the boos in the stadium and the aggression in the contact that every time Mitchell carted the ball up or made a tackle were clear for everyone to witness.
AS IT HAPPENED: NRL Friday night, round three
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But as the Rabbitohs fullback streaked away down the left sideline and saluted the crowd with less than 15 minutes to go, it was clear who had one in this most bitter chapter in the Book of Feuds.
A late try to Daniel Tupou restored some respectability to the scoreline, but in truth, it was a dominant performance from a South Sydney side still finding their way in attack.
If not for some poor last tackle options in the opening 20, the game would have been out of sight – if not for two disallowed tries due to sloppy execution after the interval, it would have been out of sight.
Cameron Murray was sensational for the hosts, putting on a true captain’s knock as he scored the opener and set up two more, bending the line every time he carted the ball up to boot.
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But as it were, and as it so often is, it was left to Latrell Mitchell to seize the big moment – some quick thinking from Jaxson Paulo and Alex Johnston combined to grant their fullback a clear passage to the line, as he saluted the crowd and dived over.
Manu was the Roosters best, and the pair embraced at full time.
“Leave it in the back now, talk about something else hey,” Mitchell laughed afterwards.
He said he didn’t want to talk about what the pair said.
“It was good to see him,” Manu added.
Mitchell praised the ‘Rabbitoh mentality’ after the win, which was a marked improvement from round one and the first hour of round two.
His five-eighth Cody Walker agreed.
“We made it really hard on ourselves over the first two rounds with our completion rate,” Cody Walker said afterwards.
“It’s always good coming up against the Roosters, the media hype, it’s good theatre for the fans and it’s a good game to be a part of.”
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