Rabbitohs 50
Tigers 10
The Rabbitohs yesterday wound back the clock for the NRL's heritage round, returning to the scene of some of their most famous victories to smash a woeful Wests Tigers by a 40-point margin at the SCG.
The rampant South Sydney scored nine tries to two in a dominant display against an out-enthused Tigers side, and out-of-sorts Benji Marshall, that never looked in the match.
In front of more than 30,000, mercurial Souths five-eighth John Sutton sent a last-minute message to New South Wales Origin selectors, displaying all of his sublime talents in wreaking havoc on the Tigers' defence all afternoon. His dummies and one-arm offloads were a constant threat and he had a hand in at least two Rabbitohs tries.
Winger Nathan Merritt bagged a hat-trick of tries and Beau Champion a double, while Issac Luke booted seven from nine.
The Tigers have now lost four straight games and their promising start to the season is in tatters.
The Rabbitohs led 18-6 at the break and two tries to Champion in three minutes had them out to a 28-6 lead after 46 minutes.
Champion's second came after Tigers superstar Marshall had fumbled a kick and Souths' next four-pointer, Merritt's second in the 48th minute, came after a Marshall passing blunder deep in his own territory.
The Tigers got across the line twice in the second half but knocked on both times and when Souths halfback Chris Sandow hit the chest of Colin Best with a perfect cross-field kick, it was 40-6 after 64 minutes.
Merritt added his third in the 70th after another Tigers error involving Marshall before winger Fetuli Talanoa compounded the embarrassment in the 72nd.
Sutton's brilliance was best displayed when he had sent Sandow over in the 29th minute with a great one-arm offload.
Tiger Chris Lawrence had the last say, scoring with two minutes left, but his badly beaten teammates could not raise a celebration.
- AAP
