The Serve

Bunnies play the wet better than Penrith

Souths superior handling of the dreadful Sydney conditions was enough for the Bunnies to edge out Penrith 14-4 in front of a few brave spectators at Homebush.

To say the official crowd figure of 5,053 was ambitious would be akin to saying Sydney’s recent weather has just been damp.

In another statement about fans feelings of Telstra Stadium, the lure of a warm lounge room and a live telecast gave the contest a Premier League feel. The rugby league premier league, that is, not the English.

Souths took an early lead thanks to a Paul Mellor try. Two penalty goals to the Panthers prior to half time left the scores locked at 4-4 into the break.

The Rabbitohs showed far more discipline in a forgettable second half, booting two penalty goals of their own before closing out the game in the seventy-sixth minute, with a contentious try to David Peachey. There were doubts as to whether he grounded the ball, as well as Nathan Merritt’s handing in the lead up. “I’m running out of stuff to say that is constructive about the way the games are being officiated”, said a clearly exasperated Penrith coach Matthew Elliott.

Souths have their fifth win of the season, ending a demoralizing five game losing streak, while the Panthers are in danger of falling to equal last, just seven days after appearing to revive their season with an upset victory over ladder leaders Manly.