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Rabbitohs steal a thriller

Rabbitohs steal a thriller

17/05/2009 6:06 PM

A stunning Nathan Merritt field goal with three seconds left has seen South Sydney escape with an incredible 23-22 win over Wests Tigers before a record crowd at the SCG.

In the last play of the day and with the scores locked at 22-all, the ball was forced wide where the unlikely figure of Merritt popped up to hit a sweet one-pointer.

It was the first field goal the littler winger has kicked in senior football and could not have come at a better time.

He raced towards the fence with a finger raised in celebration, the crowd of 29,970 – a record for a club match between the two sides – standing and cheering in disbelief.

The Rabbitohs were down 22-10 after 61 minutes but fought their way back with two tries – the last with five minutes left – to set up the incredible finish.

The Tigers lost in-form prop Keith Galloway after eight minutes to a knee injury and worse was to come.

Two minutes later David Kidwell stopped, propped and spun out of a tackle before planting a flat pass on David Fa'alogo's chest for the opening try.

Chris Sandow landed the conversion for a 6-0 lead.

The Tigers hit back almost immediately and, predictably, Benji Marshall was at the heart of it.

The Kiwi superstar drifted across field, dummied on his inside before flipping out a one-handed netball-style pass for winger Taniela Tuiaki to trample his opposite Merritt en route to the line.

Marshall failed to convert Tuiaki's seventh try of the year, leaving the Rabbitohs in front 6-4.

By the 19th minute the Tigers had the lead for the first time courtesy of Tuiaki's brute strength.

The massive flanker took the ball 20m out with room to move and put any thought of side stepping, passing or cutting back inside from of his mind to steamroll three would-be tacklers on his way to slamming the ball down.

Marshall's added the extras from the sideline and in the blink of an eye the hosts had a 10-6 advantage.

Galloway returned but lasted around two minutes before succumbing to the knee injury before Souths, with two minutes left in the half, struck back to level at 10-all.

Craig Wing's wonderful cut-out pass found Colin Best in space from inside his own half and the lanky centre loped down field with winger Fetuli Talanoa in support.

Best drew the last line of defence and perfectly positioned Talanoa for a terrific try, the Souths flyer acrobatically flipping his body over an advertising hoarding after touching down.

The see-sawing scoreline continued within seven minutes of the resumption.

Robbie Farah, perhaps noting Sandow in the defensive line, feigned to pass from dummy half and worked his way over for a soft try.

Marshall's conversion made it 16-10.

Tigers winger Beau Ryan drove another nail in Souths' coffin with a piece of individual brilliance on 50 minutes.

Working a narrow blindside, Ryan chip kicked into the in-goal and beat two Rabbitohs defenders to the ball before flinging back over his head.

The trailing Tim Moltzen was on hand to place the ball for a miraculous four-pointer.

Marshall added the icing with a superb sideline conversion.

All of a sudden it was 22-10.

Sandow was forced off with 21 minutes left but it didn’t hamper the Bunnies' attack

Two minutes later Issac Luke's crossfield kick was plucked out of the air by Talanoa for a much-needed try.

Luke's conversion

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images
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Comments
Posted by ronald bright at
18/05/2009 07:14 PM
thats exactly what the fans want to see good onya Rabbitohs & West Tigers, GO THE RABBITS. the more games like this and the game will be No1 forever
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