Classy Reynolds Ensure Rabbitohs Merritt Win
















Sydney Roosters 10-28 South Sydney Rabbitohs 
NRL Round 1
Allianz Stadium
Attendance: 35,952

Last season’s NRL Rookie of the Year, Adam Reynolds (top right), got the South Sydney Rabbitohs' season off to the perfect start with a wonderful kicking game to earn victory over close rivals the Sydney Roosters in the 206th meeting between the pair.

The 22 year old, who knocked over four of five possible conversions, was instrumental with the boot as the visitors scored through hat-trick hero Nathan Merritt, Chris McQueen and George Burgess.

The Roosters started and ended the game the brighter of the two sides, scoring the first and last tries of the night through wing Daniel Tupou and the returning second rower Sonny Bill Williams. Tupou scurried over early on in the corner to get the hosts off to a flyer, but that’s as good as it got for Trent Robinson’s side.

With a pack to die for, including Roy Asotasi, Jeff Lima and Burgess brothers Sam and George, Reynolds sat back and dictated proceedings from the tenth minute on. He first found the monstrous full back Greg Inglis, who fed Merritt out wide for his first before a 30th minute cross field kick was plucked out the sky by McQueen for Merritt’s second.

The Roosters were architects of their own downfall, both in attack where they fumbled a repeat set, and in defence when they conceded six of their nine penalties before the break. What they didn’t want to concede was a third try, however Reynolds’ inch-perfect high bomb found the towering Inglis who palmed in to the path of McQueen for a 16-4 lead at the interval.

Wrecking-ball prop forward George Burgess, who’s still only twenty years of age, rampaged up the middle of the Roosters defence for try number four, reaching out his huge forearm to plant the ball over the line – a bittersweet moment for England fans, who will no doubt see him in the country’s strip for years to come, but will get little chance to see him week in week out.

Super League’s loss is NRL’s gain, as is applicable for elder brother Sam (top left), who was all too happy to dish out some pain at regular intervals, but going over the top on one occasion with a shot on Mitchell Pearce that went on report.
The game was sealed on the hour mark with Merritt’s third making the Roosters pay dearly after they had failed to take advantage of their possession, the dropping of a guilt edged 3 on 1 chance a particularly pertinent moment.

Ill discipline and bad handling on the hosts behalf still didn’t prevent their new signing, the cross coding part-time boxer, Williams, (right) grabbing a mention with a jaunt through a gap late on but the Roosters lacked punch all round.

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