Match Report: Pre-season Challenge vs Rabbitohs

The Rabbitohs dominated both possession and field position in the first half, scoring two converted tries to lead 12-0 at half time.

They opened the scoring in the 7th minute after the Sea Eagles were caught offside at a goal-line drop out.  With Manly short for numbers on their left, it was a simple shift to the right which resulted in Campbell Graham scoring in the corner.

The Bunnies went close to scoring again about five minutes later when right centre Jack Wighton was held up over the line by some desperate scrambling defence.

After multiple repeat sets Souths eventually grabbed their second try when five-eighth Cody Walker wrong footed Corey Waddell and darted through a gap from close range.

Manly were left a player short midway through the first half when Nathan Brown was put in the sin bin for high contact on Bayleigh Bentley-Hape.  Not long later Waddell was taken from the field for a HIA after a collision with Jye Gray.

The Sea Eagles only had a few sets in the Rabbitohs red zone in the first half but were unable to crack the defence.

Quite a few changes were made by both coaches at half time.

One positive for Manly in the second half was the continued good form of half Joey Walsh, who played a starring role in last weekend's win in New Zealand.

Once again the 19-year-old looked very sharp with ball in hand.

Like the first half the Rabbitohs opened the scoring in the second half with Bronson Garlick finishing off a nice passage of play.

It started about 45 metres out when Matt Dufty stepped out of Reuben Garrick’s attempted tackle before offloading to Jamie Humphreys who had Garlick in support.

The Bunnies went back-to-back a couple of minutes later when a neat kick in goal from dummy half Peter Mamouzelos was dived on by Latrell Mitchell who added the extras to push score out to 24-0 with 20 minutes to play.

Mamouzelos scored himself a few minutes later, diving over from close range on the back of a repeat set which stretched Souths’ lead to 30-0.

Manly’s first and only points of the match came with about 10 minutes to play when Walsh straightened the attack on the right edge, putting Waddell through a whole with Clayton Faulalo going in to score.

Next up for the Sea Eagles it’s the real deal; a Round 1 clash against the Canberra Raiders at 4 Pines Park on Saturday 7th March.