Barnett hurt in Origin blow as Warriors hold off Souths
NSW prop Mitchell Barnett is in extreme doubt for State of Origin II after suffering a serious-looking knee injury in the Warriors' 36-30 win over South Sydney.
On a day when Alex Johnston scored a hat-trick and became only the second man to reach 200 career tries, the Rabbitohs fell short of pulling off a comeback at Accor Stadium.
After they trailed 30-12 with 21 minutes to go, Johnston's second and third tries of the day got the Rabbitohs back within six points.
Both teams then traded tries late, but the Warriors ultimately held on to remain deeply entrenched in the NRL's top four at the halfway mark of the competition.
Still, the chief concern for the visitors will be their co-captain, Barnett.
Four days after laying the foundation for the Blues' series-opening win in Brisbane, the prop had to be assisted from Accor Stadium on Sunday with a knee issue.
The Warriors front-rower will require scans, after he clutched at his right knee while lying on the ground in pain following an attempted tackle on Jayden Sullivan.
Beyond the Warriors, his injury may also have significant ramifications for the Blues, with game two in Perth just 17 days away.
Stefano Utoikamanu was NSW's back-up front-rower for the series opener, but Keaon Koloamatangi again made his case in Souths' loss.
After totalling 494 metres in his first two games since moving from second row to prop, the one-time Origin player ran another 189 on Sunday.
The 27-year-old got through 80 minutes again, bust eight tackles and scored the Rabbitohs' first try when he barged through three defenders to go over the line.
Johnston got his first moments later when he picked off a Luke Metcalf pass and went 90 metres to score, and at that point Souths looked on top, leading 12-4.
Then the Warriors kicked into gear with five tries in the space of 24 minutes around halftime.
Metcalf was the main star, with the Dally M leader setting up three tries for the match and scoring one himself when he went 85 metres from dummy-half.
Second-rower Leka Halasima again showed his talent when he stepped back through a gap and beat three defenders to the line.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck also bagged a double in one of his better games of the season on the wing for the Warriors.
Latrell Mitchell and Johnston still offered the Rabbitohs some late hope, with the Souths fullback sending his winger over for two late tries in the second half.
And while that took Johnston to the 200-try milestone and have him within 12 of Ken Irvine's record tally, it wasn't enough to keep the Rabbitohs inside the NRL's top eight.
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