Latest news with #Souths
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Australian exploits stick in the memory
Ken Wills. PHOTO: SUPPLIED 1. Favourite rugby memory? There are probably two that really stand out (as a player). Winning the grand final in '86 for Souths in Brisbane and then winning the Australian club championships in '87. 2. Hardest opponent? Currently you'd have to say that Upper Clutha are probably the benchmark at the moment. Although I highly rated the Matakanui and Cromwell scrum, they've got very good front rows both those teams. 3. What rugby coach do you admire and why? I think Wayne Smith if you look at it from an overall point of view. He's one that's very thought provoking as a coach . . . and is a great thinker of the game. But more on a club level, I had a coach called Murray Page who lives in Christchurch. He was again a coach that made me as a young player really think about the game. 4. What do you do to relax? I've taken up lawn bowls and it turns out I'm pretty good at it. 5. If Ken Wills is cooking, what are we eating? I've got lamb shanks in the slow cooker at the moment. But I really love Asian food.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NSW Blues beef up security after State of Origin training footage leak
New South Wales coach Laurie Daley has pledged to review security procedures around State of Origin preparations after vision of the Blues' private session on Monday was leaked online. Images of centre Stephen Crichton hobbling off with an injured quad muscle quickly spread on social media on Monday afternoon after the Blues' session at the home of Queensland rugby union at Ballymore. Daley said the leak wasn't his focus one day before the series kick off, but the breach was regrettable. Related: State of Origin Game 1: where the 2025 series will be won and lost | Jack Snape 'When it's a private session, you're always disappointed when stuff like that is leaked,' he said. 'We'll go through what we can do better, and we might stop people coming to training, we don't want to but it might be just part of what we need to do, just limit access.' Although Wednesday's match is at Suncorp Stadium, the Blues are favourites to win Game 1 after winning the shield in Brisbane in last year's decider. Captain Isaah Yeo played down the leak, and said there was nothing much to be gained by opponents watching private training sessions. 'If you look at all teams, and I think all teams play a pretty similar sort of style and I guess there's enough footage of players in this arena already from club land.' Yeo played down the seriousness of Crichton's injury and described it as a 'cork' but admitted Monday's scare and the recovery of prop Payne Haas has meant preparations haven't always been smooth. 'It's never ideal, but feels like this week just throws up challenges, and [Crichton's] obviously got a little challenge he's got to overcome at the moment,' he said. 'Really confident [he will play], there were no scans or nothing needed, it was just an innocuous bump.' A public announcement on Tuesday morning before the Blues' final training session at Suncorp Stadium reminded those present the session was private and requested workers vacate the stadium. Crichton warmed up along with his teammates alongside Haas before the press were asked to leave the ground. Daley was confident Crichton would play, but the final decision will be made on Wednesday morning in consultation with the Blues' medical staff. Souths centre Campbell Graham has filled in for Crichton in camp and will move into the starting side if the Bulldogs centre is forced to withdraw. Daley said the situation would not distract the side from preparation. 'That's part of Origin, you've just got to accept it and roll with the punches,' he said. 'But you can't be put off at all, no matter what happens, and our preparation's been spot on.'
Sydney Morning Herald
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Bennett hails Koloamatangi's heroics after Souths outgun Tigers
'With all the injuries that we have, the best go-forward from the middles normally wins the game each week,' he said. 'Wayne put his trust in me – that I'm able to do that for the team. 'I don't care where I play. I just do my best each week and try and win the game for the boys ... my effort doesn't change. I try not to think about it too much. I don't think about my gas.' Adding to the Tigers' post-match angst, co-captains Jarome Luai and Api Koroisau, and prop Terrell May were overlooked by NSW selectors. 'I'll talk to Jarome privately,' Tigers coach Benji Marshall said. 'I'm sure he'll be disappointed, as we all are. That decision is out of our hands. 'I wish we could do more to get him in that team, but it'll make him hungrier and better.' Marshall said May had been 'outstanding' on and off the field since joining the Tigers this season. Koroisau scored two tries – one a spectacular 70-metre effort in which he beat Souths fullback Latrell Mitchell with a sidestep – but it was not enough for him to win a Blues recall. The Tigers were left ruing a dropped ball over the line by teenage five-eighth Lachlan Galvin when the match was in the balance. With the Rabbitohs leading 16-12 in the 76th minute and down to 12 men after Tallis Duncan had been sin-binned, Galvin stepped into a gap and sprinted 15 metres for what appeared to be a try that would have locked up the scores. But as centre Adam Doueihi started sizing up a conversion attempt that could have put the Tigers into the lead, the bunker intervened, ruling that the ball jolted from Galvin's grip before he grounded it. Two minutes later, Jai Arrow scored for Souths and the Rabbitohs were celebrating their sixth win of the season, which lifted them into the top eight – a noteworthy effort considering their injury toll this season. Koroisau's opening try, just before half-time, provided a timely boost for the Tigers after Souths dominated the first 40 minutes. Souths had opened the scoring in the 10th minute when dummy-half Siliva Havili burrowed over from close range and grounded the ball. Ten minutes later, the Tigers lost Galvin to the sin bin after he made a tackle from an off-side position on Isaiah Tass, who was in a try-scoring situation. Loading With the Tigers down to 12 men, Souths five-eighth Jayden Sullivan burst into a yawning gap and an exchange of passes ended with back-rower Euan Aitken diving over. Mitchell converted both tries. When winger Alex Johnston raced away for the 197th try of his NRL career in the 60th minute, the Tigers found themselves chasing a 16-6 deficit. But after Koroisau scored from dummy-half in the 69th minute, it was a four-point ball game. Loading The Tigers were coming home with a wet sail, and Galvin appeared to have earned them the lead, but the no-try ruling broke their hearts. Mitchell warmed up for Origin I with a solid game that included one 80-metre break.
Perth Now
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Bennett takes Souths into top eight with miracle run
Wayne Bennett's magic dust has worked more wonders on South Sydney, with the injury-ravaged Rabbitohs entering the top eight with a 22-12 win over Wests Tigers. Smashed by injuries since February and still missing three of their biggest names, the Rabbitohs went to a 12-0 lead early on Sunday before holding onto win. The victory did not come easily, with the Tigers appearing to level the scores at 16-16 with five minutes to play when Lachlan Galvin went over on the left edge. But replays showed the departing Tiger dropped the ball as he dived over the line, before Jai Arrow crossed late to seal the win for the Rabbitohs. A desperate tackle from Campbell Graham in the dying minutes sees South Sydney secure the 2 points! 🫣#NRLTigersSouths Telstra moment of the match. NRL (@NRL) May 18, 2025 Bennett is renowned as one the greatest coaches in rugby league history, but if he is to keep this Souths side in the top eight it would be among his best feats. The Rabbitohs finished 16th last year and were only saved from collecting the spoon by a woeful Wests Tigers. They have then spent the first 11 rounds of 2025 without Cameron Murray, while Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker have headlined big names to spend time out. Even on Sunday night at Campbelltown they were still without first-choice five-eighth Walker, centre Jack Wighton and hooker Peter Mamouzelos. But still, they were clearly the better side, with Keaon Koloamatangi a man mountain in the middle of the field with 329 metres at prop. Siliva Havili got the Rabbitohs' first when he burrowed over out of dummy-half, before Jayden Sullivan laid on their next. Effectively on loan from the Tigers and set to return there next year, Sullivan spotted a gap behind the ruck and went 60 metres before Euan Aitken finished the job. In contrast, the Tigers failed to capitalise on their best chances with Apisai Koroisau playing a lone hand. On the same night he was again overlooked by NSW for Reece Robson, Koroisau almost single-handedly dragged the Tigers back into the match. He scored their first when he spotted a gap from his own 30-metre line and broke down field, The hooker got one-on-one with Latrell Mitchell, feigned a kick, dummied and stepped past the fullback to score while leaving the Souths No.1 falling to the ground. At 16-6 down Koroisau then got Souths down to 12 men when he burst into a gap from a Terrell May offload and forced a professional foul from Tallis Duncan. The hooker then made immediate use of the extra man, dummying out of the ruck on the next set and stepping through the defence to score. But any hope of a Tigers comeback were dimmed by Galvin's error over the line, before Arrow officially killed them off to leave the joint-venture stuck in 10th spot. May also had a big game for the Tigers with another 199 metres from 19 runs, but it will not be enough to win his way into the NSW team.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brad Fittler calls out problem at Broncos as pressure mounts on Michael Maguire
NRL legend Brad Fittler says Brisbane's latest defeat to Souths exposed a major problem for Michael Maguire's side, as pressure mounts on the Broncos' coach after four losses in their last five games. The Broncos were flying earlier in the season but their recent poor form and second-half fade-outs have been a big concern, with fellow league great Johnathan Thurston and former coach Kevin Walters criticising the body language and commitment of Brisbane's players. But Fittler says a lack of support play from Maguire's side really stood out to him in Brisbane's capitulation against the Rabbitohs. The Broncos led by 14-0 at halftime but conceded 22 unanswered points in the second half to go down to a Latrell Mitchell-inspired Souths. Mitchell booted an extraordinary two-point field goal from 49 metres to put the Bunnies ahead at the death, before cementing the win with a try that divided the NRL world when he caught Brisbane napping in the last play-the-ball of the game. However, Fittler pointed out that Brisbane dominated many of the attacking stats and only had themselves to blame for the loss. The Broncos had nine linebreaks to South Sydney's three and 29 tackle busts to 19 but failed to take advantage. And former Blues coach Fittler said it showed a lack of cohesion and commitment from the Broncos squad, with players consistently failing to back up their teammates during attacking raids. "One thing that was noticeable when they made a couple of breaks, and they made more linebreaks than Souths, they had the better of the game no doubt," Fittler said on Nine's Sunday Footy Show. "(But) every time someone would come through there would only be one supporting player and they'd be five or 10 metres away. "Payne Haas went through and there wasn't anyone. There was no one following him. I think when Deine Mariner went through there was no one following him. Adam Reynolds was 10 metres away. If you watch some of those early games... somebody would go through the line (of defence) and there were five or six jerseys pushing through the line. They're nowhere near the camaraderie or the gel that some of these other teams have got." Maroons coach Billy Slater agreed and said Maguire's side were desperately missing the support play that injured fullback Reece Walsh and the previously suspended Ezra Mam typically offer. "And you think of the two best support players in the Broncos's squad, it would be Ezra Mam and Reece Walsh," Slater said. "Now you put both of those guys back into the football team and they're a different side. Mam has served his nine-game ban and will almost certainly come back into Brisbane's starting side in place of injured five-eighth Ben Hunt, if he's cleared over a high tackle in the Queensland Cup on Sunday. However, Walsh is still expected to be sidelined for at least a couple more weeks, meaning Maguire will need others to step up in this area. Pressure has ramped up on Maguire and his underperforming Broncos, who many tipped as one of the favourites for the premiership before the season. Maguire was brought in to replace Walters as coach, with a directive to change the Broncos' culture and give the squad a harder edge. However, Thurston says he's seeing little evidence of that, with Walters admitting "there is something not quite right" at the Broncos. 'We all thought Michael Maguire was coming in to put a hard edge into the Broncos," Thurston said on Nine's coverage. "Well their last five games and their second-half fadeouts, there is no hard edge to them at all. As a Broncos fan, I would be frustrated to see the way that they are playing.' RELATED: NSW coach in surprise call about picking Ryan Papenhuyzen for Origin Panthers legend in telling reveal as trainer footage lands club in trouble Ezra Mam's return to NRL thrown into doubt by possible suspension Veteran league journalist Phil 'Buzz' Rothfield claims there are "problems" between some of Brisbane's players and the coach, amid suggestions Maguire has been "over-training" the squad, which has led to some of their "flat" performances. Rothfield also questioned Maguire's decision to take the squad on a cruise on Sydney Harbour last week after travelling down earlier than usual before the loss to Souths. 'Madge has got a roster that should seriously be challenging for a title, not getting beaten by a depleted Rabbitohs,' Rothfield said on Sky's Big Sports Breakfast. 'There were a few people in the camp shocked in a five-day turnaround week that Madge had brought them down to Sydney for three nights instead of their usual game-eve. He took them out on the harbour for a luxury cruise... Players like to stick to schedule... I don't think it's a good look to be out on a cruiser like that.
