Another productive outing from Zac Lomax helped the Dragons overcome the Rabbitohs 28-14 on Saturday night to give the Red V their fifth win of the season.
Lomax scored 16 points on his own, via a try, a two-point field goal and 10 points off the tee, on an evening in which he also carried the ball for a team-high 197 metres.
It halts a two-game winless run for the Dragons ahead of sitting out Magic Round on the bye next week.
Through the first hour at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, South Sydney gave themselves every chance of picking up a first win since Round 4, with some gutsy goal-line defence and moments of creative play from Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell.
Lomax drills the 2 point field goal
In the end it fell apart on the back of errors, with 14 mistakes leading to a 65 percent completion rate which simply put too much pressure on their struggling defence.
It took just 10 minutes for Ben Hunt to deliver a pinpoint grubber that gave Lomax his seventh try of the season, but it was back-to-back handling errors from the in-form winger which then contributed to the Rabbitohs getting in position to reply through Mitchell.
The time back on even footing didn't last long for the Bunnies though, with Jack Bird soon striking after the Dragons marched down field on the back of opposition errors.
Jack Bird Try
Walker had a potential try ruled out by the Bunker in his 200th game when a knock on was found, before Lomax boomed a two-point field goal just before the break to make it a six-point advantage.
After Lomax added an easy two from a penalty in the second half, Izaac Tu’itupou Thompson produced a diving finish in the corner for South Sydney's second, which left them trailing 14-10 after Mitchell's conversion went wide.
Tu’itupou Thompson played a direct role in the next four-pointer too, but unfortunately for him it was scored by the Dragons, after he dropped a bomb and gifted the hosts with positive field positioning which they turned into Jaydn Su'A try and Lomax conversion.
Jack de Belin fell on the ball in the in-goal area after Mitchell made a meal of a kick defusal with six to play, putting the result beyond doubt, with Mitchell's late four-pointer to confirm a personal double being little consolation.
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Match Snapshot
- South Sydney committed 14 handling errors to St George Illawarra's nine and completed at just 63 percent.
- In a 62-minute stint Jack de Belin managed 20 carries for 193 metres, with a late try the icing on the cake.
Jack De Belin Try
- The Rabbitohs have become the first team in premiership history to concede 28 points or more in eight of their opening nine games of a season.
- With a double on Saturday, Latrell Mitchell has scored 12 tries in 10 games against the Dragons.
- Rabbitohs five-eighth Cody Walker made his 200th NRL appearance.
Play of the Game
A lovely kick from Ben Hunt in testing conditions and a classy put down by Zac Lomax, to begin what was a fruitful day for the powerful winger. With these two firing, the Dragons remain right in the mix to be part of the top eight conversation in 2024.
Zac Lomax Try
What They Said
"A lot of effort, but we're just not winning those moments. When there's a ball to be caught, kick to be defused or a tackle to be made, at the moment we're just not quite nailing it. It was an improved performance, but we want to win." – Rabbitohs interim coach Ben Hornby.
Rabbitohs: Round 10
"We have been doing it [fighting] in patches in the games we have won, we have fought for long periods of time, and even in some of the games we have lost... we haven't been smart enough or one part of the game we haven't executed properly. But today we got it right, Ben [Hunt] kicked really well, we competed really hard and won those moments." – Dragons coach Shane Flanagan.
Dragons: Round 10
What's Next
While the Dragons will remain in Sydney and enjoy a week off with the bye, the Rabbitohs head to Brisbane for Magic Round. This year they'll face the Cowboys in the final game on Saturday night, with hopes prolific winger Alex Johnston will be cleared to join their depleted backline.