heraldsun.com.au
- From: AAP
- May 16, 2010
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Annihilation ... South Sydney were far too powerful and dynamic for a sad and sorry Wests Tigets outfit at the Sydney Cricket Ground this afternoon. Source: The Daily Telegraph
- SOUTH Sydney, led superbly by Isaac Luke and Beau Champion, put 50 points past a sad and sorry Wests Tigers in an annihilation at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The rampant Rabbitohs scored nine tries to two in a dominant display against an out-enthused Tigers side, and out-of-sorts Benji Marshall, that never looked in the match.
In front of more than 30,000 at the SCG, mercurial Souths five-eighth John Sutton sent a last-minute message to NSW selectors, displaying all of his sublime talents in wreaking havoc on the Tigers' defence all afternoon.
His dummies and one-arm offloads were a constant threat and he had a hand in at least two Rabbitohs tries.
Winger Nathan Merritt bagged a hat-trick of tries and Beau Champion a double, while Issac Luke booted seven from nine. - The Tigers have now lost four straight games and their promising start to the season is in tatters.
The Rabbitohs led 18-6 at the break and two tries to Champion in three minutes had them out to a 28-6 lead after 46 minutes.
Champion's second came after Tigers superstar Marshall had fumbled a kick and Souths' next four-pointer, Merritt's second in the 48th minute, came after a Marshall passing blunder deep in his own territory.
The Tigers got across the line twice in the second half but knocked on both times and when Souths halfback Chris Sandow hit the chest of Colin Best with a perfect cross-field kick, it was 40-6 after 64 minutes.
Merritt added his third in the 70th after another Tigers error involving Marshall before winger Fetuli Talanoa compounded the embarrassment in the 72nd.
Sutton's brilliance was best displayed when he had sent Sandow over in the 29th minute with a great one-arm offload.SOUTH SYDNEY 50 (N Merritt 3 B Champion 2 C Best C Sandow F Talanoa D Taylor tries I Luke 7 goals) beat WESTS TIGERS 10 (C Lawrence R Lui tries B Marshall goal) at Sydney Cricket Ground. Referee: Tony De Las Heras, Steve Lyons. Crowd: 30,685.