| 2008 SEASON REVIEW - Rabbitohs | | Print | |
| Monday, 26 January 2009 14:09 | |||
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2008 SEASON REVIEW - Rabbitohs NRL.com Wins: 8 Losses: 16 Position: 14th Home Record: 5 wins, 7 losses (=13th) Away Record: 3 wins, 9 losses (=13th) Biggest Winning Streak: 5 wins Longest Losing Streak: 7 losses Players used: 32 (8 rookies) Player of the Year: Luke Stuart Tries Scored: 80 Tries Conceded: 121 SOUTH Sydney mightn’t have made the finals for back-to-back seasons – but don’t tell them they haven’t improved. South Sydney administrators and coaches believe season 2008 was a learning curve for the Bunnies, a year of blooding new talent and developing new combinations that will see the team succeed on the field on the years to come. After a finals appearance in 2007 and a seventh-placed finish after the regular season, the Rabbitohs were expected to continue to build on that momentum in 2008. Gone were seasoned veterans like David Peachey, Paul Mellor and Peter Cusack – but they were bolstered by the signing of star playmaker Craig Wing. However, due to a combination of injuries and a desire from coach Jason Taylor to give experience to their rising stars, the South Sydney team of 2008 was much ‘greener’ and struggled on occasions. The season could’ve fared much worse but for an inspired five-match winning streak that started with a 35-28 upset victory over the Warriors in Auckland. Led by rookie halfback Chris Sandow, the Bunnies developed a new attacking flair and gave their fans – bitter at the start of the year after a seven-match losing streak – something to cheer about. Where They Excelled... While it is difficult to say any team “excelled” down towards the bottom of the ladder, it’s obvious South Sydney’s error rate is one of the best in the NRL. Committing just 10.8 errors per game to be the equal-second most-disciplined side in the competition, the Rabbitohs are laying a solid foundation for the halves to work from and create opportunities. Also of interest to South Sydney fans is their line-break stats; South Sydney made an average of four and a half line breaks per game to be equal sixth on the list – the only problem was converting those opportunities into points. Where They Struggled... South Sydney simply conceded too many metres (an average of 1395 per game to rank 15th) to be any chance of winning many matches this season. The soft defence resulted in good field position for the opposition and from there points were conceded; the Rabbitohs ranked 15th for both points conceded (27.8 per game) and tries conceded (five per game). Missing In Action... Craig Wing’s shoulder injury against his former club, the Roosters, in round one had a big impact on the Bunnies. Eventually making the field for just 11 matches in the season, Wing’s injury from a controversial “prowler” tackle was a big blow to South Sydney’s chances of success in 2008. Turning Points... One could argue Wing’s injury in round one was the key moment in their season. After working on new combinations revolving around the new recruit in the off-season, his injury brought down the team’s attacking structure and the bad luck was a sign of even worse things to come for the Rabbitohs. Seven straight losses at the beginning of the season spelt the end of their season and finals aspirations. Best Games... The Rabbitohs’ best (and most unexpected performance) came against the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium in round 13. The Rabbitohs trailed 14-0 at one stage before piling on six tries, five goals and a field goal to secure their second win of the season. The killer blow came after South Sydney repelled a Warriors raid and then marched downfield for rookie Chris Sandow to pilot a long-range field-goal through the uprights for a victory. It was Souths’ first victory over the Warriors this century. After a bye the following week, South Sydney continued the momentum and won against the Titans, Cowboys, Bulldogs and Eels to put themselves in range of an unlikely top-eight finish, but it wasn’t to be. Worst Games... Pick any of the opening seven weeks really. After their opening loss to the Roosters, Souths simply crumbled. Losses to the Bulldogs, Panthers, Sea Eagles, Sharks, Tigers and Broncos cruelled their season – and fans lost interest. Hold Your Head High... Centre Beau Champion came on in leaps and bounds for the Bunnies this season. One of Jason Taylor’s favourite players, Champion developed this year into a powerful and elusive runner and well as a destructive defender. In 18 appearances Champion made 12 line breaks and scored eight tries while running for an average of more than 80 metres per game. Expect him to develop even further as a player in the coming years. Rookie halfback Chris Sandow also had a fine season, playing 13 games with eight try assists, five line breaks and 22 tackle-breaks. The electric Aborigine, who won the Dally M Rookie of the Year title, is certainly one to watch. Conclusion... South Sydney ushered in a new breed this season and wins were obviously going to come at a premium with the loss of several experienced players. But with some impressive victories towards the back end of the season, coupled with those talented rookies, Rabbitohs fans should have plenty to smile about in the years to come. Stats: NRL Stats
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| Last Updated on Monday, 26 January 2009 14:17 |