Eye got you ... Dean Young tackled by Sam Burgess. Photograph: Mark Evans Source: The Sunday Telegraph
SO maybe a draw isn't like kissing your sister after all.
St George Illawarra flyer Brett Morris shattered the hearts of South Sydney fans last night by powering over for a last-minute try to leave the Charity Shield in a stalemate.
Dragons five-eighth Jamie Soward lined up the sideline conversion but narrowly missed, meaning the Rabbitohs retained the Shield as last year's winners.
Just when it looked like South Sydney had sounded a warning they will be a force, the Dragons found a get out of jail card.
But the Rabbitohs still made a major statement against last year's minor premiers.
The NRL's most talked about forward pack lived up to the hype and the halves pairing of Chris Sandow and John Sutton loved every minute of it, laying on four of their team's five tries.
The Rabbitohs playmakers showcased an array of chip kicks, incisive running and a cool demeanour as left winger Fetuli Talanoa bagged a hat-trick of tries in a quality game.
With the scoreline deadlocked at 22-all with 13 minutes remaining, Sandow laid on a perfectly-weighted chip kick for right winger Nathan Merritt to send the Bunnies Burrow into a rousing rendition of "Glory, Glory to South Sydney".
But forget charity. From the moment St George Illawarra centre Beau Scott gave South Sydney's English import Sam Burgess a facial in the opening exchanges, this was no ordinary pre-season game.
The Dragons looked to have scored the opening try when last season's top tryscorer Brett Morris went streaking down the left wing only for replays to show Souths centre Beau Champion had forced him into touch.
Souths' new-look engine room rumbled the ball within scoring range before centre left Colin Best popped a ball for Talanoa, who stepped Scott before crossing.
Sandow converted for a 6-0 lead and it was all South Sydney for the next nine minutes, before the Dragons levelled the scores courtesy of a try to winger Nightingale.
Jamie Soward converted as St George Illawarra regained some composure and structure.
Emerging forward Eddy Pettybourne continued to show the hype about the Bunnies' beefed-up forward pack was no misplaced by putting a ferocious shoulder on Dragons prop Dan Hunt.
With the Rabbitohs pack winning the arm wrestle, halves Sandow and John Sutton were given room to move and the pair soon converted their momentum into points.
Sutton was incisive with his running game, while Sandow produced a magical chip kick for left winger Talanoa to bag his second try and send Souths to a 12-6 lead.
The Dragons were swift to respond in the 33rd minute, when quick hands caught the Rabbitohs rushing defence off guard, with five-eighth Soward finding fullback Darius Boyd, who sent Nightingale over for his second try.
Soward nailed the sideline conversion to level the score at 12-all before the Dragons crossed again, with left winger Morris touching down in the 37th minute after Boyd and replacement centre Kyle Stanley created an overlap.
Soward missed the conversion, but the Dragons had a 16-12 edge at halftime.
Souths split the Dragons from long range early in the second half, Sutton standing in a tackle and off-loading to a flying Nathan Merritt, who sent bench forward Ben Lowe under the posts.
Sandow converted the 40m try to narrowly edge Souths ahead 18-16.
The red and green juggernaut rolled on in the 51st minute when Sutton sent Talanoa over for his hat-trick with a deft grubber kick.
St George Illawarra's response was swift, interchange forward Nick Emmett surging over after a Rabbitohs mistake. Soward calmly piloted the sideline conversion.
SOUTHS 26 (F Talanoa 3, B Lowe, N Merritt tries; C Sandow 3 goals) ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 26 (J Nightingale 2, B Morris 2, N Emmett tries; J Soward 3 goals).