Sat. Nov 2nd, 2024
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Brisbane whiz kid Reece Walsh won the battle of the fullbacks with Latrell Mitchell in a 28-18 win over an error-riddled South Sydney.

Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou tagged his side’s display “a horror show”.

Walsh scored two tries at Lang Park in front of 35,507 fans on Thursday night, the second after a Mitchell blunder when he failed to gather an in-field kick by Broncos winger Jesse Arthars.

Broncos skipper Adam Reynolds battled through a recurrence of a right knee injury before leaving the field in the 70th minute.

“It stirred up what was already there and is pretty sore. I’ll get another scan and see how it is,” Reynolds said, as he races the clock to be fit for next week’s clash with Penrith.

Apart from a six-minute spurt after half-time where bench utility Siliva Havili scored a try and set one up, the Rabbitohs were diabolical.

The Broncos led 12-0 at the break after both sides bumbled and fumbled their way through 40 excruciating minutes for their respective coaches.

The Rabbitohs were the worst offenders, completing just 10 of 20 sets.

They made a laundry list of elementary errors, including losing a scrum when they had the feed.

“I couldn’t fault our defensive effort and resolve, but we are just shooting ourselves in the foot … whether we can’t feed the scrum properly, first tackle errors or kicking into our own player or penalties for blocking,” Demetriou said.

A man celebrates after scoring a try in a rugby league match
Walsh was in brilliant touch as he ripped South Sydney apart. (Getty Images: Chris Hyde)

“It was a horror show.”

After the Havili heroics, the Rabbitohs went back to their first-half ways.

Walsh and centres Selwyn Cobbo and Kotoni Staggs razzled and dazzled after Broncos forward leaders Pat Carrigan and Payne Haas dominated.

Two pieces of brilliance by Reynolds and Walsh lit up the half.

Reynolds, up against his former club, slid a masterful grubber kick through for winger Deine Mariner to score in the 18th minute.

Walsh made two handling errors early, but he didn’t let that dent his confidence.

Instead, the talismanic No.1 stepped and weaved his way past six Rabbitohs defenders to score with blistering speed.

Hooker Damien Cook was sin-binned in the 29th minute and the Broncos were unable to make the visitors pay through their own mistakes.

Forward Kobe Hetherington muffed the best chance when he dropped the ball with the line wide open after being put through a hole by Carrigan.

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