South Sydney Rabbitohs Cody Walker, Latrell Mitchell and David Fifita star in trials thrashing of Manly Sea Eagles
Very, very nice ball movement. The physical prowess of Mitchell and Fifita, who swatted away Manly’s star signing Jamal Fogarty like a bug on his windshield with his first tackle.
Jye Gray fit the bill. As well as bouncing and bouncing in all directions, the Rabbitohs No 1 also fended off the Sea Eagles’ 20cm, 20kg backrower Corey Waddell. Jack Wighton was otherwise sharp on the new-look right wing.
Latrell Mitchell celebrates his try at Mudgee.Credit: NRL Footage
Brandon Smith looked lean and fit and played that way, with a couple of sexy one-handed tackles for half-runs, making him one of the game’s premier No. 9 players at best.
Yet it has been the halves where the Rabbitohs have struggled the most in recent years; Walker was regularly held back by soft tissue injuries, with Lewis Dodd and Lachlan Ilias recovering and showing little cohesion or consistency.
At Mudgee, the moustachioed Walker looked 36 and ran as if he were 10 years younger again.
With a light-footed solo try, three line-breaks and 96 running meters in one half, the experienced No.6 looked like a modern-day Cliffy Lyons. And he was out of breath, as if he’d been caught up in Cliffy’s lung-destroying ones when he was caught up for the halftime interview.
Brandon Smith was loaded with prospects for the Rabbitohs.Credit: NRL Footage
“I’ve had a really good pre-season for the first time in about three years, so I’m looking forward to the season getting started,” Walker said.
So, the left wing that will move Alex Johnston out of Fifita and push Mitchell into the first round against the Dolphins?
“Look, this is going to keep growing. We have so many assault weapons out there that I’m going to attend a ball this year.”
Ashton Ward, meanwhile, happily took his chance at half-time, forcing multiple replays and making a convincing case to start the season given Jamie Humphries is suspended and Bud Sullivan is unlikely to be fully fit.
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When Bennett holstered his big guns towards the hour mark, Souths scored three tries in eight minutes as Manly faded first. For Anthony Seibold and his increasingly beleaguered Sea Eagles fans, remember that little mountain of tries.
Fogarty had a minute or two as the new number 7. New recruit Kobe Hetherington and underrated Ethan Bullemor punched it up the middle when they came off the bench.
As the contest drew to a close, outstanding young quarterback Joey Walsh continued to impress with his intelligence and creativity. That’s what the Southerners had all along, mostly watching from the sidelines.
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