Admin
07-04-08, 07:53 AM
By Dean Ritchie
April 07, 2008 12:00am
MANLY 20 RABBITOHS 2
SOUTH Sydney's season of hope is in disarray, with testy coach Jason Taylor angry at talk his side is hurtling toward the 2008 wooden spoon.
The Rabbitohs, semi-finalists last year, have lost all four matches this season, the latest a 20-2 defeat at the hands of Manly at Brookvale Oval yesterday.
It has not been the start that Souths' co-owner Russell Crowe predicted. He stated in 2006 after buying the club that 2008 would be the year of the Rabbitoh.
"I think 2008 sounds good, the 100th year for the club," Crowe said boldly at the time.
On yesterday's form, that prediction will remain a dream.
Souths' attack was flat and predictable and the club must be wondering where their first win will come from this season.
A feisty coach Taylor said last night: "This is a great position to be in. It is a position that will show what we're made of.
"Are we going to give up on ourselves or fight our way out to the other side?
"Everyone will give up on us. That's fine, give up. But we won't."
Asked whether his team was playing without confidence, Souths co-captain David Kidwell said: "We've lost four from four. What do you think?
"But it's not the end of the world. We'll come out the other side."
Co-captain Roy Asotasi described the club's season as "frustrating".
The Rabbitohs' 2008 season is slipping away before their eyes.
The club have injury worries and depth issues but there is no escaping the fact that they sit on zero points and the euphoria of last year - when they made the finals for the first time in 18 years - seems like decades ago.
"We're in a tough situation," Taylor conceded.
"But that's what this game is all about."
The Rabbitohs defended courageously yesterday but their attack looked flat and unimaginative.
It is only four rounds into the season but already it appears difficult to conjure up any thoughts about them playing semi-final football in 2008.
Souths let themselves down in the fundamentals yesterday. The low point came in the 64th minute when fullback Nathan Merritt failed to find touch from a penalty.
Manly fullback Brett Stewart caught the ball, brushed past Merritt and a few of his teammates and ran 60m to score.
During the match Taylor was seen in the Souths coaching box with his head in his hands.
"We came here to defend and we made defensive improvements," Taylor said later.
"The frustrating thing is if we had defended like that in our first three games, we would have won one game, maybe two.
"I was happy with what we did but we went backwards in the other side of the game (attack)."
Kidwell echoed the thoughts of his coach.
"We used up a lot of juice in defence so we lacked a bit in attack," he said.
Souths' depth will be further tested this week after a knee injury to improving forward Michael Greenfield, who clashed heads with Brett Stewart in the 48th minute.
As he fell to the ground with a nasty head wound, he damaged his knee.
Taylor was not able to say when Greenfield would return.
But it's highly unlikely that he will be fit for next Monday night's match against Cronulla at ANZ Stadium, Homebush.
Asked would he again change his halves combination of Jeremy Smith and John Sutton for the Sharks match, Taylor said: "I don't know - I doubt it."
MANLY 20 (A Cuthbertson, J Lyon, B Stewart tries; M Orford 4 goals) SOUTH SYDNEY 2 (N Merritt goal) at Brookvale Oval. Referee: S Hayne. Crowd: 14,426.
April 07, 2008 12:00am
MANLY 20 RABBITOHS 2
SOUTH Sydney's season of hope is in disarray, with testy coach Jason Taylor angry at talk his side is hurtling toward the 2008 wooden spoon.
The Rabbitohs, semi-finalists last year, have lost all four matches this season, the latest a 20-2 defeat at the hands of Manly at Brookvale Oval yesterday.
It has not been the start that Souths' co-owner Russell Crowe predicted. He stated in 2006 after buying the club that 2008 would be the year of the Rabbitoh.
"I think 2008 sounds good, the 100th year for the club," Crowe said boldly at the time.
On yesterday's form, that prediction will remain a dream.
Souths' attack was flat and predictable and the club must be wondering where their first win will come from this season.
A feisty coach Taylor said last night: "This is a great position to be in. It is a position that will show what we're made of.
"Are we going to give up on ourselves or fight our way out to the other side?
"Everyone will give up on us. That's fine, give up. But we won't."
Asked whether his team was playing without confidence, Souths co-captain David Kidwell said: "We've lost four from four. What do you think?
"But it's not the end of the world. We'll come out the other side."
Co-captain Roy Asotasi described the club's season as "frustrating".
The Rabbitohs' 2008 season is slipping away before their eyes.
The club have injury worries and depth issues but there is no escaping the fact that they sit on zero points and the euphoria of last year - when they made the finals for the first time in 18 years - seems like decades ago.
"We're in a tough situation," Taylor conceded.
"But that's what this game is all about."
The Rabbitohs defended courageously yesterday but their attack looked flat and unimaginative.
It is only four rounds into the season but already it appears difficult to conjure up any thoughts about them playing semi-final football in 2008.
Souths let themselves down in the fundamentals yesterday. The low point came in the 64th minute when fullback Nathan Merritt failed to find touch from a penalty.
Manly fullback Brett Stewart caught the ball, brushed past Merritt and a few of his teammates and ran 60m to score.
During the match Taylor was seen in the Souths coaching box with his head in his hands.
"We came here to defend and we made defensive improvements," Taylor said later.
"The frustrating thing is if we had defended like that in our first three games, we would have won one game, maybe two.
"I was happy with what we did but we went backwards in the other side of the game (attack)."
Kidwell echoed the thoughts of his coach.
"We used up a lot of juice in defence so we lacked a bit in attack," he said.
Souths' depth will be further tested this week after a knee injury to improving forward Michael Greenfield, who clashed heads with Brett Stewart in the 48th minute.
As he fell to the ground with a nasty head wound, he damaged his knee.
Taylor was not able to say when Greenfield would return.
But it's highly unlikely that he will be fit for next Monday night's match against Cronulla at ANZ Stadium, Homebush.
Asked would he again change his halves combination of Jeremy Smith and John Sutton for the Sharks match, Taylor said: "I don't know - I doubt it."
MANLY 20 (A Cuthbertson, J Lyon, B Stewart tries; M Orford 4 goals) SOUTH SYDNEY 2 (N Merritt goal) at Brookvale Oval. Referee: S Hayne. Crowd: 14,426.