Last year, if Melbourne were the kings of the wrestle then South Sydney were the princes.

This year, the pace of the game has increased and the Storm have just one win from three games and the Rabbitohs none. Yesterday, after losing to Penrith, Souths coach Jason Taylor made it clear where he thought the Rabbitohs needed to improve.

The faster pace - due to the reduction in interchanges from 12 to 10, and a stricter policing of contact with the head or neck on the ground in tackles were factors Souths had not adapted to as well as other sides.

"I watched Parramatta and Newcastle play on Friday night and the speed of that game really struck me," Taylor said. "I don't think we knew what we were getting involved with there.

"The game gets quicker every year, but I think the fact that if you put your arm near anyone's head in a tackle you'll probably get penalised is having an effect, too. You might have what you think is a decent grip, but if it's around the head or neck …

"Maybe we're just struggling generally, but I do know the game is lightning fast now and that makes it hard to get control of the ruck. At the moment, we're not adjusting to that. We showed in the second half that we could apply pressure and score points, but the speed of the game - it's amazing that it can continue to get faster, but it does."

Rabbitohs co-captain David Kidwell said the Souths players had become acutely aware of the risk of giving away penalties if they wrestled for too long in tackles.

"Anything around the neck area is being penalised at the moment," he said. "Jaiman [Lowe, Souths forward] made a tackle around the chest and he was concerned it was slipping up, so he tried to pull away, but he got penalised. If it's for players' safety, fine, but we don't want to be like the AFL, where everything gets pulled up. If it's a clear shot around the head, or a grapple, it's a penalty, but if it's unintentional and you pull out …

"But the bottom line is that we have to make adjustments. We've got to get better and faster. We're just one team in a comp where every team is trying to make adjustments and some have adjusted more quickly."

It doesn't help that Souths, in trying to adjust to the faster pace, keep losing the players who touch the ball the most. Halfback Craig Wing was ruled out long term after being hurt in the opening round and hooker Issac Luke is probably looking at a month out after being forced off with a broken hand yesterday. Souths co-captain Roy Asotasi was also forced off with concussion. A sick and sorry Asotasi was slumped with his head over a bucket in the medical room after the game.

Rabbitohs co-owner Russell Crowe is in the US at the moment, making a film. If life really does imitate art, he'll fluff the lines in his next scene and need a few takes to get it right. But he'll keep whacking away, and that's all his team can do at the moment. There is no easy way out in this competition.