AFTER watching the South Sydney Rabbitohs lose to the Brisbane Broncos last week, I wrote the following: "Their record reads no wins from seven games; but they are much better than those results indicate.
"They tried so hard but kept shooting themselves in the foot with simple mistakes that either put pressure on themselves, or relieved pressure on Brisbane.
"The Rabbitohs are not controlling where the opposition gets the ball and also drop their heads when things go against them.
"You should never give up, and if you can just hold on, make the extra effort at vital times, it's amazing how many times you'll be in contention at the end of a game. But they'll win soon."
Amazing isn't it? Yesterday they lined up against the North Queensland Cowboys and pulled off an upset of monumental proportions.
I have to be honest, though. When I arrived at ANZ Stadium yesterday, I wasn't expecting a Souths victory.
I can also say that the first 10 minutes of the game gave me little indication they'd mended their mistake-riddled ways or were about to win the way they did.
Their early kicks were dreadful and simply gifted easy field position to their opponents. They made the first simple error of the match and conceded the first try with some soft defence near their own goal line. It was a replica of the previous seven weeks.
But then something happened. Whether it was the fact Russell Crowe arrived at the ground or that the penny finally dropped; all I know is the lights suddenly came on and South Sydney were back!
After a tumultuous week of player sackings and media criticism, the Rabbits finally pulled themselves together and for the next 70 minutes really looked like a good side.
They may be running last in the NRL premiership at the moment but I have seen a lot worse football teams in my time. They have the potential to climb the ladder, and I'm confident this will not be their last win of the season.
They were superb yesterday, and this victory was no fluke. It was a good-quality contest, and the Souths boys lost nothing in any facet of the play when compared with their more illustrious opponents.
They were handed no favours. It's not as though they had a massive share of possession compared with the Cowboys. If anything, they probably had a little less ball than the Cowboys, and certainly most of the match seemed to be played at the Rabbits' end of the field.
They produced some sterling goal-line defence and withstood a heap of pressure as the visitors tried to rally themselves back into the game.
Souths were not aided by a lopsided penalty count or suddenly blessed by the Football Gods with some miracle bounces of the ball.
They had to get in the trenches and fight for this win for the full 80 minutes.
It's not as though their opposition played that badly either. The Cowboys could be accused of having poor tactics, and they were at times guilty of some shoddy execution, but that's the way the Cowboys play. They run an ad lib, see-it-and-do-it style of attack that can produce either rocks or diamonds; but there's no denying they are very dangerous on their day.
They were spirited and threw everything they could at the Rabbits in a sterling effort to pull off a last-minute win of their own.
No, they didn't make it easy at all, and Souths' win was based on all the good qualities you want from your football team. To a man, they stuck to the task in what was a real team effort.
They were enthusiastic and courageous. They defended resolutely. They also played some great attacking football while managing to complete a healthy share of their allotted possession with the ball.
That's a big point. Some teams get bogged down with this notion of simply holding on to the ball and methodically completing sets of six - but it comes at the expense of their ball movement.
Souths played an exciting brand of footy more representative of the old Rabbitohs style. Fast, open, a touch of flair, the one-armed offload, the odd chip kick; it was all there and great to see.
I hope they enjoyed a beer together last night to celebrate, too. Well done, boys!
