League mastermind Phil Gould and NRL legend Paul Gallen have torn the Rabbitohs to shreds following their lacklustre performance against Brisbane on Friday.
The pair raised major concerns over the side's spine and its inability to capitalise on a number of possessions in the clash, which they lost 22-18 on an empty Suncorp Stadium.
Whilst the scoreboard reflected a tighter affair, the contest was anything but, with Brisbane's forward pack dominating the Rabbitohs' middles throughout the match.
Gould said that whilst South Sydney's forward pack failed to build any momentum, the side's playmakers didn't manage the game, and that was something in need of immediate attention.
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"They took some really poor options, their football really deteriorated late in the second half when they had some chances to square that game up," Gould said in Channel Nine's post-match coverage.
"It didn't look anywhere near as convincing as it should've.
"I thought it was a pretty ordinary performance from South Sydney, it was bordering on soft. I just think the Broncos were too enthusiastic, too powerful, too relentless.
"There were a couple of glitches in the South Sydney attacking game which need to be fixed really quickly.
"There's just not enough flow to their set of six, they kind of work to the middle and put on a play and it gets really clunky for a couple of tackles and they lose their way again."
Gould had previously outlined his concerns over fullback Latrell Mitchell, who he believes is lacking an understanding of the game.
Mitchell's mortgage on the number one jersey could be under threat, with Wayne Bennett shifting his new recruit to centre midway through the second-half.
'South Sydney we're soft'
— NRL on Nine (@NRLonNine) March 20, 2020
Gal and Gus question Wayne Bennett's tactics with the spine.
Watch: @Channel9
Stream: https://t.co/1qMvUiZPaU#NRLonNine #NRL #NRLBroncosSouths pic.twitter.com/FFXeZB7MY1
Mitchell's struggles were then somewhat amplified when his replacement at fullback Alex Johnston had an immediate impact on the game, scoring a try and running for 60 metres from eight runs in 21 minutes on the field.
But whilst acknowledging Mitchell's absent performance, Gallen sided with Gould and questioned the composure of South Sydney's playmakers.
"The spine of South Sydney had a lot more experience than the Brisbane side," the retired Cronulla legend said.
"The Brisbane side had injuries they had to move players around yet we still see Latrell Mitchell moved from fullback to centre.
"I've never been a fan of moving your spine around, they're the generals of your team and the amount of ball South Sydney had in the back end of that second half I would've expected their spine to get them home."
