There was plenty on the line on Friday night when the NRL ladder-leading Brisbane Broncos hosted the South Sydney Rabbitohs in arguably the clash of Round 9.
Despite already picking up seven wins, the Broncos came into this game at Suncorp Stadium as the underdogs off the back of a number of suspensions and injuries to key players.
Those omissions ultimately proved too much to overcome, with the Rabbitohs emerging as dominant victors.
The two sides played out a competitive first stanza, but the visitors went on to blow their opponents out of the water, outscoring them five tries to nil in the second half.
Despite the result, the Broncos remain on top of the table, but South Sydney have certainly established themselves as serious 2023 contenders.
MORE: NRL team lists: Every side's confirmed lineup for Round 9
Brisbane Broncos vs. South Sydney Rabbitohs score, result
| First half | Second half | Final score | |
| Broncos | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Rabbitohs | 12 | 20 | 32 |
Try-scorers
Broncos:
Jesse Arthars (11th min)
Rabbitohs:
Campbell Graham (6th, 35th, 48th min)
Latrell Mitchell (42nd, 67th min)
Cody Walker (57th min)
Campbell Graham sparks Rabbitohs to big win
Off the back of last round's impressive win over the Panthers, the Bunnies made another statement on Friday night against the Broncos.
Whilst Jason Demetriou's side are without key forward Keaon Koloamatangi, their starting 17 looks increasingly like a premiership-contending line-up, and this match was proof.
Campbell Graham led the way on the attacking front, scoring his second hat trick and 11th try of the season.
His physicality and timing near the try line was seriously impressive, and Brisbane had no answers.
His performance was a near-perfect audition for NSW Blues selectors as Origin approaches, and his coach believes he has showcased the traits required.
"He's doing what he needs to do to put himself in the frame for representative honours," Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou said post-match.
Graham has a hat-trick 🎩 #NRLBroncosSouths pic.twitter.com/UhFI7cR1VL
— NRL (@NRL) April 28, 2023
The Bunnies struggled for control and possession in the first half but managed to head into the sheds with a 12-6 lead.
The second stanza was a different story though, with the visitors exuding confidence from the restart and simply running away with it.
Tries to Latrell Mitchell and Graham within 10 minutes of the resumption effectively sealed the result.
Latrell Mitchell continues try-scoring run
A fullback should not be judged on their try-scoring output, but Latrell Mitchell's recent run has undoubtedly given the Rabbitohs an extra boost.
After five rounds without a four-pointer, the Kangaroos and Blues representative has crossed for a remarkable eight tries in the four weeks since.
His energy is crucial to how the team performs, and he is full of vigour at the moment.
Mitchell had a relatively quiet first half against the Broncos, but exploded in the second half, picking up a double.
Both his tries were a result of hard work and grit, two traits that have defined the Rabbitohs in recent weeks.
There's no stopping Trell Mit 💯 #NRLBroncosSouths pic.twitter.com/QARWbflNTt
— NRL (@NRL) April 28, 2023
Broncos fail to cope with key player losses
The Broncos were dealt a triple blow in the lead-up to this match, with Corey Oates (injury), Ezra Mam and Dally M Medal leader Payne Haas (both suspension) all ruled out.
Absences on the wing, in the halves, and through the middle are significant, so it was always going to be an uphill battle for the home side.
Former Rabbitohs player Adam Reynolds used his experience to keep things ticking over, but there was an overall lack of fluidity in the team.
Their high error count also did not help, as they simply became overwhelmed by their opponents' second half onslaught.
MORE: NRL Injury List: Every club's casualty ward
South Sydney under investigation from the NRL for interchange error
In the aftermath of the Rabbitohs' impressive win over the Broncos, news came through that the NRL would be investigating an incident out of the match.
South Sydney reportedly fielded an extra man after an interchange error which occurred in the 53rd minute.
With the score at 22-6 and Brisbane down to 12 men after Herbie Farnworth was sent to the sin bin for a trip, the Bunnies briefly had 14 players on the field.
Davvy Moale and Jai Arrow came on to replace Tevita Tatola and Tom Burgess although the timing of the substitutions was off with an extra man being on for around 30 seconds.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, it was Moale who "jumped the gun" during the interchange error.
However, it is believed the offence is only considered to be a minor matter and shouldn't result in the Bunnies being stripped of any competition points.
Andrew Abdo criticises South Sydney's interchange error
NRL CEO, Andrew Abdo, has criticised South Sydney for their interchange error on Friday night.
"It shouldn't happen, it's not good enough," he told The Continuous Call Team.
"We need to have controls in place to make sure that it doesn't happen again and obviously there has to be accountability for that.
"There's a full review well underway. We'll look to finalise that on Monday as we do all matters over the weekend across all eight games.
"It's disappointing it's occurred. The interchange is the responsibility of the clubs and so something has gone wrong. We'll get to the bottom of it, and we'll take the appropriate action."
