Cody Walker was a clear standout as the Rabbitohs held on against a resurgent Warriors side to win their Magic Round fixture 32-30.
The 32-year-old notched up three try assists in the first 20 minutes as he guided his side to a healthy 26-6 half-time lead.
Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou shared after the match that Walker's performance was something he's come to expect.
"It's exactly what I thought he would do. No surprise to me at all how he played," Demetriou said.
"He's been having moments like that in the last few weeks. It's just, you know, a little bit more responsibility. I thought he handled it really well. His kicking game was outstanding, connection was really good.
"But you know, it's what he's been doing for three years with us. So I had no doubt that Cody would perform."
Demetriou also noted Walker's partnership with Lachlan Ilias in the halves, emphasising that the young halfback is learning every game.
"I thought in the first half our spine, in particular, were connected. I thought they were working together and moving together and there was real clarity around what we were doing," he said.
"And when the game got under a bit of pressure, there's a lot of lessons for [Ilias] to learn in that second half in terms of reconnecting with his playmakers and coming together as a group to figure out how we're going to stop the momentum rather than thinking individually. I feel like he'll learn that from that half."
#NRLWarriorsSouths Match Highlights 🎥
— NRL (@NRL) May 14, 2022
A tale of two halves as this #NRLMagic Round clash goes down to the WIRE! 😳 pic.twitter.com/R5QK4NAVcQ
The explosive nature of Walker's first-half performance was an impressive sight for any rugby league fan to admire.
According to the Rabbitohs' No. 6, his attitude coming into the game played a major role.
"[My motivation came from] just reminding myself of why I do what I do - it puts a smile on my face straight away," Walker said.
"You know, I love this game and I love what it's brought me and my family.
"So I had a brief chat with [Demetriou] at the start of the week just about why I play footy, to put me in a good mindset to enjoy what I do.
"I play footy - it's what I've always known. So it's quite easy to be in that mindset because I've wanted to do it since I was five years old.
"I just sort of scaled back my role a little bit ... made sure my kick chase was up, may effort areas that were up - and that got me in the game."
Walker wasn't sure what sparked that conversation earlier in the week but suggested that recent poor results have played a role.
His coach, however, explained that the intention was to re-centre his players and focus on their dynamic as a team.
"It was a conversation we had with our leadership group as a whole - individually and as a group - in and around coming together and enjoying what we do," Demetriou said.
"As you [the media] know, it can get hot in the oven sometimes. So it's important for us to take that pressure off and get out there and do what we do well. That's been our focus all week.
"We barely spoke about the Warriors. It's about playing our game and enjoying playing together."
