Last weekend, in the Good Friday clash against the Bulldogs, South Sydney had just turned in one of the worst first halves of Michael Maguire's four-year tenure, leaking 32 unanswered points.
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Souths hang on to down Manly
South Sydney score all their points in the opening 16 minutes, before producing a strong defensive effort for just their fifth win at Brookvale Oval since 1993.
A club staffer sensed the danger. Maguire, in the darkest of moods, was poised to deliver his half-time address.Â
Knowing what was about to unfold, and realising it was not fit for public consumption, the staffer threw a towel over the dressing-room cameras at ANZ Stadium.
It prevented the host broadcaster from showing, live and in high definition, what those on the receiving end have described as the greatest spray of Maguire's career.
Given his reputation, it must have been something to behold. The fear of copping another such tirade may well have prompted the Rabbitohs' turnaround at Brookvale Oval last night. Perhaps Manly's own turnaround, of the the five-day variety, was an equal contributor. There were others.
Most notably the brothers Burgess. Sam and Tom, absent during the previous shellacking, were back. Their presence, particularly that of the older sibling, cannot be overstated.
The Rabbitohs, with Maguire's words still ringing in their ears, could not have started more impressively. Cameron McInnes, in a dogfight with Damian Cook for a starting spot, did most of the damage.
McInnes, sensing the markers were asleep, took advantage from close range.
Five minutes elapsed.
McInnes, sensing the markers were asleep, took advantage from close range.
The hooker's second try - virtually a carbon copy of the first - brought up the 35,000th point in the foundation club's proud history. The way the Sea Eagles defence was buckling, particularly after Cody Walker scored soon afterwards, it felt that number could be anything by the end of proceedings.
But then a strange thing happened. The momentum not only halted but swung. Dylan Walker, having shifted from Redfern to Brookvale without his baggage, sparked something. Spinning out of the tackle of another potential, albeit reluctant, Blues No.6 in Luke Keary, Walker crossed against his former club.
The red mist again descended upon Maguire.
His side, for all of their early dominance, led just 16-6 at half-time.
For the second week in a row, a towel was draped over the dressing room cameras at the main break.
The Sea Eagles' halves combination of Walker and Apisai Koroisau is perhaps the most unlikely in the NRL. Both spent time at South Sydney but it took something out of the ordinary - an injury to Daly Cherry-Evans - to throw them together. And yet they were the most dangerous on field, the biggest beneficiaries when possession ebbed back into their favour.
Koroisau scored midway through the second half, showcasing his speed off the mark in bridging the gap to just four. The former Panther crossed again 10 minutes later, only to have the ball raked from his grasp in the act of scoring.
Time and again the Rabbitohs hung on.
Brett Stewart was hoping to equal the record of Steve Menzies for the most tries scored at Brookvale Oval. That he was not able to do so, failing to score since his last outing at the old ground, officially puts him into drought territory. It is also a nod toward to how hard the Rabbitohs worked without the ball.
It even prompted a few kind words from Maguire. "We defended there for a long period of the game," he said afterwards.
"We put a bit of pressure on ourselves and we had a few calls go against us. But I am proud of the spirit we showed and the way we hung in there."
Manly mentor Trent Barrett said he was disappointed the Sea Eagles couldn't ice the game in the dying stages but wasn't upset with his players.
"That was our third game in 10 days. I was worried we might be flat early and we were. The start cost us," he said.
"But I couldn't go in there [the dressing room]Â and be upset with those guys, it was an unbelievable effort."We are coming together as a team. I can see that."
with AAP
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