by Paul Cook –

It’s difficult to know what to expect in round one of this competition, such are the vagaries of the off-season departures, arrivals, fitness levels and combinations etc. But one thing was certain, with two of last season’s top three sides meeting at Forshaw Park, bragging rights, and the chance to strike an early blow to a potential fellow contender, ensured that both Souths and Manly wouldn’t be holding anything back.

As it transpired, it was the vagaries of the weather that played arguably the biggest role on the day, such was the swirling breeze around Sylvania and the effect it had on proceedings. It would be unfair to pigeon-hole the contest with the old ‘game of two halves’ cliché, Souths doing enough across the 80 minutes to warrant victory. But a scoreline of 17-0 in their favour before the break, and 17-6 in favour of the Marlins in the second stanza, certainly illustrated the benefits of playing with the wind at their backs.

There wasn’t much evidence of ‘ring-rustiness’ from the Rebels in the opening quarter, as they set about their opposition with plenty of aggression and tenacity. But it was their handling skills, support lines and offloads that truly caught the eye, a willingness to keep the ball alive and exploit every gap assisted by some unusually slick execution on day one of a new season.

A Matt Teki penalty on four minutes got their noses in front, but for all their possession and attacking intent, the Rebels struggled to make good on their early dominance. If Richard Hooper had managed to keep his little toe out of touch and finish a neat Sam Lane grubber in the 16th minute, the story may have been written with a different ending, but that proved to be the Marlins only genuine threat of the first half.

They huffed and puffed but struggled to gain a foothold against a Souths side that refused to take a backward step in the physicality stakes. Former loose forward Luke Smart was wreaking havoc with every carry, the reborn centre a constant threat and consistently able to get his side over the gain line, and it was one such surge upfield that forged the opening try just before the half hour. With support arriving in numbers, the home side set up camp five metres out and when the Manly line lost its spacing, scrumhalf Waldo Wessels sniped his way over.

With their tails up, the Rebels were in again five minutes later, new captain Marcus Carbone celebrating his appointment with a five-pointer after pouncing on a loose ball off the back of a scrum. Wing/goalkicker Teki converted one of two and the hosts went to the sheds with a healthy 17-0 lead.

Waiting for them when they returned was the presence of Matt Lucas, the Waratahs scrumhalf available for Marlins selection after featuring for less than the mandated cut-off of 20 minutes in the Cambridge Blue jersey the previous evening, keen no doubt to exorcise some demons from the disappointing loss to the Highlanders in the process.

Whether it was down to the arrival of the combative scrumhalf, the wind, or a few home truths at half-time, it certainly didn’t take long for the visitors to offer up some semblance of the side that won their opening 10 matches in 2015. Only four minutes were down after the restart when the effervescent Hooper, and then flanker Harry Bergelin, went close off the back of a five metre scrum, before the ball went wide for Sireli Tagicakibau to work just enough room to find the corner.

Manly continued to ramp up the pressure with Lucas asking questions around the fringes and it was his initial dart off the ruck that got them on the front foot again on 52 minutes, his forwards stepping into finish off his good work with tighthead Jerome Vaai gleefully flopping over the chalk to make it 17-12.

Staring down the barrel of a potentially unshakeable momentum shift, Souths first foray of the half inside the Marlins’ 22 procured a much needed penalty for offside, only for Teki to produce a rare miss. But he duly obliged a few minutes later, an offside penalty from in front allowing the winger to put his side two scores ahead with less than a quarter to go.

Manly thought they were in again after the restart, only to be called back for another foot in touch. But they only had to wait two minutes for another legitimate score, the ever alert Lucas running around off the back of a scrum to take a pass from Lane and sneak over in the corner.

Lane couldn’t add the extras from out wide and Souths pounced with just over five to go. The forwards rumbled through the hard yards from halfway, Carbone and Matt Gibbon the main destroyers, and after a succession of pick and drives got them within a few metres, referee Richard Goswell awarded the penalty they were looking for and Teki made it 23-17.

Manly did work an overlap with only three minutes left on the clock but the usually clinical Dennis Pili-Gaitau didn’t fix his man before passing to Tagicakibau, and the winger was driven into touch by a determined Wessels.

Souths held their nerve to win the last scrum, kick to touch and start the season with a confidence-boosting victory. The Marlins meanwhile,  had an early reminder that their efforts in 2015 have turned the hunter into the hunted.

Southern Districts 23 (Waldo Wessels, Marcus Carbone tries; Matt Teki 2 cons, 3 pens) Manly 17 (Sireli Tagicakibau, Jerome Vaii, Matt Lucas tries; Sam Lane con)