Souths register fourth straight NRL loss - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Souths register fourth straight NRL loss

By Steve Jancetic 06/04/2008 07:04:26 PM Comments (0)

South Sydney, last year's NRL Cinderella story, are taking on more of an ugly step-sister look in 2008 after slumping to their fourth straight loss.

Tipped by many to push for a top four berth, the Bunnies are now 0-4 following Sunday's 20-2 loss to Manly, and seemingly no closer to a breakthrough win.

But coach Jason Taylor is obviously of the 'glass half full' variety.

"This is a great position for us to be in, it's a great position for us to show what we're made of," said Taylor of the only side without a win this season.

"Are we going to give up on ourselves or are we going to fight our way out the other side?

"Everyone else is going to give up on us, that's great, give up, but we won't - and we'll come out the other side a better team.

"We're in a tough situation and we're going to fight our way out of it, that's how I feel."

The Bunnies may have had plenty of fight on Sunday, but they were without a clue as to how to get over the Manly tryline.

How the sight of star off-season signing Craig Wing sitting on the bench with his shoulder in a sling would have pained Taylor and the many Bunnies fans watching on Sunday, though it is debatable whether even he could have steered this rabble around.

Asked how the confidence was in the squad, co-captain David Kidwell replied: "We've lost four out of four, what do you think?

"We're doing all the work ... but we go good on attack bad on defence. We go good on defence we go bad on our attack."

Adding insult to injury they will likely have to do without arguably their most impressive player of the season likely to be out for some time with prop Michael Greenfield helped from the field with a potentially serious knee injury just after halftime, the Bunnies unable to take a trick.

Manly will need to come up with a few more tricks of their own against Melbourne on Friday night when they head to Olympic Park for the grand final re-match.

Neither side is in white hot form but the Storm showed they were getting back to something like their best by beating the previously unbeaten Brisbane last Friday.

"They're as dominant (as they were last year)," Manly captain Matt Orford said.

"They're in the same boat as us, they've had a couple of losses but they showed on Friday night they're back to their best.

"Playing down in Melbourne in front of their home crowd is a big ask.

"They deserve to be favourites ... they're going to be very hard to beat."

The Broncos dropped to 3-1 (win loss record) with the defeat and are joined on six competition points by the Sydney Roosters, Cronulla and Gold Coast, who all won on the weekend.

Wests Tigers could join them with a win over Penrith at Campbelltown on Monday night, but they will have to do it without key playmaker Robbie Farah and centre Dene Halatau.

The New Zealand Warriors joined Newcastle on four points with a 26-20 win over the Knights in Auckland, while the Cowboys ensured the Bunnies were the only side without a win with their breakthrough 38-14 win in Townsville.

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