Latrell spotted in post-match moment as Souths situation goes from bad to worse
Koloamatangi's ankle buckled underneath him when he tried to tackle Luke Garner in the second half, and he limped from the field in pain. The front-rower has been a shining light in an awful season for Souths, but he now appears likely for a stint on the sidelines.
Mitchell will be lucky to play again this year after suffering a quad injury at training this week, while Cody Walker, Davvy Moale and Campbell Graham are in a similar boat. Souths have had the most games missed due to injury amongst all NRL clubs this year, and it's taken a heavy toll.
Friday night marked the first time in Bennett's illustrious coaching career that he's suffered seven-straight losses, and he looks destined to finish in his lowest spot on the ladder ever. A Bennett-coached team has never finished lower than 13th, but Souths are sitting in 16th place with six games and a bye remaining. They're only two points ahead of the last-placed Titans, meaning Bennett is in danger of getting his first-ever wooden spoon.
After Friday night's game, veteran forward Arrow looked devastated and buried his head into Mitchell's chest as his teammate consoled him. Mitchell was seen wrapping his arms around Arrow and offering some words of encouragement after another demoralising loss.
"Our effort is second to none, but we have moments when we let teams off the hook," Jack Wighton told Channel 9. "It's usually late in sets and it's really killing us. But I'm proud of the boys for the effort."
Wighton refused to use the injury crisis as an excuse, adding: "We could have been better tonight in many places, but we didn't throw the towel in. We've got some young kids and old boys. We haven't thrown the towel in and we're sticking in there for our fans, even though we're not getting the results."
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by NRL on Nine (@nrlonnine)
Wayne Bennett can't fault effort of Souths players
Bennett also said he was proud of the effort considering how many players are out. 'We're talking top players here as well (who are injured), but I was proud of their effort here tonight,' he said. 'We had to turn up and put a lot of effort in the game which we did, but there's no one that change-room in there that was disappointed with their effort.'
RELATED:
Broncos sign 'next Benji Marshall' from rival NRL club's backyard
Crushing new blow for Knights as Melbourne Storm poach young gun
As well as losing Koloamatangi, the Rabbitohs will also be without Peter Mamouzelos next week due to concussion. 'Pete will be out for a week at least due to concussion,' Bennett said. 'Keaon has got an ankle problem and we just don't know how bad it is.'
Wighton admitted Koloamatangi is a huge loss as he's been the team's best all season. 'He's led the way massively but every man at the moment is a big loss isn't it?' Wighton said. 'We're backs against the wall and down on troops but we just keep on turning up.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'As lucky as we could be.' Dodgers' Max Muncy already recovering better than expected
Max Muncy knew he had gotten lucky, after his ugly-looking knee injury earlier this month proved to be nothing more than a bone bruise. But, when doctors explained how close he came to suffering something so much worse, from when Michael A. Taylor slid into his leg at third base on July 2, even Muncy was amazed by the infinitesimal margins. 'If the timing was just a millisecond different either way,' he was told, 'you're probably looking at surgery, and done for a long time.' Instead, barely two weeks removed from having the outside of his knee bent inward on that play, Muncy was out doing early work at Dodger Stadium on Friday afternoon; running in the outfield, playing catch with coaches and performing agility drills in front of trainers without any obvious signs of pain or discomfort. Read more: Dodgers are shut out by Brewers, but Tyler Glasnow shows signs of growth 'We're pleasantly, not surprised, but happy with the spot that I'm in right now,' Muncy said afterward, having also taken swings for the first time since his injury earlier on Friday afternoon. 'It feels great. I'm moving well. Progressing quickly. We're trying to be smart about it, and understand where we're at, and what it's gonna take to get back on the field. But we're in a really good spot … We're kind of right where we think we should be at.' If not, it seems, already a few steps ahead. While Muncy was initially expected to miss roughly six weeks with his left knee bone bruise, manager Dave Roberts struck a more optimistic tone as the Dodgers opened the second half of their season. 'He's in great shape right now,' Roberts said Friday. 'I don't really know a timeline. But I do know … it's going to be a lot sooner than anticipated, which is good for all of us.' Since Muncy — who was one of the hottest hitters in baseball in May and June — got hurt, the Dodgers have not looked like the same offense. In their last 11 games entering Saturday, the club was 3-8, averaging less than three runs per game, and struggling to fill the gaping hole their slugging third baseman has left in the middle of the lineup. Since the start of July, only the penny-pinching Pittsburgh Pirates have been worse than the Dodgers in batting average (.205) and OPS (.594). 'We've still got a lot of good players,' Roberts said. 'But yeah, there's a certain line of demarcation when Max is not in the lineup, what happens to our offense.' The Dodgers' problems, of course, go beyond Muncy's absence. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have all been slumping of late (or, in Betts' case, for much of the season). Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman have been nowhere near their typical standard since returning from injuries in May. And the depth options the Dodgers have called upon have provided few sparks of life. Still, Muncy figures to be a linchpin in the Dodgers' long-term potential at the plate — with his recovery growing ever-steadily in importance as the rest of the lineup flounders in his wake. 'We got to figure out how to get something going," said outfielder Michael Conforto, chief among the Dodgers' underachievers this season. "Every time we go out there, we expect to score, and that's what we've been doing all year. It's just one of those stretches [where it's] a little bit tougher to get runs in. But, you know, obviously, we have faith in our guys, and some big names in here that made their careers on scoring runs and driving guys in. I think we'll be OK." Muncy, of course, is one of those proven names. And in another fortunate stroke with his recovery, he remains confident his injury won't significantly impact his swing once he does come back. 'If [the injury] was on the inside of the knee, it'd probably be a different story,' Muncy said. 'But just being on the outside, I think it's a good spot, knowing that I don't feel it at all when I'm pushing off on the backside.' Read more: Shaikin: Why the small-market Milwaukee Brewers might be America's team Muncy tested that theory for the first time Friday, taking some light swings in the cage that he said 'felt fine.' 'It's a lot of work, more work than actually playing in the game, which always sucks,' Muncy said of his rehab process. 'But it's that way for a reason … You don't want to have any other injuries that are a side effect from it.' So far, even that latter concern has been quelled, with Muncy noting that 'there's no lingering side effects with it.' 'All in all,' he reiterated, 'we're about as lucky as we could be.' Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Wallabies' second-half surge gives Schmidt confidence they can level the series against the Lions
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Joe Schmidt saw enough spirit in a second-half comeback by his young Wallabies lineup to feel confident they can level the series next week despite losing the first test to the British and Irish Lions. 'This time last year we would have melted," Schmidt said after the 27-19 loss on Saturday, "but I love the way this team is developing.' The Lions overpowered the Australians in the early exchanges and led 24-5 just after halftime. The Lions, coming off a series of five wins in tour games, had all the momentum for the first 50 minutes and the ball was bouncing their way. But late tries to replacements Carlo Tizzano and Tate McDermott cut the final margin to eight points. 'Very proud of the way the players fought their way back,' Schmidt said. "A comparatively young side ... still finding their way. 'There was enough demonstration that we're already desperate, but we've got to be more accurate." The Wallabies have been a work in progress since Schmidt was hired in the wake of Australia's failure to make the quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup in 2023. The Wallabies had six wins in 13 tests in a 2024 season that ended in a 22-19 loss to Ireland in Dublin to earn back some credibility, and opened this international season with a narrow 21-18 win over Fiji two weeks ago. Another week together and the return of forwards Will Skelton and Rob Valetini from injury will help the Wallabies next week in Melbourne, where they need a win to ensure the series is alive going into the third and final test in Sydney. The team is "desperate to keep the series alive,' Schmidt said. 'Melbourne is going to be massive for both teams.' Blindside flanker Nick Champion de Crespigny made his test debut in Brisbane and 22-year-old Tom Lynagh, son of Wallabies great Michael Lynagh, started a test for the first time at No. 10. Lynagh made some good runs, kicked well and defended bravely but, as Schmidt noted, the young flyhalf was forced to be more reactive than proactive in attack because of the way the Lions were dominating the first half. He was tackled in the air by Tom Curry as he leaped to take a high ball just before the break but continued until midway through the second half to help claw back some momentum for the home team. Replacement scumhalf McDermott had an immediate impact off the bench, creating a try for Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i that was disallowed and then scoring one of the two late tries for Australia. British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell is expecting the Australians to be more cohesive and more dangerous in the second test, and he has cautioned his players to look at history. In 2001, the Lions won the first test in Brisbane and then lost in Melbourne and Sydney as Australia rallied for an historic series victory. In 2013, the Lions narrowly won in Brisbane before losing the second test in Melbourne. They needed a big lift in Sydney to clinch that series. 'We know what's coming,' Farrell said. 'We know what happened in the second half here and we roll into the second game knowing full well what happened in 2013.' 'When an Australia team becomes desperate, it is difficult to handle, so we expect a different game next weekend," he added. "We need to make sure we are ready for them to be at their best (because) it'll take a better performance than what we've shown here to make sure we get a win next week.' ___ AP rugby:
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Wallabies' second-half surge gives Schmidt confidence they can level the series against the Lions
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Joe Schmidt saw enough spirit in a second-half comeback by his young Wallabies lineup to feel confident they can level the series next week despite losing the first test to the British and Irish Lions. 'This time last year we would have melted,' Schmidt said after the 27-19 loss on Saturday, 'but I love the way this team is developing.' The Lions overpowered the Australians in the early exchanges and led 24-5 just after halftime. The Lions, coming off a series of five wins in tour games, had all the momentum for the first 50 minutes and the ball was bouncing their way. But late tries to replacements Carlo Tizzano and Tate McDermott cut the final margin to eight points. 'Very proud of the way the players fought their way back,' Schmidt said. 'A comparatively young side ... still finding their way. 'There was enough demonstration that we're already desperate, but we've got to be more accurate.' The Wallabies have been a work in progress since Schmidt was hired in the wake of Australia's failure to make the quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup in 2023. The Wallabies had six wins in 13 tests in a 2024 season that ended in a 22-19 loss to Ireland in Dublin to earn back some credibility, and opened this international season with a narrow 21-18 win over Fiji two weeks ago. Another week together and the return of forwards Will Skelton and Rob Valetini from injury will help the Wallabies next week in Melbourne, where they need a win to ensure the series is alive going into the third and final test in Sydney. The team is 'desperate to keep the series alive,' Schmidt said. 'Melbourne is going to be massive for both teams.' Blindside flanker Nick Champion de Crespigny made his test debut in Brisbane and 22-year-old Tom Lynagh, son of Wallabies great Michael Lynagh, started a test for the first time at No. 10. Lynagh made some good runs, kicked well and defended bravely but, as Schmidt noted, the young flyhalf was forced to be more reactive than proactive in attack because of the way the Lions were dominating the first half. He was tackled in the air by Tom Curry as he leaped to take a high ball just before the break but continued until midway through the second half to help claw back some momentum for the home team. Replacement scumhalf McDermott had an immediate impact off the bench, creating a try for Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i that was disallowed and then scoring one of the two late tries for Australia. British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell is expecting the Australians to be more cohesive and more dangerous in the second test, and he has cautioned his players to look at history. In 2001, the Lions won the first test in Brisbane and then lost in Melbourne and Sydney as Australia rallied for an historic series victory. In 2013, the Lions narrowly won in Brisbane before losing the second test in Melbourne. They needed a big lift in Sydney to clinch that series. 'We know what's coming,' Farrell said. 'We know what happened in the second half here and we roll into the second game knowing full well what happened in 2013.' 'When an Australia team becomes desperate, it is difficult to handle, so we expect a different game next weekend,' he added. 'We need to make sure we are ready for them to be at their best (because) it'll take a better performance than what we've shown here to make sure we get a win next week.' ___ AP rugby:
