Bunnies do themselves proud

Souths needed everything to go right to beat Penrith for a grand final spot - and for 20 minutes they were well on track.Leading 12-0 is a massive edge in a grand final qualifier, and Penrith could have fallen to pieces under the weight of expectation as heavy favourites.The Bunnies had to have massive games from their spine players Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker, Lachlan Ilias and Damien Cook.All were kept fairly quiet by the well-drilled Panthers defence and that ultimately resulted in the blow-out scoreline.But the Bunnies can still hold their heads high - the new post Wayne Bennett/Adam Reynolds era got off to a shaky start but finished just a game short of the grand final and Souths have the ability and roster to be a major force again in 2023.