ANZ STADIUM, Homebush - It was a pivotal game between two teams sitting at opposite ends of the NRL premiership ladder; the Rabbitohs, riding high after only one loss, hosting the Broncos, struggling after only two wins. Much of the talk leading up to the Round 8 clash had centred on the first meeting of coaches Wayne Bennett and Anthony Seibold since their untidy club swap late last year.
As a very successful 2018 season neared its conclusion, Seibold, in his first year as a head coach of the Rabbitohs, was caught up in rumours surrounding his ultimate ambition of coaching the Brisbane Broncos.
Around the same time the Broncos were trying to come up with an exit plan for long-serving coach Bennett. Bennett had his own plan, one which would see him coach the club until the end of 2020 before moving into a football director role. The Broncos flatly rejected his plan. Still, both coaches had a season to run on their respective contracts and Bennett certainly wasn't leaving on anyone else's terms.
After much ugliness an agreement was finally reached that would see the coaches swap a year early, and the countdown began to their first meeting. Rabbitohs fans, feeling betrayed by the early departure of a very promising coach, were hoping their team would show Seibold the foolishness of his decision. This was their night to cheer and jeer.
Seibold went into the game having lost one of his under-performing halves, with Kodi Nikorima taking some time off to consider a move to the Warriors. Eighteen year-old debutant Tom Dearden pulled on the No. 7 jersey and was busy early as the Broncos attacked the Rabbitohs' line with slick ball movement to both sides of the field. The resilient Bunnies defence held firm and the game turned.
When Cody Walker collected his own grubber kick from the grasp of Darius Boyd to score the Rabbitohs' second try in the 18th minute, it appeared that Seibold's Broncos were in for a long night. Walker's goanna crawl tribute to Greg Inglis was met with rapturous applause from the 13,643-strong crowd.
When halfback Adam Reynolds raced 70 metres after nabbing an intercept eleven minutes later, he completed his own baby goanna move. It seemed the players were much more interested in sending Inglis off than proving a point to their former coach.
The Rabbitohs' 24-0 halftime lead was a fair indication of the gap between the two teams. The Broncos started the second half with greater enthusiasm and nabbed a try, but the result was never in doubt. Bennett's Bunnies went on to win the "Coach Swap Cup" by a resounding 38-6.
Did the result prove that the Rabbitohs had come out of the swap with the better coach? Bennett in his laconic, typically dismissive style would not entertain talk of the coaching rivalry. The smirk in the corner of his mouth as he swatted away the questions, perhaps giving away his inner satisfaction with the result.
"Not really, I just come here tonight, I wanted us to play well, that was my first priority, there was nothing personal," Bennett said.
"I'm not thinking too much about them to be honest with you, I'm just concerned about us and what we're doing."
While he wouldn't be drawn on the rivalry or the problems facing the Broncos, Bennett did warn that it was way too early in the season to be picking the eventual premiers.
"Some teams just take a little bit longer to click. The Storm and Roosters have had long-term coaches, they're very established teams, so they just pick up where they left off ... other teams have to rebuild and reshape themselves ... I wouldn't be writing anyone off at the moment," he advised.
Seibold, for his part, didn't believe the coaching rivalry played much of a role in the lead up to the game, with little talk of it amongst his players.
"We didn't talk about that too much, with the short week they probably didn't have too much time, we had to travel and we only trained once essentially," he said.
He was much more concerned with the progress of his Broncos -- as he increasingly should be. They will find themselves at the bottom of the ladder at the end of the weekend and while they are facing a rebuilding stage, no one expected them to be struggling this badly.
"We had no excuse, we were outplayed tonight... I'm more concerned about how we can improve some individual performances and how we can have a more improved team performance," Seibold said.
"I'm pretty good, ideally it would be nice if it was 6-2 the other way, but I also understand where we're going as far as the club has made a decision to back a lot of the younger players in the group and the talent coming through. There is great potential, we just have to keep working hard. I'm fighting hard, I knew it wouldn't be easy."
The Broncos signed Seibold to a five-year contract, an indication that they are committed to the club's long-term redevelopment. Bennett has three years at the Rabbitohs and the expectation is that he will add to his seven premierships and South Sydney's record 21 titles.
On a personal level, Bennett now holds a perfect 3-0 record over Seibold-coached teams, following the Broncos' two wins over the Rabbitohs last year. It may be way too early to make a call on which club benefitted most from the swap, but so far the Rabbitohs must be very happy with the way they are travelling under Bennett.