Six Again: South Sydney Rabbitohs prove premiership potential

First Tackle: Bunnies impressive in win over Storm

Friday night's clash between the Storm and Rabbitohs was a massive game with the minor premiership within the reach of both clubs. With their convincing victory the Rabbitohs proved they have what it takes to finish on top of the ladder and go all the way to win another premiership.

The Rabbitohs had a run of nine straight victories until it came to an end at the hands of the Tigers two games ago. Robbie Farah played a key role in that victory, as he picked apart the seams of the Rabbitohs defence in and around the ruck. It was as though he somehow knew the intricacies of their defensive structures.

They looked very shaky last week on the way to beating the Eels, and there were some beginning to question their premiership credentials. The Storm started well on Friday night and held a 16-6 lead with nine minutes to go in the first half. The Burgess brothers, who are key to everything the Rabbitohs do, were making mistakes and looking ineffective. Then, as halftime approached, Sam Burgess crashed over for a try which took the score to 16-12 at the break.

In the second half Souths found the form that had seen them dismantle defences throughout the season. The crispness of their backline moves returned and they looked very sharp. There is still a long way to go before they sing 'Glory Glory to South Sydney' on grand final day, but they are looking good once again.

Second Tackle: Quick tap confusion

Exactly when are you allowed to take a quick tap these days? During the first half of the Bulldogs' triumph over the Broncos on Thursday night, when Brisbane were still in the game, Josh Morris took a quick tap and raced away to score a try from 20 metres out.

The tap followed a ruck infringement penalty; Morris was in front of all of his teammates and appeared to tap the ball correctly. For some reason he was called back and the Bulldogs opted to take the shot at goal.

In the second half Darius Boyd received a similar ruck infringement tackle, took the quick tap and took off downfield to be tackled. It has been established that you can't take a quick tap from a 10 metre infringement penalty, but the rest seem to be totally up to the whim of the referees.

Third tackle: Move over Smith, Cook has arrived

With Cameron Smith retiring from all representative duties, the search is on to find his replacement in the Kangaroos team, where he has been so dominant for so many years. Following the Blues' State of Origin victory this year and the way Damien Cook performed, pipped for player of the series by Billy Slater, the answer seemed obvious to most.

It was interesting to see Cook come up against Smith in Friday night's big clash between the Rabbitohs and Storm. Cook seems to have all the control, guile and match vision of Smith, only he plays Smith's game in fast motion.

With 17 minutes remaining in the match he scored a try which would have had Australian selectors inking his name in the book for the end of season Internationals. Taking the ball from dummy half just inside the Storm 20 metre zone, he beat four defenders with a darting run to the try line. The third defender was Slater, who he simply outpaced with a swerve. The final defender was Josh Addo-Carr, who had both ankles snapped out from beneath him by a masterly Cook step.

It was a very impressive try from the next Australia hooker, a man who just two and half years ago was being told by Des Hasler that he didn't fit in with the Bulldogs' first grade plans.

Fourth tackle: Cecchin calls time

There have been mixed reactions to the announcement by referee Matt Cecchin that he will leave the NRL at the end of the year. Cecchin cited hundreds of death threats he received last year after refereeing a World Cup semifinal between England and Tonga, as well as being sick of the constant scrutiny and ridicule perpetuated through the media and social media.

No one can condone death threats, and there is no way anyone could be completely sure they are just the depraved ranting of keyboard warriors. The New Zealand police certainly took them seriously enough. The rugby league community needs to take a good hard look at itself and remember that without the referees, good or bad, we have no game.

Cecchin has decided that his best path is to take his whistle elsewhere. New referees coming into the game will be told they need to have a thick skin to put up with the treatment they'll receive from coaches, players, the media and fans. How many more will decide there has to be a better way of making a living?

Fifth tackle: Thorns in those sides

We noted earlier in the year that the bottom of the ladder hosts some quality teams that no one really expected to be there. The Cowboys, Eels, Sea Eagles and to a lesser extent, the Bulldogs, were all expected to be challenging for a place in the finals at this time of the year.

Now with these teams well and truly out of the race, there is not much left for them to do other than mess up the plans of those teams that will finish in the top eight. The Bulldogs were first to step up on Thursday night, putting a huge dent in any hopes the Broncos had of sneaking into the top four with a resounding victory.