South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett is proud of the way his under-strength side has performed in recent weeks but will welcome back some key troops ahead of next weekend's NRL match at Dubbo.
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The Rabbitohs warmed up for the bumper meeting with the Penrith Panthers at Apex Oval next Sunday by downing Cronulla 32-22 during Saturday's Magic Round action at Suncorp Stadium.
The win was Souths' eighth in the past nine games but despite that there has still been suggestions Bennett's side is struggling to produce complete 80-minute performances.
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Further weight was given to the theory when the Sharks rallied from 20-0 down to get within six points in the final 20 minutes, but master coach Bennett firmly refuted it when speaking post-game.
"That's not a fair assumption, we haven't struggled to play the 80 minutes," Bennett said in his press conference.
"We've won most of our games late in the game, we just need a couple of players back. A couple of players that mean a lot to the team.
"We've won three out of four without Latrell (Mitchell) playing. There's a lot of things I like about the way we're playing.
"We could have easily lost it but we did hang in, we're pretty good at that."
Mitchell will be back for the Dubbo match following his suspension while winger Josh Mansour is also expected to be in contention.
Campbell Murray, Tautau Moga, and Campbell Graham are also nearing returns from injury but the Apex Oval fixture may come too soon for them.
While much of the focus leading into Saturday's game was on halfback Adam Reynolds after he announced he will be leaving for Brisbane at the end of the season, Cody Walker and Benji Marshall proved the Rabbitohs have plenty of attacking options at their disposal.
Marshall was again outstanding, particularly in the first half, while Walker scored a double in the 10-point win.
Keaon Koloamatangi, Alex Johnston, and Jai Arrow also crossed in the victory.
The Rabbitohs are expected to arrive in Dubbo later this week, with a free clinic being held for fans and junior players at Apex Oval on Thursday afternoon.
Sunday's match against the Panthers will kick-off at 2pm.
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
