NRL: Defending premiers out muscle Broncos in season opener

The Rabbitohs made an ominous start to their title defence by out-muscling Brisbane 36-6 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, in the season opener last night. Photo / Getty Images

Rabbitohs 36 Broncos 6
What was supposed to usher in a new Broncos era under coach Wayne Bennett marked more of the same from NRL defending premiers South Sydney.

The Rabbitohs made an ominous start to their title defence by out-muscling Brisbane 36-6 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, in the season opener last night.

The stage had been set for the Broncos to make a bold statement under seven-time premiership winning mentor Bennett in his first game back with Brisbane since 2008, especially with backrower Corey Parker becoming just the second Brisbane player to shatter the 300-game barrier.

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However, the portents weren't good from the outset when a power outage sabotaged the pre-match entertainment by singer Guy Sebastian.

The only ones on song from then on were the Rabbitohs, as nothing else went to plan for the hosts in front of 36,057 fans.

South Sydney led 10-2 at halftime before the floodgates opened for the visitors, defying steamy conditions.

John Sutton (43rd), the man who replaced him as skipper Greg Inglis (48th), Luke Keary (58th) and Joel Reddy (69th) all piled in for second-half tries to silence a rabid Brisbane crowd.

Broncos forward James Gavet was placed on report for a shoulder charge on Rabbitohs rake Issac Luke, resulting in a final penalty goal on fulltime for the visitors.

In the only concern for Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire, South Sydney forward Ben Lowe was placed on report for a 52nd minute crusher tackle on Sam Thaiday.

The Broncos hardly fired a shot despite boasting what was supposed to be an exciting new halves pairing in Ben Hunt and big-name recruit Anthony Milford.

Parramatta coach Brad Arthur claims Manly are too smart to target former teammate Anthony Watmough in tonight's match at Pirtek Stadium.

Watmough, who is a life member of the Sea Eagles, left in acrimonious circumstances at the end of last year and has since claimed there was a toxic environment around the club during his final season.

It has set the scene for a potentially bruising encounter between the two old rivals in front of what's expected to be a sell-out crowd.

But Arthur, who worked as Geoff Toovey's assistant during the 2013 season, believes the presence of Watmough won't have been discussed at length by the Manly coaching staff.

"They are a tough team and know how to win a game of footy and are too smart to get caught up in any distractions," Arthur said.

"A lot of the stuff Choc [Watmough] said is all water under the bridge. A lot of what he says is tongue in cheek ...

"Maybe players may go a bit harder in their tackles early in the game, but nothing more than that. Once this game is over there will be no more talk about Manly."

?Manly coach Geoff Toovey remains hopeful Daly Cherry-Evans will stay at the NRL club despite the offer of a new contract being withdrawn by chief executive Joe Kelly.

Kelly took the deal off the table after Cherry-Evans and his management failed to give the Sea Eagles an answer on their plans for the future by Monday's midday deadline.

But Toovey believes talks can be resurrected.

"As far as I'm aware it's still bubbling away.

"It's been taken away so that we can focus on football," Toovey said.

Five-eighth Kieran Foran is also off-contract but a deadline hasn't been set for him to sign and Toovey admitted he didn't know the club had issued a specific time frame for Cherry-Evans to re-sign.

South Sydney 36 (G Inglis, L Keary, J Reddy, J Sutton, D Walker tries; A Reynolds 8 goals) bt Brisbane 6 (M Gillett try; C Parker goal).

- AAP