Rabbitohs 41
Dragons 6
South Sydney produced their best when it mattered least last night with an annihilation of St George Illawarra that sent the leaders crashing to their third straight defeat.
Finals chances may be dead for the Rabbitohs but they dominated the Dragons, sending the title favourites crashing
to their heaviest defeat of 2009, raising serious questions about their premiership credentials.
The Dragons didn't execute in attack while their defence was abysmal, conceding seven tries as John Sutton, Chris Sandow and Issac Luke ran riot in front of 19,918 fans.
It was the most points the Dragons had leaked all year, but the manner in which Souths cut through their woeful defence will worry Wayne Bennett with his side in a slump on the eve of the finals.
Three South Sydney players scored untouched while the other four tries came as defenders fell off regulation tackles close to the tryline.
Sutton finished with a double while Colin Best, Ben Lowe, Jamie Simpson, Nathan Merritt and Eddy Pettybourne joined in the riot to embarrass the Dragons.
The Dragons only points came when Jamie Soward completed a midfield break by Beau Scott.
They crossed the stripe twice in five minutes earlier in the first half, but winger Brett Morris' left foot slid out and centre Matt Cooper dropped the ball over the line - both the result of committed defence.
Souths halfback Sandow gave his side a 19-6 lead at halftime with a cheeky 18m field goal in the final 20 seconds of the first half.
The Rabbitohs put the result to bed with three tries in nine minutes midway through the second half.
The loss opens the door for the Bulldogs to snatch the minor premiership off the Dragons and also leaves the red and whites' top-two position under threat ahead of Friday's clash with red-hot Parramatta.
Rabbitohs 41 (J Sutton 2 C Best B Lowe N Merritt E Pettybourne J Simpson tries C Sandow 6 gls C Sandow field goal) Dragons 6 (J Soward try J Soward gl) Melbourne regained their attacking mojo as Greg Inglis put a horror fortnight behind him to steer the Storm to a 38-4 win over the Sydney Roosters at Olympic Park last night.
Inglis claimed a double as the Storm scored seven tries to one to claw their way back into the top four after being temporarily overtaken by Brisbane.
The test superstar missed the past two matches after he was sidelined by the club after being charged with assaulting his girlfriend.
But as the club celebrated their final match at Olympic Park before moving to the new stadium next door, it looked like the Storm of old.
Despite the wet conditions they showed confidence and class against the hapless Roosters, whose miserable season can't be over soon enough.
Storm 38 (G Inglis 2 S Turner 2 W Chambers B Slater A Tolman tries C Smith 5 gls) Roosters 4 (S Kenny-Dowall try)
Rabbitohs 41
Dragons 6
South Sydney produced their best when it mattered least last night with an annihilation of St George Illawarra that sent the leaders crashing to their third straight defeat.
Finals chances may be dead for the Rabbitohs but they dominated the Dragons, sending the title favourites crashing
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