I was rescued from my prolonged train/bus trip to Penrith yesterday when my friends decided to make the trip to the game after all so all I had to do is sit back and enjoy the car ride. That was the best news of my day followed by Souths unfortunate lost to the Panthers. It was a nice stadium but although it was a good crowd, they were very quiet and hardly even responded to the appeals of the PA announcer as he encouraged them to cheer. Strange, and so totally different than supporters of various other teams I've seen, most of all Souths.

It was an odd game; The Rabbitohs made an effort, but it never seemed like a coordinated one. Maybe it was due to all the new players and everyone having to adjust their game. At training they seemed to be really concentrating on multiple passes in a set but I didn't see very much of that during the match. At time they seemed like a bit of a rabble; playing more like a pack than a team. The highlight was Junior Vaivai and his early try. During the first half when he was playing on my side of the field he seemed to defend well and was involved in much of the action although Penrith was favoring the opposite side, where McQueen was struggling most of the night.

I felt they had a chance to win this game because Penrith wasn't showing much of anything until they got on a roll as they gained more confidence. We'll see how the team plays out the rest of the season with the Dragons up next needing to prove something after 2 losses and then finally the Sharks who are locked in a battle with the Roosters for the Wooden Spoon. And in a weird twist of fate, if they beat the Sharks, Souths could be the team that allows the Roosters to escape being saddled with the last place cutlery.