Victorious Souths say Panthers’ ‘voodoo’ is history

Scott Bailey | April 21, 2023

Cameron Murray says South Sydney now believe they have the game to beat Penrith in big matches, after finally getting the monkey off the back against the Panthers.

The Rabbitohs’ 20-18 win over Penrith on Thursday night marked only their second in 12 games against the two-time defending premiers, and their first since the 2021 qualifying final.

Making the result sweeter was the fact they managed to come-from-behind against the Panthers late, after so often having Penrith finish over the top of them in recent clashes.

Long regarded as a team who could challenge the Panthers, Souths had also earned a reputation of failing to finish off Penrith in recent seasons.

But after letting the lead slip twice at Accor Stadium, South Sydney were able to score twice in the last six minutes to flip the script on the Panthers.

“The belief and confidence has always been there. We know that if we do play our footy we can get the job done,” Souths captain Murray said. 

“But it’s nice to get past that voodoo there, or whatever, with our past record. 

“And just prove to ourselves and everyone else that we can beat the best teams when we are playing good footy.”

Both sides also walked away with little doubt they could meet again later in the season.

The Rabbitohs have had their season ended by Penrith for the past three years, in preliminary finals in 2020 and 2022 as well as losing the 2021 decider to them.

But Murray said they would be able to draw upon the win for belief when they face off in the future.

“It’s great for our confidence, and it’s just good to get one over Penrith. They are just so hard to beat and a good team,” Murray said.

“Especially falling back on the fact that when we do play our brand of footy, be good teammates and work hard for each other, we can get the job done. 

“It is good for our confidence in future games to fall back on it. The proof is in the pudding. 

“We have hard evidence that when we play our brand of footy, we can get the job done.”