Defiant South Sydney players maintain no outside noise can distract from their pursuit of an NRL premiership as they prepare to face Parramatta in Saturday’s semi-final.
After a week of sensational headlines directed at the club, Rabbitohs players are bullish in their assertion nothing will penetrate their focus.
Not when their last lesson is still fresh in mind.
Before Souths went on a 106-point rampage over the Sydney Roosters and Newcastle, they were rocked by a 10-point loss to lowly Canterbury in round 19.
It was a shock that showed them even the smallest of distractions can have huge consequences and they can’t afford that in a sudden-death semi-final.
“It was just one of those nights where the Bulldogs played really well and we didn’t and they capitalised on the footy that we were playing and we were just a little bit off,” said lock Cameron Murray on Tuesday.
“If anything I think it was a small wakeup call for us to remind us that we’re going to have to be playing the best footy that we can play to go to the places that we want to go to.”
It’s the same lesson the Eels learned against Souths back in round 16.
That night, the Eels were off their game and the Rabbitohs ran in 38 unanswered points at Bankwest Stadium.
Similarly, the loss served as a wakeup call for the Eels a month out from the finals.
But for Souths, it was the first time they had showed their full potential after an inconsistent season.
“It was very similar to what’s happened the last couple of weeks,” Murray said of the 38-0 win in their last meeting.
“We simplified our footy and we played our brand of football, we didn’t focus on anything else and we went out and executed on the night and turned up with a great attitude.
“It just clicked into gear for us and it was a really enjoyable game.
“I’m not saying we’re facing the same (Eels) team that we faced last time, finals footy is a different beast and we’re going to have to go to another level to be successful on the night because Parra are a great side and the’ve got strike across the park.”