No panic for winless Rabbitohs
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Rookie South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Anthony Siebold is showing no signs of panic after two rounds of the Telstra Premiership season despite a winless start – the club's worst opening to a season in six years.
Seibold's men failed to build any momentum in the second half, conceding three unanswered tries in humid conditions at the foot of the mountains.
"I thought it was a really good effort from our team, the first half in particular to keep Penrith to zero for 40 minutes was a strong effort but we just didn't build enough pressure in that second half," Siebold said.
"Some options we took at the back end of sets could have been better. We had some young and experienced players out there so we expect to build better.
"We're disappointed, it was hard to take that one."
South Sydney's 0-2 start to the season is their worst since 2012 but Siebold fell short of worrying, particularly with new-look spine and edge combinations.
The loss was compounded with news earlier in the week that Adam Reynolds faces further time on the sidelines through injury, while skipper Greg Inglis left the field in the second half of the fixture following a head knock.
Match: Panthers v Rabbitohs
Round 2 -
home Team
Panthers
3rd Position
away Team
Rabbitohs
14th Position
Venue: Panthers Stadium, Penrith
"I don't think it's about turning it around or anything like that after two games," Siebold said.
"We've showed glimpses in both games that there is plenty of potential in this group. The disappointing thing is we have lost both and at the end of the day we've got to win and that's what we've trained for.
"It's a tough competition to win games and we've got guys who put a tremendous effort in tonight. If we can continue that week to week we'll win some games."
Siebold said he will persist with rookie halfback Adam Doueihi, who was solid on debut, until the return of Reynolds.
Inglis will follow appropriate head injury assessment (HIA) protocol during the week in a bid to play the Manly Sea Eagles next Saturday evening.
The rookie coach also refused to blame travel after Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs coach Dean Pay suggested scheduling played a part in his side's 30-12 defeat to the Sydney Roosters on Friday night.
Both the Rabbitohs and Bulldogs endured six and seven day turnarounds after unsuccessful trips to Perth in the first round.
"I don't think so, we've got a good performance unit at our club," Siebold said.
"We are conscious of our recovery and preparation each week. It's certainly not an excuse."
