A Cameron Munster masterclass has helped Melbourne monster South Sydney 54-20 in their Anzac Day clash to continue the Rabbitohs’ winless record in Victoria and add to the pressure on embattled coach Jason Demetriou.
With Gold Coast toppling the Warriors earlier in the day, the loss saw Souths tumble back to the bottom of the NRL ladder.
Xavier Coates left AAMI Park in the 34th minute with hamstring tightness, but combined with five-eighth Munster for three first-half tries for a match-winning 32-4 halftime lead.
Souths scored three tries in nine minutes in the second half to briefly make is a contest, but it was too little too late.
Munster missed the first four rounds with a groin issue but was back to his bamboozling best, using both his pinpoint kicking and passing game to set up the tries. He then crossed for one of his own in the 66th minute to snuff out Souths’ late challenge.
Despite sitting second on the ladder heading into the match, Melbourne had only led once at the 70-minute mark in five wins, relying on some late heroics. They had no need for such against their new Anzac Day opponents, with the Rabbitohs replacing the Warriors in the annual fixture.
Cameron Munster won the Spirit of Anzac Medal for his masterclass against South Sydney.Credit: Getty
Souths were in the match until the 27th minute, only trailing 10-4, but the Storm piled on a further five tries before the half-time hooter and it was effectively game over.
The misery continued when fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen scooted over from dummy-half four minutes into the second half for his second try, but then the visitors were finally able to stem the flow.
