South Sydney produced one of the most dominant performances of the 2026 NRL season, crushing Brisbane 48-6 at Accor Stadium on Thursday night as Alex Johnston crossed for four tries and the Rabbitohs piled on points at will to leave the Broncos shell-shocked.
The Round 15 clash was effectively over by halftime. South Sydney raced to a 30-0 lead at the break and never looked remotely troubled, controlling territory, winning the yardage battle and punishing Brisbane’s repeated errors in front of 12,784 fans on a fine Sydney evening.
The Broncos arrived looking to build momentum but instead endured one of their toughest nights of the season. South Sydney’s attack clicked from the opening quarter and rarely slowed, with Johnston, Edward Kosi and David Fifita all finding space out wide as the Rabbitohs carved through Brisbane’s defensive line.
Rabbitohs Strike Early
After a tense opening 10 minutes, South Sydney broke through in the 12th minute when Edward Kosi finished a sweeping movement for the opening try. Latrell Siegwalt added the conversion and the floodgates soon opened.
Just two minutes later Alex Johnston crossed for his first of the night after a Jye Gray line break put the Broncos defence under pressure. Another successful conversion made it 12-0.
Brisbane struggled to complete sets and invited further pressure. David Fifita powered over in the 22nd minute after breaking through the defensive line himself before Johnston grabbed his second try in the 28th minute to push the margin beyond three converted tries.
The Broncos’ frustration was compounded by a string of handling errors and an unsuccessful captain’s challenge midway through the half. South Sydney capitalised again on the stroke of halftime when Jamie Humphreys crossed, with Siegwalt’s fifth conversion sending the Rabbitohs to the sheds holding a commanding 30-0 advantage.
Broncos Find A Brief Response
To Brisbane’s credit, they produced their best passage of the game shortly after halftime.
Ezra Mam sparked the movement with a line break before Josiah Karapani finished in the corner in the 53rd minute. Adam Reynolds converted to finally get the Broncos on the scoreboard and trim the deficit to 30-6.
Any hopes of a comeback were short-lived.
The Rabbitohs quickly regained control through their kicking game and defensive pressure. Brisbane continued to struggle for possession and field position, while South Sydney looked increasingly dangerous whenever they shifted the ball wide.
Johnston Headlines Second-Half Blitz
Johnston completed his hat-trick in the 65th minute after breaking clear down the flank, extending the margin back beyond five converted tries.
The final 10 minutes turned into a procession.
Jayden Sullivan sliced through the Broncos defence to set up John Radel for South Sydney’s seventh try in the 71st minute before Johnston crossed again two minutes later to claim his fourth of the evening and put an exclamation mark on the performance.
Siegwalt remained perfect from the tee, landing all eight conversion attempts to complete the scoring at 48-6.
Rabbitohs Dominant Across The Park
While Johnston’s four-try haul will grab the headlines, the Rabbitohs were impressive across the board.
Cody Walker repeatedly asked questions of Brisbane’s defensive line, Jye Gray created opportunities from the back, and David Fifita was influential, crossing for a first-half try and helping South Sydney dominate through the middle. The Rabbitohs’ forwards consistently won the middle third, giving their playmakers time and space to attack.
For Brisbane, the night exposed a number of concerns. The Broncos were unable to generate sustained pressure, committed too many costly errors and struggled defensively whenever South Sydney shifted the ball into space.
The lone bright spot came through Karapani’s second-half try, but otherwise it was a night to forget for the visitors.
South Sydney’s 48-6 victory ranks among their most complete performances of the season and provides a major confidence boost heading into the second half of the campaign, while Michael Maguire’s side will be looking to respond after a disappointing defeat.
Published 11-June-2026
