South Sydney's players believe their most recent loss will be a wake-up call to shake the Rabbitohs' worrying trend of starting games slowly before a finals spot slips out of reach.
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Ninth-placed Souths have been guilty of giving teams head starts this season, and never so glaringly as in last Saturday's 26-16 defeat to Cronulla.
Trailing 26-0 midway through the second half, the Rabbitohs threatened to make a game of things by running in three late tries but could not ice the comeback.
It marked the fourth time this season Souths have lost a game despite winning the second half - and their sixth defeat despite scoring the final try of the game.
"Maybe we thought we were just going to go out there and it was going to happen for us," prop Jai Arrow said of his side's latest slow start.
"Our mentality wasn't right and we weren't prepared for what Cronulla threw at us."
Even in their most recent win the Rabbitohs only kicked clear of the last-placed Wests Tigers by scoring two tries in the final 15 minutes.
Souths can ill-afford to continue the trend, given only three competition points separate sixth place from 11th on the ladder with less than a month of the regular season remaining.
When they last met Saturday's opponents St George Illawarra, the Rabbitohs were guilty of only bringing their best football in the latter stages of the game.
Souths trailed 36-14 with five minutes to play in round 15 but clawed back with three quick tries before losing 36-30.
"We'll learn our lessons from last time," hooker Damien Cook said.
"It's not a bad attitude, more like a focus on sticking to what we know and sticking to the process, so sort of a mindset.
"Everyone knows how well we can play when we play our style of footy.
"What happens is we go away from it, too many penalties, too many errors, leak some points and next thing you know we're trying to chase four tries in the last 15 minutes."
Arrow and Cook agreed last weekend's defeat could act as a wake-up call with the season on the line.
"I'd like to think so, we can use a lot of that Sharks game," Cook said.
"It's not a fatigue thing or anything like that, because if anything that game should have blown out.
"But we managed to grind our way back into it."
Without Hame Sele, Junior Tatola (injuries) and Thomas Burgess (suspension), Arrow will be critical in helping Souths' middle forwards set the tone early.
"If we're aggressive, then it dominoes out onto the edges," he said.
Australian Associated Press
