Souths lose Reynolds, pump Tigers in NRL
South Sydney's horror injury toll has risen after they lost halfback Adam Reynolds to a possible fractured leg in their 32-16 NRL win over the Wests Tigers.
Reynolds left the ground on crutches on Saturday night after his leg was caught under a teammate in the first half, cruelling his shot at a State of Origin recall.
It is believed the Rabbitohs' star has been immediately booked in for X-rays on Sunday morning amid fears of a fractured fibula.
He joins a crowded casualty ward that includes Alex Johnston, Kyle Turner, Braidon Burns and Adam Doueihi.
With another five players in contention for Origin, the club will struggle to name a 17-man squad for next week's clash with Parramatta.
Reynolds' blow took the gloss off a comfortable victory over the Tigers that ensured Wayne Bennett's side remain atop the NRL ladder.
Their seventh-straight victory means the Rabbitohs have enjoyed their best start since starting 10-1 in 1989, when they claimed the minor premiership.
"We lost (Reynolds), but we've got a lot of players missing," Bennett said.
"We've just got to keep digging a little bit deeper and find another player and whoever we give the opportunity to, they come up and are getting the job done.
"It's pretty much how our season's been.
"It's one of the things I'm most pleased with."
Damien Cook was easily best on ground, scoring a try and setting up three others in another masterful individual performance for the 18,195 ANZ Stadium crowd.
The Blues' hooker also put in defensively with a game-high 47 tackles.
The hosts blasted the visitors off the park early, courtesy of tries to Cameron Murray and Reynolds for a 14-0 lead by the 16-minute mark.
The Tigers hit back quickly through Corey Thompson and Esan Marsters, and their chances of a comeback skyrocketed when Reynolds exited.
However, the Rabbitohs regained momentum with Cook's try moments before halftime, before he set up Liam Knight soon after the break.
Benji Marshall pulled one back with a solo try in the 49th minute, but that was as close as the Tigers could get, with Murray grabbing his second to seal the win.
Thompson was arguably the Tigers' best, breaking a game-high 10 tackles on his way to 167 metres, but received little support from his forwards.
Despite the loss, the Tigers are likely to stay in the top eight after the weekend.
"The pleasing thing about this group is that even though they were down by about three tries there, they were fighting," Tigers coach Michael Maguire said.
