Matt Burton couldn’t have written the script any better himself.
The Dubbo local brought a packed Apex Oval to its feet on Sunday as he scored a hat-trick in Penrith’s 56-12 flogging of Souths.
Burton had a double as part of Penrith’s five-try first-half blitz and picked up his hat trick early in the second half.
The 21-year-old will be an enormous loss when he joins the Bulldogs next season but Burton and his Penrith teammates won’t be looking any further than the first Sunday of October as this team appears destined for a return to the NRL grand final.
There was a school of thought prior to this clash that Souths were on the same level as Penrith, Melbourne and Parramatta as genuine premiership contenders.
The Panthers put that hypothesis to bed in 32 minutes of football. By the time the final siren had rung out, they had crippled Souths’ season, too.
Matt Burton goes over for the Panthers.Credit:Getty
The mountain men scored five first half tries at almost a point-per-minute through a double to Burton, Nathan Cleary, Viliame Kikau and Kurt Capewell.
Souths were stunned. At half-time, Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett told his side to start tackling. If only stopping Penrith was that simple.
The NRL premiership ladder-leaders scored tries from everywhere. Burton split Souths from deep inside their own half in the lead up to Cleary’s try. Api Koroisau and Isaah Yeo combined to do the same prior to Capewell crossing.
Burton’s first try was the result of brilliant Jarome Luai hands. The second was scored through Burton’s sheer athleticism as he soared above Josh Mansour to claim a kick. The third was all about being in the right place at the right time after Mansour let a Cleary kick bounce.
There are no weaknesses in Penrith’s game. They made that clear in the 10 matches prior to this clash and it was crystalised against another top four scalp on Sunday.
Their forward pack dominated Souths through the middle third. They rolled up-field every time the Rabbitohs managed to establish some sort of field position.
Ivan Cleary’s side pride themselves on defence. They’ve conceded just 78 points through 11 games this season. The next best side, Melbourne, have conceded 136 points.
But it’s the attack which makes Penrith a treat to watch. Cleary is the best player in the NRL right now. Luai may be the game’s most creative player. Koroisau’s work out of dummy half is first class. To’o and Staines are elite finishers. And then there’s Burton.
But none of the backs would shine like they do if it wasn’t for the best forward pack in the competition dominating their direct opponents every week.
While Penrith chase rugby league perfection, Souths are simply chasing consistency.
This was the first match Souths’ first choice spine have played together since Latrell Mitchell was suspended and it showed.
The superstar fullback was a welcome inclusion but he was always going to struggle to make an impact given his side were on the back foot from the first minute.
At their best, Souths may be able to match it with Penrith and Melbourne. But they were a long way from their best on Sunday.
Sam is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.