After a slow start to their 32-22 NRL preliminary final victory over the Sydney Roosters it was a ferocious defensive effort that took the Rabbitohs to a first grand final in 43 years.

Trailing 12-0 after eight minutes it looked as if their long-suffering supporters were in for another season of heartache.

Defeats in their last two preliminary finals had come after strong starts for Michael Maguire’s side, but unlike previous seasons it was their opponents who capitulated as the Roosters found themselves physically pummelled by their oldest rivals.

Tries from the evergreen Lote Tuqiri and 19-year-old winger Alex Johnston – 15 years his junior – were a great response to early efforts from Mitchell Pearce and Anthony Minichiello to lock up the scores.

As Souths smelled blood, the Roosters were rocked by huge tackles from the Burgess brothers, Issac Luke and and Kyle Turner as the tide started to turn in the direction of the men in myrtle and cardinal.

But the reigning premiers showed they are a champion team by creating chances out of nothing to almost regain the lead just before halftime.

A fractional knock-on saw a Pearce effort chalked off by the video referee – and prop Sam Moa looked certain to power over the line five seconds before the siren to give his side a crucial halftime lead.

But just as he has so many times before – it was Sam Burgess who made the big play.

Heading back to England at the end of the season, Burgess held up the giant Kiwi millimetres from the line, and the backslapping that came his way as his teammates trooped off showed just how much it meant to them.

The second half was all one-way traffic as the Roosters wilted from the effects of their first-half battering.

Ben Te’o powered over after a Sonny Bill Williams mistake before Greg Inglis went over twice – with Adam Reynolds enjoying a perfect night with the boot with six goals from six efforts.

Tempers flared as Moa and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves went on report, with Luke joining them for a lifting tackle.

But even late consolation tries from Aidan Guerra and Minichiello weren’t enough to dampen the spirits of the delirious Rabbitohs faithful who are now 80 minutes away from their ultimate Glory, Glory.