Adam Reynolds turned a big corner in Friday night’s NRL qualifying final, but the South Sydney halfback says he and his team have achieved nothing yet.
The Rabbitohs have been to the past two preliminary finals and bowed out on both occasions – last year giving up a 14-0 lead against Manly.
No one would have taken those losses more personally than Reynolds, who in 2012 departed the preliminary final against the Bulldogs early with an ankle injury and last year failed to step up when the game was on the line.
However, Reynolds’ performance in a thumping 40-24 win over Manly on Friday night was the most complete of his career.
Scoring two tries and setting up two others, Reynolds was key to everything Souths did right in a commanding victory.
That’s what it’s going to take for the Rabbitohs to break their preliminary final curse, but the 24-year-old former rookie of the year is refusing to get ahead of himself.
“We haven’t done nothing yet,” Reynolds said when asked if he’d taken a big step in his personal career.
“We still need to win our next game. We’re going to be working really hard next week or two and try to get things in place to go a bit better.”
Reynolds says he’s been spurred on by the frustration of being suspended for last week’s blockbuster against the Sydney Roosters, which could have clinched the Rabbitohs the minor premiership had they won.
“It wasn’t a good feel. It’s never easy to watch your own team out there on the paddock and you’re there sitting helplessly doing nothing,” he said.
“It made me a lot hungrier to do well.”
It would appear the emergence of talented half Luke Keary has also spurred on Reynolds.
Back in round 19, Reynolds was benched for the final 16 minutes of the match, in which time Keary came onto the park and inspired a win over Parramatta.
Although they are now combining as the halves partnership Souths fans will hope can end a premiership drought dating back to 1971, innuendo at the time questioning Reynolds’ place in the team seems to have brought the best out in the No.7.
Reynolds says the secret has simply been finding confidence.
“I’ve got the support of the boys. I struggled there early on in the season and I’ve just had to keep working hard on my game,” he said.
“I knew it would turn around.”
