Updated
South Sydney has set up a final round blockbuster to decide the minor premiership after overcoming an almighty scare to down Wests Tigers 32-18 on Friday night.
SCOREBOARD: WST 18-32 SOU
 | 18-32 |  |
|---|---|---|
| at the SFS, August 30 2013 | ||
| Tackles: | Robbie Farah (WST) - 50 | |
| Hit-Ups: | Sam Burgess (SOU) - 15 | |
| Offloads: | Tim Simona (WST) - 2 | |
| Run (m): | James Tedesco (WST) - 166 | |
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Interview: Sam Burgess
Interview: Issac Luke
Interview: Michael Maguire
In the night's other match, Newcastle came from 14-0 down to beat Brisbane 26-18 at Lang Park.
The Rabbitohs will host arch-rivals Sydney Roosters at Sydney's Olympic stadium next Friday with the winner to finish the regular season in top spot - an epic entree ahead of a tantalising finals series.
It was a scenario which seemed a long way off when the Bunnies trailed 18-0 after just 14 minutes - the Tigers running in three tries while Englishman Sam Burgess spent ten minutes off the field for what seemed a harsh sin-binning.
He repaid his team-mates with a powerful second-half try to lock things up at 18-18 early in the second half - brother Luke completing a memorable night for the family with his first NRL try in the dying stages.
What shaped as a night of celebration as the four Burgess brothers took the field together for the first time - matching a feat not accomplished in 103 years - threatened to turn into a nightmare during the unexpected early onslaught.
Sam Burgess - in his first game back from a two-game suspension for his infamous squirrel grip on Melbourne's Will Chambers - was binned in just the fourth minute after laying down too long on James Tedesco after a long break.
By the time he ran back on after serving his time, Ben Murdoch-Masila was scoring the Tigers' third try in seven minutes.
A loss could have left the Bunnies struggling to hold onto second spot - but two tries before the break, including a late Dylan Farrell four-pointer after Lote Tuqiri had an air swing at cleaning up an Adam Reynolds kick, invited the visitors back into the contest.
While they were made to work for it - as evidenced by the fact Reynolds had to kick a 41 metres penalty goal to give them their first lead in the 66th minute - a Souths win always seemed likely from there.
And so it proved to be as Nathan Merritt and Luke Burgess crossed late, the latter's try sending mother Julie - sitting in owner Russell Crowe's private box - into hysterics.
It set up another special moment for the four brothers as Sam joined the other three on the field for the final minutes - one special set featuring five Burgess hit-ups.
South Sydney: 32 (A Reynolds, D Farrell, S Burgess, N Merritt, L Burgess tries; A Reynolds 5/5 cons, 1/1 pens, 0/1 field goals)
Wests Tigers: 18 (T Simona, J Tedesco, B Murdoch-Masila tries; B Marshall 3/3 cons, 0/1 field goals)
SCOREBOARD: BRI 18-26 NEW
 | 18-26 |  |
|---|---|---|
| at Lang Park, August 30 2013 | ||
| Tackles: | Andrew McCullough (BRI) - 37 | |
| Hit-Ups: | Josh McGuire (BRI) - 13 | |
| Offloads: | David Fa'alogo (NEW) - 2 | |
| Run (m): | Akuila Uate (NEW) - 209 | |
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Interview: Newcastle coach Wayne Bennett
Interview: Newcastle's Jarrod Mullen
Interview: Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin
Interview: Brisbane's Scott Prince
The Newcastle Knights overcame a 14-0 deficit to triumph in Brisbane, beating the Broncos 26-18 at Lang Park.
But the win, which keeps Newcastle safe in seventh place on the NRL ladder, came at the cost of a foot injury to half-back Kurt Gidley.
Gidley suffered the knock while scoring the Knights' second try eight minutes into the second stanza, after Joseph Leilua opened the visitors' account on the stroke of half-time.
Newcastle would have been forgiven for thinking it was not their night when flying winger Akuila Uate pounced on a Jack Reed error and raced 80m, only to knock-on as he tried to ground the ball in the 24th minute.
Knights coach Wayne Bennett also had cause for concern after David Fa'alogo was placed on report for a shoulder charge on Andrew McCullough in the 56th minute.
It was a tough game and credit to the boys, coming back from 14-0 down against the Broncos is not an easy effort.
Newcastle's Jarrod Mullen
But Darius Boyd levelled the try count on the hour mark for Newcastle, before Leilua scored his second of the night six minutes later.
Corey Oates sparked the home side into life late on, breaking the Knights' defence to sprint in a 70-metre try, but Boyd pounced on a Sam Thaiday handling error to dash Brisbane's hopes of a winning surge.
Knights half-back Jarrod Mullen sympathised with Gidley's injury, which saw him sent to hospital post-match.
"I'm not sure what he's done but he looked like he was in a bit of pain, so my heart goes out to him," he told Grandstand.
"It was good performance to come back and show a lot of character.
"It was a tough game and credit to the boys, coming back from 14-0 down against the Broncos is not an easy effort.
"We knew it was for our season, so it was a fine performance."
The result ends Brisbane's hopes of finals football for the season, leaving the Broncos stranded in 11th place.
Newcastle: 26 (J Leilua 2, D Boyd 2, K Gidley tries; K Gidley 1/1 cons; T Roberts 2/3 cons)
Brisbane: 18 (C Parker, A McCullough, C Oates tries; S Prince 2/3 cons, 1/1 pens)
ABC/AAP
Topics: nrl, rugby-league, sport, sydney-2000, sydney-south-2000, balmain-2041, newcastle-2300, nsw, brisbane-4000, qld, australia
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