South Sydney interim coach Ben Hornby says teenaged winger Tyrone Munro did his family proud by lining up for the Rabbitohs only two days after the death of his mother.
The Rabbitohs wore black armbands during Friday night's clash against Penrith in tribute to Munro's mother Kirawhan Fernando, who died on Wednesday.
Rabbitohs playmaker Cody Walker revealed after Souths' 34-12 loss that Munro's uncle had also died on game day.
The reigning premiers had the Rabbitohs' measure almost from the outset at Penrith Park but Munro's pair of tries gave Souths reason to celebrate, especially given the difficult circumstances.
For his first four-pointer, Munro collected Walker's cross-field kick on the bounce and beat Brian To'o to the line, before picking off an Izack Tago pass and sprinting almost 90 metres to score in the second half.
The 19-year-old could have notched his first NRL hat-trick had Walker's cut-out pass not been ruled as forward in the opening minutes.
Souths had given Munro the option to miss the game and training during the week, but Hornby said the winger was always adamant he would play.
"All he's been focused on is the game and doing his family proud," Hornby said.
"There's no doubt he did that tonight."
The Rabbitohs have endured a dismal season on and off the field amid injury carnage, the sacking of coach Jason Demetriou and a slide to the bottom four on the ladder.
But the mood in the coaches' box was nothing short of jubilant when a smiling Munro broke away for his long-range try in the second half.
Rabbitohs' Tyrone Munro smiles after scoring his second try against the Penrith Panthers. (Mark Evans/AAP PHOTOS)
"You saw his face when he was running away, he was having a good time out there," Hornby said.
"I couldn't be prouder of him. For such a young kid, to do what he's done tonight after what's happened, it's unbelievable."
The tries offered a glimpse into Munro's future at the Rabbitohs, who had earmarked him for a full-time role in the starting side this season following unrest on the right wing last year.
Instead, a cruel run of injuries had restricted Munro to only two games for 2024 prior to the round-26 loss.
Munro looks set to finish the season with three consecutive appearances to his name, having shaken off a troublesome collarbone injury. But Walker believes he is only just getting started.
"I've got great admiration and respect for 'Ty Ty' for going out there and putting a Bunnies jersey on two days after losing his mum and his uncle this morning," Walker said.
"He's a great young kid that just wants to learn. He wants to do anything possible to help the team.
"He's got nothing of him but he just puts his hand up, takes those tough carries that not many players like time. Take it from me, I hate taking them.Â
"But he's just got the courage and the mind to be a really good football player over the next couple of years. He's shown us what he's capable of."
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