South Sydney have rocketed back into form during an emotional night for the club which included a tribute to Jai Arrow, with Cody Walker and Alex Johnston leading the Bunnies to a 48-6 thumping of Brisbane.

A guard of honour was held by both clubs for Arrow, who previously played for the Broncos and recently retired from Souths following a MND diagnosis, with many in the stands, including the man himself, left in tears.

Johnston crossed over for four tries at Accor Stadium with Cody Walker providing plenty with the ball, including a pair of try assists within the Rabbitohs' eight, with Lartell Siegwalt adding a perfect 16 points from the conversion spot.

Johnston has THREE! 🥧 #NRL

Telstra Moment of the Match pic.twitter.com/ruUbe5rE0U

— NRL (@NRL) June 11, 2026

Siegwalt also had two try assists during the contest.

Brisbane were behind 30-nil by the time they entered the sheds at halftime.

The reigning premiers were without the likes of Indigenous stars Kotoni Staggs and Reece Walsh, who entered Origin camp at the start of the week for NSW and Queensland respectively.

Front row gun Payne Haas was also missing as he returns to the Blues for game two next week, ahead of crossing to his club's opponents next year.

The loss has further thrown Brisbane's season into a tailspin. The Broncos have lost their last six games and sit in 14th spot with five wins.

Brisbane appeared certain to draw first blood when Adam Reynolds ran around 70 metres with an intercept in the eighth minute, however a sloppy start to the resulting set foreshadowed their evening.

South Sydney responded to their own patch of poor form, running over for five tries before the Broncos got on the board.

They'd loss four of their last five, losing touch with the top four in the process.

The visitors posted 200 less post-contact metres, 14 errors to 10 and twice as many missed tackles as they struggled to contain the Rabbitohs' attack.

Johnston had his first try on the left side 15 minutes in. He had a second 10 out from the break, and put the cherry on top with the game's last to extend his recent potency in Homebush.

The premiership's all-time try scorer is going at over two tries a game at Accord Stadium in 2026.

David Fifita also got on the scoreboard in the first half.

Speaking post-match, Walker was all plaudits for his teammate Arrow.

It's been a "difficult" period for Arrow and the club, he said, but the retired forward has "handled it as a true champion, as a guy, the way he played the game".

On the performance, Walker said it's important to go back to the little things and keep it simple amid a lean patch.

Latrell Mitchell is on track to return against the Eels in a fortnight's time, after their bye next week, Souths coach Wayne Bennett said.