South Sydney overcame a spirited Brisbane Broncos fightback to post a crucial 16-12 NRL triumph in driving rain at a wet and windy nib Stadium in Perth on Friday night.

The Rabbitohs took a 14-6 lead into halftime but looked dead on their feet for much of the second half as the Broncos pushed hard for victory.

Brisbane closed the gap to just two points when hooker Kurt Baptiste touched down in the 59th minute, but the Rabbitohs' defence held firm under extreme pressure in the final 10 minutes to secure victory.

Despite the wretched conditions, 15,371 fans still rocked up to the game, sending the NRL a powerful message that West Australians were hungry for a Perth-based side to enter the league.

Brisbane struggled to adapt to the slippery conditions early, with Dane Copley's turnover from the kick-off resulting in a try to Rabbitohs second-rower Chris McQueen after just 90 seconds.

South Sydney's second try, which stretched the lead to 12-0 after eight minutes, was a stroke of genius as Chris Sandow exploited the conditions to perfection.

Sandow unleashed a forceful low-trajectory kick that in any other conditions would have rolled past the dead ball line.

But the ball stopped dead in its tracks once it hit a giant puddle, allowing a diving Rhys Wesser to touch the ball down ahead of Jack Reed.

The Broncos needed something special to get back in the game, and centre Reed delivered when he rose high to grab Darren Lockyer's chip from the grasp of Sandow, closing the margin back to six points.

Even the ever-reliable Lockyer wasn't immune from the conditions, dropping a kick-return cold just 10m from his tryline.

The Rabbitohs couldn't capitalise on the excellent field position, but Sandow slotted a penalty just before half-time to give Souths a handy 14-6 lead at the break.

With momentum on their side, Brisbane launched a flurry of promising attacking Raids on a Rabbitohs defence that suddenly looked tired.

Kurt Baptiste closed the gap with a 58th-minute try with Corey Parker adding the extras.

But with Souths struggling to get out of their own half in the final 10 minutes, it just seemed a matter of time before their defence would crack.

However, the Broncos couldn't find the killer blow, with Souths held firm to secure their sixth win of the season, lifting them to equal on points with seventh-placed Wests Tigers.

In some good news for Brisbane, centre Justin Hodges made it through the entire game after four weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.

South Sydney coach John Lang praised his team's dogged defensive effort.

"I was rapt. I reckon that's the best win we've had since I've been here," Lang said.

"It's a really gutsy effort. I thought we were clearly the better side and a (had) a couple of calls gone our way we would have had it parcelled up with a long way to go.

"But it gave the boys the opportunity to show what they were capable of."

Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin said his team's sloppy start cost them the game.

"They got 12 cheap points (early) and defended for their lives in that last 15 minutes, they were too good," Griffin said.

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