Two tries to South Sydney while St George Illawarra playmaker Jamie Soward sat in the sin-bin kept the Rabbitohs on track for an NRL finals berth after a 24-14 win at WIN Stadium.

With the Dragons holding their only lead of the match, 14-10, the halfback was sin-binned in the 62nd minute for holding down Dean Widders in an attacking position.

Souths took immediate advantage and winger Paul Mellor got his second try when he latched onto a Jeremy Smith grubber and Joe Williams' conversion gave the visitors a 16-14 lead.

A Tom Hewitt fumble didn't help the Dragons' cause and the Rabbitohs got their second try with Soward off the field in the 72nd minute when a Roy Asotasi money ball resulted in Yileen Gordon finding the line.

Williams' conversion from out wide gave them a crucial eight-point buffer at 22-14 and a 36th minute penalty goal made it 24-14 to end the Dragons' hopes of post-season action.

For Souths, Mellor got two tries while Smith and Gordon also scored four-pointers and Williams booted four goals.

For the Dragons, winger Hewitt bagged a double while Rangi Chase scored a controversial try and Soward kicked one from three in front of a 18,382-strong crowd.

Livewire replacement Chase added some attacking spark to the Dragons and, after he was held up in the 47th minute, got his side in front for the first time in the match through a controversial 52nd minute try.

Chase cleverly grubbered for himself from dummy-half and appeared to lose control of the ball as he tried to ground it with his left arm, but video referee Phil Cooley awarded a benefit of the doubt four-pointer.

It was two tries apiece but 10-8 to the Rabbitohs at half-time with Williams' lone conversion the difference.

The Rabbitohs were on the board in just the third minute when a Soward grubber went wrong and Souths halfback Smith ran 70m to score.

They extended their lead to 10-0 when Mellor out-leapt Hewitt in the 26th minute to mark a Williams cross-field kick and touch down out wide.

Hewitt got his first out wide in the 30th minute to make it 10-4 and the Brisbane-bound winger got his second four minutes later when he latched onto a clever Soward grubber to touch down again in the left corner.

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