Winger Aaron Gray, who was playing just his fourth NRL match, took his tally of tries to five by crossing in the ninth and 56th minute before back-up hooker Cameron McInnes scored the match winner less than five minutes before fulltime.

"There is plenty of improvement in us, I know that and I think bringing these young guys in ... every week and every day that I see them at training they are showing better signs and if we keep doing that then obviously we are going to be an improved team," Maguire said.

"Cameron McInnes came on and provided some great energy into the team and came up with the match winner but right across the park, Aaron Gray, Luke Keary .... it was great to see a team effort like we got tonight."

Interchange forward Nathan Brown also made an impact in his fourth match since joining Souths from Wests Tigers in a mid-season transfer deal and the rookie prop made it his mission to avenge an elbow by Parramatta's Richie Fa'aoso on George Burgess just before halftime when he rushed out of the defensive line to make a hit.

Despite replays clearly showing that Fa'aoso had raised his forearm just before the point of contact as he carried the ball back from the kick-off after Reece Robinson's 35th minute try, video referees Steve Chiddy and Ben Galea refused to intervene.

Fa'aoso, who appeared to be trying to protect an injury incurred in an earlier collision, is expected to be charged by the NRL match review committee on Monday but Maguire played down the incident after the match.

"I would have to have another look at it but it will get referred if they think it needs to get referred," he said. "That's the way they saw it so we can't change it now."

McInnes, who played in the second row after a knee injury forced Ben Lowe from the field in the 12th minute, said his 75th minute try was a career highlight.

"That feeling of getting over there and putting us in front, I was really, really happy and I was over the moon at the time so that was good," the 21-year-old said. "I had George Burgess outside me so two defenders were rushing up on him and that opened it up for me so it was really good."

Despite trailing until late in the game, prop Tom Burgess said the Rabbitohs always believed they could win.

"We put in some hard work in the first half and we knew if we kept working to our process and putting in the effort we would get a chance and we got that. You have to take it when you get it and we did," he said. "We spoke about trying to force errors and we did that.

"Cameron McInnes did what he had to do for the team tonight, he did some great carries there, he has got good footwork and he really troubled them through the middle and on the edge as well. He played well for us and came up with the try at the end."