2023 NRL Preview Round 7: Dolphins Vs Rabbitohs
Andrew Pelechaty previews the Thursday night Suncorp Stadium blockbuster.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
The Dolphins Vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Date: Thursday April 13, 7:50pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Dolphins: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Euan Aitken 4. Brenko Lee 5. Robert Jennings 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Herman Ese’ese 11. Kenny Bromwich 12. Connelly Lemuelu 13. Tom Gilbert 14. JJ Collins 15. Mark Nicholls 16. Ray Stone 17. Kurt Donoghoe 18. Poasa Faamausili 19. Mason Teague 20. Edrick Lee 21. Jack Bostock 22. Valynce Te Whare
Rabbitohs: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Alex Johnston 3. Isaiah Tass 4. Campbell Graham 5. Izaac Tu’itupou Thompson 6. Cody Walker 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Jai Arrow 9. Damien Cook 10. Thomas Burgess 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jacob Host 13. Cameron Murray 14. Jed Cartwright 15. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 16. Davvy Moale 17. Hame Sele 18. Taane Milne 19. Blake Taaffe 20. Ben Lovett 21. Michael Chee Kam 22. Tallis Duncan
Referee: Ashley Klein
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
We have another cracking Thursday game to look forward too, with The Dolphins and Souths both winning on Good Friday.
The Dolphins came back from two straight losses to beat North Queensland in Townsville. A hat-trick to Jamayne Isaako (who also kicked four goals) gave them a 26-12 half-time lead. While the Cowboys got within four points, The Hammer continued his perfect Dolphins try-scoring record (eight in six games) to seal a 32-22 win.
Souths demolished Canterbury-Bankstown in their now-traditional Good Friday afternoon clash. While the Bulldogs started well, hat-tricks to Latrell Mitchell (along with seven goals) and Campbell Graham saw Souths run out 50-16 winners.
While former Rabbitoh Mark Nicholls (100 games for Souths) moved to Redcliffe for The Dolphins’ debut year, the biggest link between the two sides is Wayne Bennett.
The master coach was in charge of Souths from 2019 to 2021, including taking them to the 2021 Grand Final. He’s already taken The Dolphins to a 4-2 start – a lot better than most pre-season doomsdayers were expecting.
With a 3-3 record, Souths haven’t been at their best: aside from the Good Friday game, they had an emotional win against Manly Warringah and beat Cronulla-Sutherland in Round 1. Losses to Penrith and the Sydney Roosters looked closer on paper and they had a disappointing loss to Melbourne. Meanwhile, The Dolphins have knocked over three 2022 finals teams (Roosters, Canberra, Cowboys), lost a close game to Brisbane and had a big loss to St. George Illawarra.
While we’re only a month into the season, this is already The Dolphins’ third home game at Lang Park (out of seven). Though, with Kayo Stadium only having a capacity of around 10,000, it makes sense to play their blockbusters at the bigger stadium. But how big will the home state advantage be for The Dolphins? Souths played just two games at Lang Park last year – losing to Brisbane and beating the Warriors in Magic Round.
For The Dolphins, Jesse Bromwich returns from illness, while Jarrod Wallace is out with a Category 1 concussion. Robert Jennings replaces Edrick Lee on the wing.
For Souths, Alex Johnston returns after a concussion absence, and Jai Arrow returns from a hamstring injury.
Hopefully this is another cracking game, with Souths’ experience just getting them home.
LAST TEN MATCHES
Dolphins 0, Rabbitohs 0
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Rabbitohs by four points.
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