Check out the match preview and prediction for the round 5 clash between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and New Zealand Warriors.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
South Sydney Rabbitohs Vs New Zealand Warriors
Venue: Accor Stadium
Date: Saturday April 6, 3pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Rabbitohs: 1. Latrell Mitchell, 2.Izaac Tu’itupou Thompson, 3. Jack Wighton, 4. Isaiah Tass, 5. Taane Milne, 6. Cody Walker, 7. Dean Hawkins, 8. Tevita Tatola, 9. Damien Cook, 10. Thomas Burgess, 11. Keaon Koloamatangi, 12. Jacob Host, 13. Cameron Murray, 14. Michael Chee Kam, 15. Tallis Duncan, 16. Sean Keppie, 17. Davvy Moale, 18. Peter Mamouzelos, 19. Lachlan Ilias, 20. Richard Kennar, 21. Jye Gray, 22. Jacob Gagai
Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2.Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Rocco Berry, 4. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 5. Marcelo Montoya, 6. Te Maire Martin, 7. Shaun Johnson, 8. Addin Fonua-Blake, 9. Wayde Egan, 10. Mitchell Barnett, 11. Jackson Ford, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Tohu Harris, 14. Freddy Lussick, 15. Tom Ale, 16. Bunty Afoa, 17. Jazz Tevaga, 18. Adam Pompey, 20. Jacob Laban, 21. Chanel Harris-Tavita, 22. Edward Kosi, 23. Ali Leiataua
Referee: Liam Kennedy
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
Both South Sydney Rabbitohs and New Zealand Warriors will be looking to build some momentum heading into round 5.
The Rabbitohs got on the board last week with victory over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs who couldn’t replicate the effort from a week earlier when they kept the Gold Coast Titans to no score. Latrell Mitchell was lucky to escape suspension for his late hit on Josh Addo-Carr on the stroke of half time, receiving a monetary fine from the NRL Match Review Committee.
Back-to-back wins for the Warriors against Canberra and Newcastle saw them move up one spot to tenth on the latest ladder. It was a costly victory with Luke Metcalf fracturing his leg, continuing his bad luck with injury since joining the club.
Metcalf’s long-term injury presents an opportunity for the Te Maire Martin to return to the Warriors side for the first time since the club lost their prelim final against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on September 23 last year. Chanel Harris-Tavita may feel hard done by, being selected in the reserves. Perhaps needing more game time under his belt after a gap year in his NRL career.
Shaq Mitchell has missed selection for the Rabbitohs after suffering a head knock on Good Friday. This allows Sean Keppie to return to the interchange after missing out on the clash with the Bulldogs. There’s no good news for South Sydney’s PNG International Alex Johnston with a hamstring injury set to sideline the prolific try scorer for over a month. Izaac Thompson comes into the side as his replacement.
On paper, the Warriors have a well-balanced squad but haven’t quite found their 2023 form yet. The return of Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad is a boost for the side, while Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is starting to show glimpses of the champion player before his exile to rugby. Last week Jackson Ford had one of his best performances for the Warriors since joining at the start of 2023.
South Sydney has the talent to put a score on the Warriors if they can get the best out of their stars and play as a team. With Jack Wighton about to play his third game for the club, his prowess out wide compensates for the loss of Campbell Graham in a positive way. Dean Hawkins has a chance at the age of 25 to establish himself as the preferred number 7 for the out of favour Lachlan Ilias.
With matches against the Sharks, Storm and Panthers over the next month, this game is a must-win otherwise the danger is they could be stuck on one win from nine games going into round 10.
The New Zealand Warriors have won three of their last nine matches at Accor Stadium, including their last two which came against the Bulldogs in 2020 and 2023 respectively. They have an opportunity to improve their poor record with victory over the Rabbitohs on Saturday afternoon.
For me, South Sydney could just get away with this one despite the Warriors gaining some traction in their race to win a maiden premiership.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Round 5 Number Crunch.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Rabbitohs by 7 points.
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