After both teams notched up their maiden wins for the season last week, the Rabbitohs and Bulldogs meet in the annual Good Friday clash at ANZ Stadium.
TEAM FORM GUIDE
Rabbitohs
The Rabbitohs finally clicked into gear and gave new coach Anthony Seibold something to smile about as they smashed the Sea Eagles 34-6. Robert Jennings bagged a hat-trick out on the left wing while Richie Kennar nabbed a double on the right.
They dominated the forward battle and were relentless against a Manly team that was full of errors. Alex Johnston continued to show improvement in the fullback role with his ball-playing producing two try assists from backline shifts.
Bulldogs
The Bulldogs held out for a tough 20-18 win over the Panthers. They came out firing as Moses Mbye tore the opposition apart in the first half, scoring a double in the first 30 minutes. ย Once the Dogs had got out to a 14-0 lead though, the Panthers began to make their customary comeback.
The Dogs were kept scoreless in the second half but were able to defend their way to victory. Coach Dean Pay was pleased with what he saw as his positional shift of Mbye to fullback has paid dividends.
SQUAD NEWS
Both teams retain the same 1-17 that recorded victories last week.
South Sydney halfback Adam Reynolds remains on the sidelines with Round 5 being his earliest return date.
PREVIEW
Key Players
South Sydney were able to run rampant over the Sea Eagles last week and a lot of that was due to the resurgent form of the Burgess twins. George had his best game in what has felt like years as he ran hard, sprinted out of the line to collar and drag Cherry-Evans to the ground and above all else kept a pretty good hold of the ball.
However it’ll matter for little if they’re unable to back it up with another strong game this week. It’s up to them to ensure they develop consistency and keep delivering for the team. As long as they’re in-form and denting the line then they give the Rabbitohs a chance going up against just about any opposition.
The Dogs counter to that depends on how well the likes of Aaron Woods and Aiden Tolman start the game. ย Their middle defence is going to play a key part in halting the Souths forward momentum. If they get lazy at any point and let themselves get bowled over, the Dogs are going to be in a world of trouble. On offence it’ll be their ability to get quick play-the-balls away that’ll best help get the Dogs rolling with David Klemmer taking care of the hard running.
The clash between Damien Cook and Michael Lichaa also shapes up as a key factor in the outcome of this match. Both dynamic running dummy halves who can sniff out attacking opportunities, whoever keeps their team rolling down the field more is going to give them a better chance of winning the match.
Quotes
“It’s sort of like semi-final football isn’t it? There’s a big crowd that turns out and makes it a real special day for us” – Rabbitohs Hooker Damien Cook on the atmosphere of a Good Friday match.
KEY STAT
The last 4 Good Friday clashes between the Rabbitohs and Bulldogs have been split at 2-apiece.
SQUADS
Rabbitohs: 1 Alex Johnston, 2 Richie Kennar, 3 Greg Inglis (c), 4 Dane Gagai, 5 Robert Jennings, 6 Cody Walker, 7 Adam Doueihi, 8 Tom Burgess, 9 Damien Cook, 10 Sam Burgess, 11 John Sutton, 12 Angus Crichton, 13 Cameron Murray
Interchange:ย 14 Hymel Hunt, 15 Mark Nicholls, 16 George Burgess, 17 Tevita Tatola
Reserves: 18 Robbie Farah, 19 Jason Clark, 20 Braidon Burns, 21 Kyle Turner
Bulldogs: 1 Moses Mbye, 2 Brett Morris, 3 Josh Morris, 4 Will Hopoate, 5 Marcelo Montoya, 6 Jeremy Marshall-King, 7 Kieran Foran, 8 Aaron Woods, 9 Michael Lichaa, 10 David Klemmer, 11 Josh Jackson (c), 12 Raymond Faitala-Mariner, 13 Aiden Tolman
Interchange:ย 14 Adam Elliott, 15 Danny Fualalo, 16 Francis Tualalo, 17 Fa’amanu Brown
Reserves: 19 Renouf Toomaga, 20 Kerrod Holland, 21 Asipeli Fine, 23 John Olive
THE IMPORTANT DETAILS
Date: Friday 30th March
Venue: ANZ Stadium
Kick-off: 4:10pm
WHO WILL WIN?
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