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In a repeat of their Round 26 match-up that decided the minor premiership, the South Sydney Rabbitohs face the Sydney Roosters in the NRL finals in what many thought would be last year’s grand final.
It wasn’t to be, with the Rabbitohs ousted by Manly at the very same stage last year. This year they come in as favourites with the bookies, which must make them slightly nervous.
To find the last time these two sides met in a final, you have to trek all the way back to 1938, where the Roosters were victorious over South Sydney 19-10. It’s some history these two clubs have!
MORE NRL Finals:
» Full NRL Finals team lists, match information
» GURU: Finals are entertaining, but a tipster’s nightmare
» Tim Gore: NRL preliminary finals by the stats
» PRENTICE: Prowling Panthers to defy the odds again
What will also make the Rabbitohs nervous is the fact that they were on the end of a 22-18 loss in Round 26. However, in many ways that game was the start of the Rabbitohs thrashing of Manly in the first week. After being 22-0 down, three straight tries saw the Bunnies storm back to within four points, in the end falling just short of another amazing finals comeback.
That win should give the Roosters plenty of confidence that they can get the job done this weekend.
They have endured one-point results in the last two weeks, the first a heart-breaking loss to the Panthers and the second a heart-stopping win over the Cowboys.
The first was miraculous from the Panthers, the second was controversial, but they’re in the prelim now, and will have to be focussed on a Souths side who showed serious form against Manly in the first week of the finals.
Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Michael Jennings are a star centre pairing, but the form of Souths’ Dylan Walker and Kirisome Auva’a has been irrepressible. The Roosters’ backs will have their hands full containing them, a resurgent Lote Tuqiri, Alex Johnston and Greg Inglis, who has had a week to recover from whatever was plaguing him in previous weeks.
GI should be ready to fire this week, a prospect sure to excite South Sydney fans. The big man has 10 tries this year, and a whopping 3279 run metres, by far the highest of any South Sydney back to play this year.
| Winners | Score | Home/Away | Date | Season |
| Roosters | 22 – 18 | Allianz Stadium | 04 Sep | 2014 |
| Rabbitohs | 28 – 8 | ANZ Stadium | 06 Mar | 2014 |
| Roosters | 24-12 | ANZ Stadium | 06 Sep | 2013 |
| Rabbitohs | 28-10 | Allianz Stadium | 07 Mar | 2013 |
| Rabbitohs | 24-22 | Allianz Stadium | 16 Jul | 2012 |
On the other hand, the Roosters will be feeling slightly vulnerable, but still confident after scraping through over the Cowboys last weekend. They held a 30-0 lead, but just like they did against the Bunnies in week one of the finals leaked a heap of points in the back end of the game. Two consecutive second-half capitulations will concern Trent Robinson, but you fancy that if they can string together two 80-minute performances they will be a walk-in to win this competition.
They still have the best roster in the competition.
A James Maloney proved to be enough last week, but Mitchell Pearce is going to be the key man this week. If he can lead in the way he did against Souths in Round 26, then the Roosters will fancy themselves to take this game.
Another talking point for the game has been the drop in form of Anthony Minichiello, who has made a couple of mistakes that have cost his team, the most notable being in the first week of the finals when he failed to make a play at the ball that was thrown into the field of play by Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and pounced upon by the Panthers.
A player of his calibre doesn’t have too many bad games in a row, and his form has been good this year, with his 15 tries certainly nothing to sneeze at.
In terms of player news, both teams are largely unchanged, with the only one being Dylan Napa’s return from suspension.
Odds: Rabbitohs $1.75, Roosters $2.05 (Ladbrokes)
Last meeting: Roosters 22-18 Rabbitohs Round 24 2014
History: Roosters 95, Rabbitohs 109, Draw 5
TV: Live Channel Nine
Teams:
Roosters: Anthony Minichiello (c), Daniel Tupou, Michael Jennings, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, James Maloney, Mitchell Pearce, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Jake Friend, Sam Moa, Boyd Cordner, Sonny Bill Williams, Aidan Guerra.
Interchange: Mitchell Aubusson, Frank-Paul Nuuausala, Isaac Liu, Dylan Napa, Remi Casty (one to be omitted).
Rabbitohs: Greg Inglis, Alex Johnston, Dylan Walker, Kirisome Auva’a, Lote Tuqiri, Luke Keary, Adam Reynolds, George Burgess, Issac Luke, Dave Tyrrell, Kyle Turner, John Sutton (c), Sam Burgess.
Interchange: Jason Clark, Ben Te’o, Chris McQueen, Thomas Burgess, Ben Lowe, Luke Burgess, Bryson Goodwin (three to be omitted).
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