Round 5 kicks off this Good Friday with the grand final rematch between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Canterbury Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium.
It is nearly six months since the Rabbitohs won the premiership, in the process smashing a 43-year hoodoo and completing one of rugby league’s great comeback stories, the club having been expelled from the competition at the end of the 1999 season.
Their 2002 reinstatement into the NRL was followed by numerous bottom-three finishes. One finals appearance was the best season-result in the first decade of their re-inclusion.
But when Greg Inglis, Ben Te’o, the Burgess brothers and coach Michael Maguire came on board, the Bunnies turned into a serious premiership contender.
Last year’s grand final will be remembered for more than just the 30-6 victory – Sam Burgess played all but the opening seconds of the match with a broken jaw. The sight of Burgess being chaired off the field after his final match for the Rabbitohs will forever burn in the memories of their loyal fans.
So far the Rabbitohs have picked up where they left off from last year, winning the Charity Shield, Auckland Nines and the World Club Series during the pre-season to show why they are favourites to defend their premiership in 2015.
They also started this season with three straight wins, the most impressive of which was against Wayne Bennett’s Brisbane Broncos in Round 1, before running into an inspired Parramatta Eels side at Pirtek Stadium last Friday night.
The defeat to the Eels was their first in any capacity since going down to arch-rivals the Sydney Roosters in the final round of the regular season last year. While it may have proved that the Rabbitohs are indeed beatable, it’s early days and the premiers remain one of the premiership favourites this season.
However, there are signs that cracks may be starting to appear in the Bunnies’ armour, with former captain John Sutton and centre Dylan Walker currently sidelined through injury. Neither is expected back until Round 7 at the earliest.
The Bulldogs enter this match in equally impressive form, winning their last three matches since dropping their match against the Penrith Panthers in Round 1 to rise to fourth on the ladder.
Last week the club came from 24-6 down in the second half to upset the Wests Tigers in golden point, with rookie five-eighth Moses Mbye kicking the winning field goal in the first period of extra time. This followed wins over the Eels and Sea Eagles.
The Bulldogs biggest test so far in 2015 will come against the Bunnies and the club will be desperate to avenge last year’s grand final loss, which was their second in three seasons under Des Hasler after previously losing to the Melbourne Storm in 2012.
The impressive form of both clubs this early in the season makes for what will be a must-watch match on Channel Nine this Friday afternoon. With the match also taking place alongside the Sydney Royal Easter Show, it will also make for a huge day out for both sets of fans.
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