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South Sydney 16 def. St George-Illawarra 10
Well, we’ve lauded the Dragons defence all season, but it was the Rabbitohs’ defence that stood up to win this Monday Night clash. The Rabbitohs scored 10 unanswered points in the second half to run out 6-point victors, but it wasn’t without some nervous moments. The Dragons controlled the final 10 minutes of the game, and they had numerous opportunities to tie the score.
There will be some controversy from this game, as a poor decision on a Luke Keary take in his own in-goal led to the Rabbitohs’ sealing try. It appeared that Keary lost the ball trying to control the catch, but the video referee ruled it a catch. After Friday Night’s debacle with Chris Lawrence, the issue of a clean catch could come up this week.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs seem to be suffering from the dreaded ‘Premiership Hangover’, and the St George-Illawarra Dragons will be looking to inflict more pain on the premiers as they clash on Monday Night Football. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:00pm.
As mentioned above, the Rabbitohs have really struggled since winning their first three games of the season, only winning one of their past five games.
This slide has been in direct correlation with Adam Reynolds’ knee injury, as the Rabbitohs have lost three straight since Round 5. The Rabbitohs need to get back on the winner’s list if they want to be seen as a legitimate Premiership chance.
The Dragons started the season slower than any side, scoring only eight combined points in their first two losses, but they’ve rattled off six straight wins to plant themselves in the Top 4. Coach McGregor has the Dragons’ defence playing at an extremely high level, and if the Dragons can continue their stifling defence, they are a real shot at a premiership in 2015.
The Rabbitohs’ John Sutton will make his return from injury at five-eighth, sending Aaron Gray back to an extended bench.
Glenn Stewart’s injury has forced a reshuffle in the Rabbitohs’ pack, with Dave Tyrrell moving to the front row, Tom Burgess playing at lock, and Chris Grevsmuhl shifting to the back row. Ben Lowe will move back to the bench, whilst Nathan Brown will replace Jason Clark. There is also late mail that Adam Reynolds may be a chance to return for this game.
The Dragons welcome back Tyson Frizell and Eto Nabuli for this clash, with Will Matthews and Josh Dugan the men they are replacing. Peter Mata’utia will play at fullback in place of the injured Dugan, while George Rose and the aforementioned Matthews are part of an extended bench. Late mail does suggest that Josh Dugan is a chance of playing against the Rabbitohs, which would most likely force Mata’utia back out of the squad.
This matchup has been fairly even in recent times, with the Rabbitohs holding a slight 5-4 advantage since 2010. The Rabbitohs beat the Dragons twice in 2014 by a combined total of 39 points.
Prediction
Somewhat surprisingly, the Rabbitohs will start favourites in this game, which means that I’m going for the upset. I think the Dragons’ defence is Premiership ready, and they’ll take another big scalp on Monday Night.
Dragons by 10
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