- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
One of the NRL’s hottest rivalries resumes with an understrength Sydney Roosters outfit hosting the South Sydney Rabbitohs, who are struggling to keep their season alive. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:50pm (AEST).
Such a huge rivalry game between two foundation clubs being scheduled in an Origin round almost defies belief, but it presents what should be an interesting contest nonetheless.
Ordinarily the Roosters, who are running fourth on the ladder, would be just about unbackable favourites. With their Origin players out and the Rabbitohs having no Origin players, it makes the playing field much more level though.
The Rabbitohs also carry a stack of momentum into this match. After beating the Gold Coast Titans in a scrappy affair, they played their best game of the season last week. Facing the Penrith Panthers, who themselves needed a win, they piled on the points.
Alex Johnston scored an incredible five tries on the wing and they ended up with a 42-14 win over the men from the foot of the mountains.
Despite questions still lingering over their defence, and consistency yet to be confirmed, it was a turnaround of epic proportions for the struggling Bunnies.
Unfortunately, you simply can’t be sure if they will back it up, given their 2017 so far. They currently sit 11th with six wins from 15 games, but in a positive turn of events they have made no changes for this clash.
The Roosters, on the other hand have had to make changes left, right and centre. Blake Ferguson, Dylan Napa, Mitchell Pearce and Boyd Cordner are all out in Origin. This pushes Mitchell Aubusson into the centres and Joseph Manu to the wing.
Connor Watson, who has been a spark for the Roosters this year will join Luke Keary in the halves, while Zane Tetevano and Isaac Lui come into the pack.
In a big boost, Sio Siua Taukeiaho is back on the bench, and he has been an X-Factor for the Roosters every time he has stepped on the field this year.
With the red, white and green struggling on defence at times, he could prove to be lethal on the back of Watson and Keary’s running game.
The Roosters sit fourth on the ladder with 11 wins and only need one more win to all but confirm their finals participation – still, they had a chance to do that last weekend and were thumped by the Cronulla Sharks.
Prediction
The Rabbitohs, at full strength, with wind in their sails and fighting to keep a slim finals chance alive come into the match as favourites and with everything to play for should live up to that.
They won’t blow the Roosters off the park, but they will win.
Rabbitohs by 6.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the match from 7:50pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.