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The Dragons and Rabbitohs will contest the semi-final at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night, the first finals clash between the two since way back in 1984, with a bumper crowd of at least 50,000 expected.
The Bunnies went down gallantly 29-28 to the Storm last week, while the Red V turned back the clock with a commanding 48-18 thumping of the Broncos.
However the win came at a cost, with skipper Gareth Widdop suffering a recurrence of his shoulder injury, which will see him miss the game and the rest of the season in all likelihood.
Many experts tipped a Broncos win, but a soft lead-in game against Manly appeared to leave them underdone, and following the win, St George Illawarra can roll on and beat the Bunnies.
Despite the loss of Widdop, the Dragons have the arsenal to win, and with Ben Hunt silencing his critics, Tariq Sims in beast mode, and the rise of young Zac Lomax, they are suddenly looking in pretty decent form, with three wins from their last four games.
Tariq Sims (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Hunt will assume centre stage with utility Kurt Mann coming into the six jersey, a spot he knows well. Euan Aitken should be fit again, but Lomax has done enough to retain his jersey, so Aitken may have to settle for a spot on the bench.
Jack De Belin is a 50-50 prospect and James Graham also picked up a head knock, so will be monitored closely. Apart from that, Paul McGregor’s squad looks pretty healthy and should be full of confidence.
In South Sydney, they must be pretty devastated to have gone down by a solitary point, and mentally, it would have been pretty draining. They threw the proverbial kitchen sink at the Storm, and would have beaten any other side, but a Cameron Munster field goal ensured his side enjoyed a week off.
How Souths pick themselves up again is the big question.
The Dragons, out of all the sides in the finals, had the chance to start a big run, coming from lower down on the table, and the Broncos game was just the start.
The other games were fairly evenly split, and you wouldn’t be surprised if results went the other way. But by beating Brisbane in front of 47,000 fans at Suncorp Stadium, the Dragons started something special and will head into Saturday’s match full of confidence.
What’s more, the Rabbitohs would have preferred to play the Broncos than the Dragons, who will attract as many, if not more fans to ANZ Stadium.
The Rabbitohs pack is led by Sam Burgess, but as the lesser-built Felise Kaufusi showed on Friday night, a couple of big hits can knock the eldest of the Burgi down a peg or two, and there isn’t really anyone else that will stand up and take a leadership role.
The twins, George and Thomas, follow in Sam’s shadow, Angus Chrichton is still early in his career, and John Sutton is okay without being great.
Cut off the snake’s head, and the Souths pack will fall. I’m looking at you Tariq Sims – put a few big shots on Sam and you will go a long way to winning the match for your side.
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