With superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell expected to miss up to five weeks, I have decided to weigh in on what Wayne Bennett should do in terms of team selection, especially at fullback.
Latrell was put on report and is expected to miss a lot of game time after shoulder charging Roosters centre Joseph Manu in what was really very heavy contact. I would like to send my best wishes to Manu as he is set to miss the rest of the season with a fractured cheekbone.
The Bunnies have the Dragons next Saturday night in the final round of the regular season, so I’m guessing that players like Adam Reynolds, Damien Cook and possibly Cameron Murray will be rested ahead of their clash with Penrith in Week 1 of the finals.
I would like to see young fullback Blake Taaffe have a run at fullback, and, if he plays well, then I want to see him play fullback against Penrith because Souths don’t really have another fullback option.
Cody Walker could play fullback, with Taaffe playing five-eighth, as Walker did play four games at fullback when Latrell wasn’t in the side. However, this is very unlikely, as I’m sure Bennett will already know his squad heading into the last round of the regular season and for when the finals come around.
The pairing of Jaxson Paulo and Campbell Graham for Souths looked very solid in defence which is very good and would give Bennett a lot of confidence heading towards final. It’s really been a battle of that wing position on the right side between Paulo and Taane Milne, who is also a very good defensive player.
The Rabbitohs forwards were really good against the Roosters and created a lot of forward momentum for their playmakers to produce their magic in attack but they really need to keep that spirit up for when they play the top teams like Penrith and the Melbourne Storm because they are very likely to do so during the finals campaign.
Souths will lose to Penrith in Week 1 of the finals, but they will then play one of the bottom four teams in the eight. I’m sure they will win that game and in the grand final qualifier they will take on the Storm.
It’s a tough road ahead for the Rabbitohs during this finals campaign but they still have stars all around the park in Walker, Reynolds, Cook, Murray and Alex Johnston, so I’m sure they can deal damage to teams but whether they have the fight in them to win against Penrith or Melbourne remains to be seen.
mach4
Roar Rookie
I wonder what LMs reaction will be if the new coach TELLS him to play centre?
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
Agree, v Dragons rest Adam Reynolds, Damien Cook and Cameron Murray. Get Blake Taafe to run his a## off at FB supporting Cody and Benji in the halves, and Gagai, AJ in the back line.
David Shilovsky
Expert
There's no way Souths were getting past Cleary and the Panthers, with or without Latrell. Just a salty Chooks fan's opinion but I just can't see how they would get over that hump.
Joister
Roar Rookie
Whilst not a souths fan I still reckon they're a strong team without LM ... like Parra last night and the comment from one of the Roarers about having 'such a good win up their sleeve' ... would be good to see the bunnies 'click' with the talent they have available.
Joey
Guest
Delusional. I can’t expand on that.
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
Undoubtedly Latrell is one of the best players in the game, however Souths are not as Latrell dependent as say Manly are with Turbo, or Penrith are with Cleary. As a Bunnies fan in the upcoming finals, I would least want to lose Adam Reynolds before Latrell; I would least want to lose Cody Walker before Latrell; I would least want to lose Damian Cook before Latrell; I would least want to lose Cameron Murray before Latrell; I rate these 4 players ahead of Latrell in the current Souths team. Says a lot about the depth of the squad. I would like to see Blake Taafe in as FB, in this way there is the least disruption to the spine. Anton I wouldn’t be so sure about Panthers beating Souths in game 1 of the finals, the panthers still have 2 games before this (v Tigers, v Eels) a lot can happen to anyone and any team as we have just seen including the Storm slip up v Eels. At this stage Souths are in a good position especially as they have two weeks to work on their structure and get ready for the Panthers game.
Full Credit to the Boys
Roar Rookie
I have a soft spot for Souths and for Latrell, but this is a totally self-inflicted wound. While he will be impossible to replace, I also think his state of mind wouldn't have been good facing Cleary's bombs again in the first final. They freak me out and I'm just watching on a laptop with a cup of tea.