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Rabbitohs v Warriors preview
South Sydney Rabbitohs v Warriors
nib Stadium - Saturday 5:30pm 
Can Souths keep their recent momentum going? Or will the Warriors be having stewed Rabbit for dinner?
Perth is the destination for Souths annual home game at NIB Stadium on Saturday evening against the travelling New Zealand Warriors outfit.
Souths have been buoyed by 3 wins in their past 4 to move them up the ladder and keep themselves firmly fixed in the top 8 with 7 wins and 5 losses. They were gutsy last week against a spirited Titans outfit away from home, even playing without star fullback Greg Inglis for the last 30 minutes. They will be hoping that this match against the Warriors is a little easier on the body, but if past history is anything to go by it could be another physical game for the Bunnies. No team changes for Souths, although both Ben Lowe and John Olive have been added to an extended bench.
The Warriors escaped from NZ with a heart stopping 24-20 win over a resurgent Knights outfit on Sunday afternoon. Despite another brilliant performance by Shaun Johnson and his partner in crime Chad Townsend, the Warriors again made errors defensively and their completion rate was 70%, compounded by 10 handling errors. If the Warriors want to get close to this South Sydney outfit, they will need to complete their sets and play mistake free footy, hoping that Shaun Johnson and their talented outside backs can have success off the back of it.
No changes for the Warriors either. Only change is positional with Havili going to start from the bench and Friend to start.
This should be a high scoring game as both sides have a vast array of attacking weapons. We should see another big crowd in Perth as 20,000 plus have attended the last two games between these two, the weather will be mostly dry and cool at 11 degrees which should entice the fans to attend.
Last Meeting: Souths 34 Warriors 18 at NIB Stadium, Perth Round 13, 2014.
Souths have won the past three against the Warriors including the only two games at Perth (2013 and 2014). New Zealand had won the previous three clashes before that however. Warriors hold the advantage 18 games to 10 over 28 games, including that bizarre 66-0 win in 2006.
Who To Watch: For Souths, I'm putting my beady eyes on Dylan Walker. Walker has been down on confidence since breaking his hand in round 3 against the Tigers. Despite coming back from this injury he hasn't be at his best. It is always difficult coming back from any broken bone, but particularly the hand in what is one of the most used body parts in Rugby League. Walker hasn't been bad for Souths this year just not as explosive as he was last season. I'm expecting to see the 20 year old come out of his shell in the coming weeks and this can start with a dominant performance against a suspect Warriors defence. If Sutton/Keary/Luke can get him some early ball in space, then he has the skills and pace to do the rest, keep an eye on him.
For the Warriors, the beast Manu Vatuvei is a constant threat. He is a ball wrecking behemoth and if he gets any space then Souths defenders will be in trouble. He continued his solid 2015 campaign with another try last weeks against the Knights as well as running for 161 metres and making 4 tackle busts. Look for Vatuvei to try and add to his 143 career tries, also keep a look out for his combination with both Sam Tomkins and Shaun Johnson. Particularly with Tomkins when running the ball back.
The Favourite: Souths have won 3 of their past 4 and will be slight favourites against the unpredictable Warriors
My Tip: Going for Souths in this game folks. They are slowly getting their groove back and if the likes of Inglis and Walker can find some space then havoc will be ensued. Warriors defence particularly their left side defence worries me. I think it'll be close though. Very close.
Souths by 1.
1. Greg Inglis 2. Alex Johnston 3. Dylan Walker 4. Bryson Goodwin 5. Aaron Gray 6. John Sutton 7. Luke Keary 8. Thomas Burgess 9. Issac Luke 10. David Tyrrell 11. Nathan Brown 12. Chris McQueen 13. Jason Clark
Interchange: 14. Cameron McInnes 15. Chris Grevsmuhl 16. Tim Grant 17. George Burgess 18. Ben Lowe 19. John Olive
1. Sam Tomkins 2. Jonathan Wright 3. Tuimoala Lolohea 4. Solomone Kata 5. Manu Vatuvei 6. Chad Townsend 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Jacob Lillyman 9. Nathan Friend 10. Ben Matulino 11. Bodene Thompson 12. Ryan Hoffman 13. Simon Mannering
Interchange: 14. Siliva Havili 15. Sebastine Ikahihifo 16. Sam Lisone 17. Albert Vete 18. Dominique Peyroux 21. Ken Maumalo
Referees: Jared Maxwell, Chris Butler; Sideline Officials: Jeff Younis, Peter Gough; Video Referees: Shayne Hayne, Steve Folkes;