Vale: Terry Hill
12 hours ago | National Rugby League
Rabbitohs v Sea Eagles preview
South Sydney Rabbitohs v Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
ANZ Stadium - Friday 7:35pm 
Will the Sea Eagles put back-to-back victories together, or will the Rabbitohs stamp out the mid-season revival?
Despite not being the powerhouses that they were last season, this game is shaping up as a vicious battle, with great matchups all across the park. At this point last season, both the Sea Eagles and the Rabbitohs were flying high, and ramping up for a genuine shot at the title. This season, things are a little different.
The Rabbitohs are struggling for consistency, despite a recent string of wins against the Eels, Titans and Warriors, and were soundly beaten by the Wests Tigers last weekend. The Sea Eagles, on the other hand, have had no such issues with consistency - unfortunately they've been consistently bad. The Manly side sit at the bottom of the NRL ladder on 12 points, with a horrible for and against.
The Sea Eagles come into this clash with the confidence of a strong win against the Wests Tigers last weekend. An unchanged team has been named, with Justin Horo being added to an extended bench.
The Rabbitohs are fresh from a bye last weekend, and will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing performance last start. Greg Inglis returns after missing the last game, in what will be a massive boost for the Rabbitohs. His return pushes John Olive out of the side, with Alex Johnston moving back the wing. Adam Reynolds will also play his second game back from injury, and the Rabbitohs look a much better side with him lining up at halback.
Luke Burgess will come up against his brothers George and Tom for the first time since leaving the Rabbitohs at the end of last season.
Last meeting: Finals Week 1 2014 - Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24 South Sydney Rabbitohs 40
Who to watch: The battle of the halves is destined to be entertaining, with Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans up against Luke Keary and Adam Reynolds. Having said that, the battle of the fullbacks is where i'll be paying the most attention.
Both sides base a lot of their attack from the relative strengths of their fullbacks - the Rabbitohs playing a power game with Greg Inglis at the back, and the Sea Eagles using a bit of finesse with Brett Stewart providing an additional attacking option. Although Greg Inglis had a couple of off weeks by his own high standards, he is still enough of a threat to draw multiple defenders every time he touches the ball.
Brett Stewart is also starting to warm into the season, scoring a double last week on the way to a victory over the Tigers.
The favourite: The South Sydney Rabbitohs are favourites, although the Sea Eagles have dropped in price considerably, on the back of some big money being sent their way.
My tip: The Rabbitohs haven't really impressed me in recent weeks, despite picking up a few wins, and their big loss to the tigers raised a few warning signals. I'm tipping the Sea Eagles to get the victory in a close one.
Sea Eagles by 2.
1. Greg Inglis 2. Alex Johnston 3. Dylan Walker 4. Bryson Goodwin 5. Aaron Gray 6. Luke Keary 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Burgess 9. Cameron McInnes 10. David Tyrrell 11. Chris McQueen 12. John Sutton 13. Ben Lowe
Interchange: 14. Nathan Brown 15. Chris Grevsmuhl 16. Tim Grant 17. George Burgess
1. Brett Stewart 2. Jorge Taufua 3. Peta Hiku 4. Steve Matai 5. Tom Trbojevic 6. Kieran Foran 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Jake Trbojevic 9. Matt Ballin 10. Luke Burgess 11. Feleti Mateo 12. Tom Symonds 13. Dunamis Lui
Interchange: 14. James Hasson 15. Willie Mason 16. Josh Starling 17. Ligi Sao 18. Justin Horo
Referees: Matt Cecchin, Henry Perenara; Sideline Officials: Brett Suttor, Adam Reid; Video Referees: Steve Clark, Luke Patten;