Rabbitohs v Dragons preview

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Last-start winners face off in Thursday night showdown.

Having struggled for much of 2016 to date, South Sydney produced their finest performance of the season to overcome an emotion-charged Eels outfit last Friday night. In spite of the adversity faced, the Rabbitohs managed to fight their way back from 20-6 down, to prevail 22-20 off the back of a last-minute Adam Reynolds sideline conversion. In a surprising move from coach Michael Maguire, Cody Walker has been named as a replacement for winger Michael Oldfield. While it is unclear whether the playmaker will in fact take the field on the flank, a reshuffle involving Alex Johnston and Greg Inglis may be on the cards. Centre Bryson Goodwin will play his 150th match in the NRL on Thursday; having debuted for Cronulla in 2007, the Kiwi international has been a mainstay of the Rabbitohs backline since joining in 2013.

While the Dragons have come under intense criticism throughout 2016, the merged venture has flown largely under the radar to sit inside the top eight with a 5-5 record. Coming away with their third win from their past four matches against Canberra, St. George Illawarra have shown that at their best they can make life difficult for premiership contenders. In a blow for the side, Benji Marshall and Joel Thompson will miss the match through injury and suspension respectively; with Josh McCrone and rookie forward Jacob Host to take their places in the squad. The Dragons will be looking to replicate their Round 3 performance, just their first win against South Sydney since 2013.

Last meeting: Round 3 2016 - Dragons 8 Rabbitohs 6. Who could forget Inglis' failed field goal attempt with his side two points adrift late in the game back in Round 3 this season? 

Who to watch: They say change is as good as a holiday and based on Greg Inglis' performance last week, few would disagree. Reverting back to five-eighth after forging a legacy at fullback under coach Michael Maguire, the South Sydney captain was instrumental in helping the Rabbitohs break their losing run. Set to face off against English international Gareth Widdop, Inglis will be wary of the threat posed, but will focus on his own skill set to defeat the merged venture. While his position in the team may have changed, the threat posed by the 29-year-old remains the same and will be essential in helping the Rabbitohs record back-to-back wins for the first time since the opening rounds of 2016. 

Coming up with a Man of the Match performance in the win over Canberra, second rower Tyson Frizell will be looking for another strong effort to secure a NSW debut in Laurie Daley's side for Origin I. With a number of positions up for grabs in the Blues forward pack, Frizell will know the importance of putting his best foot forward on Thursday, while the threat posed by the Rabbitohs will have the 24-year-old on high alert for his club side. Coming up with a season best showing last week, there will be no shortage of motivation for the St. George Illawarra forward to step up against South Sydney. 

The favourite: Having overcome the emotion of Parramatta last week, the Rabbitohs are expected to produce a similar effort against the Dragons.

My tip: Having had their commitment questioned during their losing run, Souths will be buoyed having turned a corner in their season. Rabbitohs by 13.

5. Cody Walker 2. Dane Nielsen 3. Kirisome Auva'a 4. Bryson Goodwin 1. Alex Johnston 6. Greg Inglis 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Burgess 9. Cameron McInnes 10. Nathan Brown 11. Paul Carter 12. Kyle Turner 13. Sam Burgess
Interchange: 14. Luke Keary 15. Jason Clark 16. Jack Gosiewski 17. George Burgess

1. Josh Dugan 2. Kalifa Faifai Loa 3. Euan Aitken 4. Timoteo Lafai 5. Jason Nightingale 6. Gareth Widdop 7. Josh McCrone 8. Leeson Ah Mau 9. Mitch Rein 10. Russell Packer 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Jake Marketo 13. Michael Cooper
Interchange: 14. Will Matthews 15. Dunamis Lui 16. Siliva Havili 17. Jacob Host

Referees: Matt Cecchin, Dave Munro; Sideline Officials: Tim Roby, Adam Reid; Video Referees: Bernard Sutton, Luke Patten, Steve Chiddy