Rabbitohs v Sea Eagles preview

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Stewed Rabbits look for reprieve against resurgent Manly.

Monday night football this week has one of the more intriguing games of the round when two of the NRL's more historic teams do battle at Moore Park. South Sydney will be hoping they can finally snap what has been a treacherous 6 match winless streak. They haven't been in the winners circle since round 11 when they beat St George Illawarra. Although they can't play finals football in 2016, they would love nothing better than to end Manly's faint hopes of playing in the Finals with a win on Monday night.

Manly have had a resurgence of late with a thumping win over St George Illawarra followed by a bye and a heart stopping golden point win over the Warriors in Perth. Although still 4 points outside the top 8, they are still smokies to be there in September and are playing with a lot of confidence. The loss of Brett Stewart from fullback and Tom Trbojevic moving into that role has certainly assisted the Sea Eagles in looking more threatening in attack then they have been in other parts of the season. If the boys from the Northern Beaches can secure another two points on Monday night, who knows where they can go. Certainly a team to keep a close eye on.

Last meeting: Round 5 2016 - Sea Eagles 12 Rabbitohs 16

Souths have won 3 of the past 4 against the Sea Eagles including the only match played in 2016.

Who to watch: Keep a close eye on Cameron McInnes for the Rabbits. He bagged an impressive double the last time these two teams met and would love to have a similar effort this week. He will need to create more creative impetus if Souths are to get the win. This is something that they have severely lacked this year. McInnes is a fairly solid defender and will be needed to stick firm around the middle of that ruck. Can McInnes spark the Rabbits into attack?

How good has Jamie Buhrer been of late? It's easy to see why Manly fans have been getting very excited about the little back rower who has been in immense form over the past month. Buhrer was superb against the Dragons 3 weeks ago and backed that up with a solid display against the Warriors last week. Having been shuffled around the Manly side for a few years, he seems at home playing on the edges in the back row for the Sea Eagles. Capable of finding gaps in the opposition's defence and blessed with good pace for a second row forward, Buhrer has all the traits of being a important cog in this Manly set up for years to come.

The favourite: Manly are favourites in this match due to their recent upturn in form.

My tip: Manly to continue their good form with a hard fight win in this clash. They have the forwards to match Souths and with the lack of creativity coming from the Souths team, I find it hard to imagine where their points will come from. Manly by 2.

1. Cody Walker 2. Alex Johnston 3. Bryson Goodwin 4. Aaron Gray 5. Joe Burgess 6. Luke Keary 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Burgess 9. Cameron McInnes 10. David Tyrrell 11. John Sutton 12. Kyle Turner 13. Sam Burgess
Interchange: 14. Jason Clark 15. Nathan Brown 16. Angus Crichton 17. George Burgess

1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jorge Taufua 3. Lewis Brown 4. Brayden Wiliame 5. Matthew Wright 6. Jamie Lyon 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Darcy Lussick 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. Martin Taupau 11. Nathan Green 12. Jamie Buhrer 13. Jake Trbojevic
Interchange: 14. Blake Leary 15. Josh Starling 16. Nate Myles 17. Siosaia Vave

Referees: Henry Perenara, Chris Butler; Sideline Officials: Chris Sutton, Belinda Sleeman; Video Referees: Ashley Klein, Ben Galea, Jason Robinson