Round 4: Storm v Rabbitohs preview
Storm and Rabbitohs look for quick bounce-back as they try to adapt to the new six-again rule.
After being beaten convincingly at the hands of last season's two grand finalists, both Melbourne and South Sydney head into this encounter knowing a lot of work needs to be done in this shortened season if they are to compete for the top prize at the end of the year.
Much has been made of the six-again rule coming into play for ruck infringements in round three and which teams benefited and which teams struggled to adapt.
There's been a bit of noise coming out of Craig Bellamy's camp after their loss to the Raiders that they were in fact one of the teams who failed to adapt and they would need to alter their structured style of play.
It would be easy to assume the Rabbitohs fall into the same ‘structured style' boat, but maybe a little too much has been made of which style of team suits the new rule change best?
From the outside looking in, it appeared the same fundamental values that have been the cornerstone of any team's success since rugby league was born, were at play more than ever in round three. Those who simply ran the ball and tackled the hardest came out on top and bore the fruit of the momentum boosts the new rule brings.
The Storm have lost big man Nelson Asofa-Solomona to a one game suspension and will be replaced by Queensland rep Christian Welch who made a successful return from a long injury layoff last week. Bellamy has opted for more versatility in filling Welch's spot on the bench, bringing in Ryley Jacks who will don the Storm jersey for the first time since serving a one year stint at the Titans in 2019.
Wayne Bennett has made just the one change with promising forward Patrick Mago named to make his injury return via the bench in place of Tom Amone. Watch for further changes closer to kick off with James Roberts' name lingering amongst the reserves.
Last meeting: Round 21 2019 - Rabbitohs 16 Storm 26
Who to watch: Despite his forward pack being largely outplayed last week, Melbourne livewire Cameron Munster still managed to cause plenty of headaches for his opposition as he ran for 170 metres, busting 9 tackles along the way. Munster was one of the Storm contingent stating his team would need to play a little more eyes-up footy in the coming weeks and there's no better man in the Storm system than Munster to play that style. If the Storm can gain more momentum off the back of their forwards this week, expect ‘the Munster mash' to prove lethal in this one.
One man who caught the eye for the Rabbitohs last week was Campbell Graham. More known as an up and coming winger, the 21 year old played a handful of games in the centres towards the end of last year and looked good again last Friday night when given a little more room to move. Big, strong and good on his feet, Graham has all the makings of a quality centre. There is of course the chance he's shifted back to the wing if James Roberts makes his return, but even in that instance he will be a danger man and it's worth noting he scored a hat-trick when these sides last met.
The favourite: Melbourne are heavily favoured by the bookies to bounce back on their home turf, where they've never lost to the Bunnies.
My tip: It's a rare occasion for Melbourne to be dominated on their home turf. Losing two on the bounce at AAMI Park seems unthinkable. Throw in the fact the Rabbitohs have never tasted victory there and the Storm appear good things in this one. Look for their wingers to feature on the scoresheet with Suliasi Vunivalu and Josh Addo-Carr each scoring 6 tries in their last 4 games against the Bunnies. Storm by 8.
