Round 6: South Sydney v Wests Tigers preview
The firing Rabbitohs look to continue their excellent start to the season as they host the embarrassed Wests Tigers at Stadium Australia on Saturday evening.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs will be expecting to walk away with their fifth win of the season when they take on the Wests Tigers. They come into round six in superb form after knocking off the Brisbane Broncos on Thursday night by 29-points in another convincing performance as they sit in third place on the competition ladder.
Over their last two matches, despite them being against Canterbury and Brisbane, the Rabbitohs have scored a combine 73 points whilst only conceding six. After their round one loss to the Melbourne Storm, the Rabbitohs have responded in great fashion, having convincingly won three games against bottom sides, and a 10-point victory against the Sydney Roosters in round three to establish their intentions for 2021.
The Rabbitohs are genuine competition heavyweights and will be expecting a convincing win over the Tigers. Souths' also get the bonus of Cody Walker returning from suspension this week who will be feeling fresh and ready to go after his week off. His combination with Latrell Mitchell could be deadly against a struggling Tigers edge defence.
The return of Walker pushes former Tiger Benji Marshall back to the bench with Dean Hawkins unavailable after suffering a gash to his leg that required stitches.
After one of the more embarrassing performances in the club's history, the Wests Tigers will be hoping they can give their fans something to cheer about after their four-point loss to the previously winless Cowboys. The Tigers managed to find themselves down by 22-points at the halftime break on a special weekend for the club as they celebrated the great life of Tommy Raudonikis. The players failed to deliver anything resembling the great man as they rolled over in the first half.
The only positive for the Tigers is that they managed to score 24-points in the second half as they attempted to pull-off a comeback. The Tigers defence is again at the centre of the problem, having conceded 20 points or more in all five matches so far this season. This streak even extends into the middle of the 2020 season. The Tigers have now conceded 20 or more points in their last 15 premiership matches with their 48-0 victory over the Brisbane Broncos in Round 10 being the last fixture the Tigers contained an opposition to less than 20 points.
Something had to change for the Tigers and to everyone's surprise it was hooker Jacob Liddle who faced the ax after the loss on Sunday afternoon which allows young Jake Simpkin to make his long-awaited first grade debut after some brilliant performances in the NSW Cup. Asu Kepaoa returns to the side but this time in the centres for Joey Leilua, whilst Stefano Utoikamanu comes into the starting side pushing Zane Musgrave to the bench.
Last meeting: Round 18 2020 - Wests Tigers 24 Rabbitohs 26
Who to watch: One of the more intriguing battles this weekend will be the battle of the two respective number sixes. One, Cody Walker is the incumbent New South Wales five-eighth and has been on fire so far this year, scoring five tries and assisting another three in his four appearances. Walker has been one of the better players in the competition over the past few seasons and has once again asserted himself as a top player in the competition. He lines up against former Rabbitoh Adam Doueihi, who is new to the five-eighth position, having moved there this season. However, in the 22-year-old's four appearances this season he has scored two tries and assisted a further three as he looks to play in a Jack Wighton type role, a big body who runs the ball close to the line. He is a genuine attacking threat and could be key to another potential success for the Tigers this Saturday.
The favourite: The Rabbitohs are the favourite for this clash and for good reason. Their only loss came to the Melbourne Storm in the opening round of the season and have since won four on the trot as they march towards the top of the ladder. The Tigers have leaked points again this season and there's no evidence that this will change on the weekend.
My tip: The Rabbitohs are in red hot form and will be extremely hard to stop on Saturday evening. Their attack will be too much for the Tigers defence to handle. South Sydney by 14.
