Round 15: Brisbane v South Sydney preview
Wayne Bennett looks for yet another win against his former Brisbane Broncos.
629 games at the helm of the Brisbane Broncos and the now current South Sydney Rabbitohs coach will aim for his second win against the six-time premiers this Thursday night.
The Rabbitohs will be gifted with the return of several Origin stars after Damien Cook, Cameron Murray Dane Gagai and Jai Arrow were rested for their weekend's victory over the Newcastle Knights. This move has seen Benji Marshall and debutant Peter Mamouzelos drop out of the side whilst Jacob Host, Hame Sele and Braidon Burns slide back to the interchange. The third placed Rabbitohs will be hoping to keep their spot in the top four with a win over the Broncos at the hallowed turf of Suncorp Stadium. Fortunately for the Rabbitohs, the current Broncos side is a mere shell of its former self and their incredible record at Suncorp Stadium has slipped over the recent years.
Since the start of the 2020 season, the Broncos have only won four of the 15 matches they've played at Suncorp and the Rabbitohs will be looking to worsen the record. A fairly convincing win over the Knights on Saturday should give the side some confidence heading into a clash against an arguably worse side.
Souths' Origin stars are going to be firing after their rest, including those who played on the weekend, as they partake in their last hit out before the second Origin clash next weekend. They're going to be a tough side to stop up in Brisbane and in particular Latrell Mitchell, coming off a brilliant Origin performance and backing it up with a solid performance against the Knights. There's every chance the star fullback runs amok on Thursday night as he did for the Blues.
On the other hand, the Broncos rut continues after losing to Canberra by 22 points on Saturday night. That now leaves the Broncos with just one win from their past six fixtures and two wins in their last 11 games which includes a 29-point loss to the Rabbitohs earlier in the season. Whilst Brisbane's attack has improved this year from 13.4 points per game to 16.6 points scored per game this season, their defence is still the worst in the competition conceding on average 31.1 points per game, the same figure as last season. Kevin Walters' task was always going to be difficult but you start to wonder whether he thought it was going to be this tough as the Broncos sit in 15th spot with the Canterbury Bulldogs right on their heels after their second win of the season.
Youngster Tesi Niu will start at fullback for the second week running whilst Xavier Coates has been named to return after pulling out at the last minute against the Canberra Raiders, pushing Dale Copley to the extended bench. Thomas Flegler reclaims the number 13 jersey reverting John Asiata to the bench.
Last meeting: Round 5 2021 - Rabbitohs 35 Broncos 6
Who to watch: South Sydney fullback Latrell Mitchell has had a superb two weeks and he will be looking to continue his run of hot form as Origin II looms. Mitchell has had a stellar start to 2021 having scored five tries in his nine appearances for the Rabbitohs, resulting in seven wins. The New South Welshmen has also recorded nine try assists, five line breaks and 144 run metres per game (career high). Mitchell seems to have found his footing in the role he stepped into when he joined South Sydney at the start of the 2020 season. Mitchell won't necessarily have many interactions with this particular opponent, but Tevita Pangai Junior could be the man to unsettle the South Sydney forward pack. The 25-year-old has scored three tries this season, his most since 2018 and an incredible 45 offloads in just 14 matches. The backrower is getting through a mountain of work, averaging 122 run metres and 28 tackles per game. Now, Pangai Junior is one of the more inconsistent players in the competition but if it's his night, it could cause trouble for the Rabbitohs. The tackle breaking machine has recorded four tackle breaks or more in five of his matches so far this season and has recorded three or more offloads in eight matches so far this season. If he's firing, he'll be a handful for the Rabbitohs defence.
The favourite: Souths are the favourite for the Thursday night clash and for good reason. They've only recorded three losses so far this season, twice against Melbourne and once against Penrith, but they've dealt with every other side that has stood in their path. The Broncos have once again struggled this year and that's highlighted by their embarrassing 31 points conceded per game.
My tip: South Sydney should be too strong for the Broncos, in the process giving Bennett another victory over the club that forced him out after the 2018 season. The Rabbitohs should comfortably deal with the Broncos just as they did earlier in the season. South Sydney by 18.
