Round 18: Bulldogs v Rabbitohs preview
Bulldogs looking to salvage pride against a charging Souths
The Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs will be looking to salvage pride and respectability against a South Sydney side who's well and truly on the march to September in the final match of Round 18.
It's been an up and down season for the Bulldogs, but the Dogs post Magic Round have been one of the more entertaining sides to watch in the competition with the players seemingly getting a new lease of life under interim coach Mick Potter. Matt Burton has lived up to his reputation and has since been rewarded with an Origin birth and having the stable spine instead of the constant changing has given the four spine players a better grip on the attack, which has seen exponential improvement in the last few matches.
Last start, they ventured to the waterlogged CommBank Stadium and were competitive against a Cronulla side who are still trying to find their identity. Their attack was lacklustre but can be excused due to the monsoonal conditions. If they're going to get a win in this contest, they're going to have to win the forward battle. Souths pack is imposing especially if their origin contingent backs up following Wednesday's decider. Max King has been a shining light at prop as has Corey Waddell and Raymond Faitala-Mariner, these players can be the core that will be built around up front. They matched it through the opening exchanges of their Good Friday game until JMK's untimely sin binning, the question is can they take it to them for the full 80. As far as how they'll line up, Matt Burton is expected to back-up, Tevita Pangai Junior has recovered from a foot injury to take his place in the side and Braidon Burns returns from injury replacing Declan Casey.
South Sydney are firming for a top eight spot sitting in seventh spot, every win from here on in is a must have for the Rabbitohs on the march to September with sides like Manly, St George and arch-rivals the Roosters all on the outside looking in. It's been an in-different season for Souths following the departure of Wayne Bennett with Jason Demetriou taking the reigns and it's safe to say things haven't been smooth sailing. With a young rookie halfback and a dominant 5/8 struggling with the additional responsibility against the big clubs.
Last week however, showed that Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker work better when they are together. With the game in the balance prior to half-time, the dream-team put together three tries in the final ten minutes of the first half to take all momentum and put the game for Souths to take and would eventually run out convincing winners in the final analysis. Cody Walker looked as comfortable as he has all season and it's down to having his mate in the number 1 jersey helping to dictate traffic around him. As good of a player Walker is, he needs the calming head of Latrell to help set the team up for success, look for these two to be scheming up a Sunday evening carve-up. Jason Demetriou has named all three State of Origin representatives to play on Sunday. The Rabbitohs also welcome back Mark Nicholls and Alex Johnston from injury for this match.
Last meeting: Round 6 2022 - Rabbitohs 36 Bulldogs 16
Who to watch: Despite receiving a truckload of criticism at the beginning of the season, it's easy to see why Jeremy Marshall-King was highly sought after by the Dolphins to be their inaugural number nine in season 2023. Marshall-King's running game is his strongest asset with his quick thinking being able to set him apart from the rest of the line-up grabbing three tries as well as three line-break assists and two try assists. It's a promising sign for the Dogs that the more JMK runs out of acting half, the more comfortable Burto and Flanagan feel in their respective roles within the roster.
My major question marks around South Sydney though revolve around the number one jumper and even though he's only two games back from a hamstring injury, Latrell Mitchell is yet to recapture his best. I look at all the other fullbacks in the game, guys like Tedesco, Edwards, Gutherson and Papenhuyzen, they're all carrying the ball 20-30 times a game AND are involved in their team's set-plays. Mitchell's only touching the football 24 times a game on average and for a player of his star quality, he needs to get more involved in the South Sydney attack. Look for Mitchell to assert his dominance against the Bulldogs this weekend.
The favourite: Souths start warm favourites in this one. Interestingly, in the 43 matches these teams have played in the NRL era, it's the Bulldogs with the head to head edge winning 23 matches to Souths 19 with a draw.
My tip: It's hard to go past South Sydney in this one. There's so much more on the line for the Rabbitohs with a spot in the eight on the line. If South Sydney's origin contingent don't back up then expect the scoreline to reduce a little, but this is one that Souths simply need to win to create a gap on the teams on the fringe of the eight. Souths by 14.
