Round 15: Dragons v Rabbitohs preview
Rabbitohs Look to Continue Resurgence Against Defiant Dragons
After following their last-minute victory over the Panthers with demolitions of the Broncos and Storm, the South Sydney Rabbitohs appeared to be the clear cut favourites for the premiership.
Since then however, they have conceded over 32 points per game and gone 1-2 against the Eels, Raiders and Titans. Granted, they have been affected by State of Origin, and their attack has still been among the most threatening in the competition. But defence is the backbone of how premierships are won, and Souths are going to need to improve that area by a significant margin if they are to go one step further than they have in years past.
For the Dragons, their season is over. Sitting in outright last place on the table with an abysmal 3-10 record and multiple off-field dramas causing distractions for a roster that is already among the weakest in the NRL, it's hard to see much light at the end of the tunnel for the joint venture in the short term.
Despite all this, the Dragons were a punchers chance of staging one of the boilovers of the season last week against defending premiers the Panthers. Tied up at 18-all with 10 minutes to go, class ultimately prevailed as Penrith scored a converted try and added a penalty goal late to win by 8, but St George Illawarra vastly exceeded expectations.
Back at Kogarah this week, the Red and White faithful will be hoping for a repeat of the last time they were at home, winning in the literal final seconds against the Roosters.
In team news, Jack de Belin is out for the Dragons after suffering a concussion against Penrith. He is replaced at lock by Ben Murdoch-Masila, while Zane Musgrove comes in on the bench to round out the 17.
For the Rabbitohs, superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell will sit out another week as he continues to recover from a calf injury, meaning the backline is unchanged from last start against the Titans. Jai Arrow picked up an ankle injury in that game and will be out for 6 weeks, he is replaced at lock by Shaquai Mitchell. Cam Murray is also out with a groin injury. The new faces on the bench for Souths are Jed Cartwright and Siliva Havili.
Last meeting: Round 15 2022 - Dragons 32 Rabbitohs 12
Who to watch: Much has been made of his form drop-off in recent years, but since Anthony Griffin was given his marching orders, Zac Lomax has gone from strength to strength and was a huge reason why the Dragons almost pulled off the impossible in Penrith last week. Lomax finished with the stats of 19 runs for 150 metres (60 post-contact), a line-break assist, try-assist, 3 tackle breaks and 12 tackles with none missed. He also leapt right over the top of Panthers centre Izack Tago to score the match-levelling try. The last time these two sides met, the Dragons raced out to a 32-0 lead within the first 30 minutes, with Lomax having a hand in two of the tries. Against a Souths backline which has struggled to contain their opposite numbers the last few weeks, he will be fancying his chances at another impactful performance on Saturday Afternoon.
For the Rabbitohs, back-rower Keaon Koloamatangi has not missed a trick since returning from injury. In his first game back against the Raiders, he made his usual impact but lacked a bit of the flare that sets him apart from others in his position, but last week against the Titans he was back to his brilliant best. Koloamatangi finished with the stats of 15 runs for 142 metres, a line break, line break assist, try assist, 5 tackle breaks, an offload and 27 tackles for only two misses. He also ran over the top of Jayden Campbell and was too strong for 3 other Titans defenders to score the Rabbitohs first try last Saturday. Before he got injured, Koloamatangi was well within the NSW origin conversations, and Brad Fittler is known for both his left-field forward selections as well as making mass changes after a loss. With another dominant performance on Saturday, who knows, Koloamatangi could be the latest in a long line of Blues debutants.
Favourite: The Rabbitohs are 7.5 point favourites at the time of writing.
My tip: The Rabbitohs are missing a whole lot of strength in the front row, while the absence of Latrell Mitchell cannot be understated. Dragons by 2 in another extremely high scoring one.
