Rabbitohs v Bulldogs preview

Embed from Getty Images

South Sydney Rabbitohs v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Saturday 7:35pm at Accor Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park / Wanngal

Understrength Rabbitohs Look to Continue Building Against Underperforming Bulldogs

After losing four out of their last five matches and conceding a shocking 32.8 points per game in that stretch, many were questioning whether the Rabbitohs were truly the genuine contenders they were pencilled in as after a strong start to the year. There's still a long way to go before we truly find out the answer to that question, but a convincing win against an in-form Warriors side away from home in terrible conditions has no doubt eased some concerns that had started creeping in for Souths fans. It's a movie we've seen before with the Rabbitohs. Currently they are sitting at 10-7, the exact same record they had after 17 games last year where they were unable to string together a run of wins to make the top four. 

With many key players appearing to have found their best form or something close to it, the Rabbitohs are primed to climb into the four and guarantee themselves a spot in at least week two of the finals and potentially a home prelim. Their run home involves five games against bottom eight sides and the remaining two against the Broncos and Sharks, two sides they have already beaten this season.  With Latrell nearing a return, the ceiling of this side is sky high, but they first need to overcome a plethora of outs against the struggling Bulldogs.

Actually, simply calling the Bulldogs "struggling" may be the understatement of the century. This was a side that was meant to be on the up this season after supposedly hitting rock bottom in the Barrett era.  Their 66-point beatdown at the hands of the Knights, a team they were equal with on wins before kick-off, was made even more embarrassing by the fact they were at full strength apart from Kikau and Luke Thompson. Their "defence" would've embarrassed a volunteer coach of an under 16s side, and it's been that way for some time.

The fact their coach came in as an apparent defensive specialist makes these performances all the more concerning, never-mind the fact he signed a five-year contract. Nothing the Dogs have shown in the past month suggests they're capable of being competitive in a first-grade game, but the unavailability of several Souths stars gives them a much better chance of doing so. 

Canterbury have made just three unforced changes, with Ciraldo dropping Hayze Perham, Khaled Rajab and Paul Alamoti, while Josh Addo-Carr is out on origin duty. Jake Averillo moves to fullback, Jackson Topine into the centres and new recruit Toby Sexton has been parachuted into the halfback role.

For the Rabbitohs, Isaiah Tass returns at centre, pushing Tyrone Munro to the wing and Richie Kenner out of the side. Dean Hawkins will fill NSW five-eighth Cody Walker's shoes, while Peter Mamouzelos replaces Damien Cook and will share the hooking role with Siliva Havili. Koloamatangi and Murray are out for Origin, replaced in the back row and at lock by Ben Lovett and Shaq Mitchell respectively. Tallis Duncan is the new face on the bench.

If the Bulldogs can't at least keep it close with this Souths side, things are even worse than any of us can currently imagine. 

Last meeting: Round 6 2023 - Bulldogs 16 Rabbitohs 50

Who to watch: Lachlan Ilias is often a beacon for criticism among Rabbitohs fans and sometimes deservedly so. Against the Cowboys he played probably the worst game of his career, so it was nice to see him back it up with one of his best against the Warriors. It looked and felt as if Cody Walker playing more of a game managing role, and doing so effectively, took some of the pressure off Ilias and allowed him to chime in when necessary, without trying to force plays that weren't on. He was able to put his stamp on the game in the 66th minute with a great kick close to the line to set up Tyrone Munro for his first ever try to just about put the match beyond doubt. With so many outs for Souths, it'll be Ilias' responsibility to step up and steer his side home against a poor Bulldogs outfit.

For the Bulldogs, it's hard to find any silver linings coming off a 66-point shoutout loss against the 2023 Newcastle Knights, but Jacob Preston was one of the only blokes out there who had something resembling a dig in the demolition. He has been a superb find for Canterbury this season, providing them with a consistently reliable attacking threat close to the line whilst also being solid defensively. Last week, he made 43 tackles (just about equalling the tally for the rest of the team combined) and missed just 1, while also mustering a tackle break. Coming up against a Souths side with uncertainty in their defensive combinations, Preston will again be one of the Dogs top attacking options, while a strong defensive performance from the rookie will be one of the few things you can rely on.

Favourite: Souths are 6-point favourites in this one at the time of writing.

My tip: You just can't tip the Bulldogs against anyone at the moment. Souths by 20.

1. Blake Taaffe 2. Alex Johnston 3. Isaiah Tass 18. Richard Kennar 5. Tyrone Munro 6. Dean Hawkins 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Siliva Havili 10. Thomas Burgess 11. Ben Lovett 4. Taane Milne 13. Shaq Mitchell 14. Peter Mamouzelos 15. Tallis Duncan 16. Davvy Moale 21. Liam Knight 19. Josiah Karapani

1. Jake Averillo 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Braidon Burns 22. Ethan Quai-Ward 5. Blake Wilson 6. Matt Burton 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Ryan Sutton 4. Jackson Topine 12. Jacob Preston 13. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 11. Jayden Okunbor 14. Kyle Flanagan 15. Kurtis Morrin 16. Tevita Pangai Junior 21. Jeral Skelton

Referees: Liam Kennedy; Sideline Officials: Jon Stone, Matt Noyen; Video Referees: Chris Butler;