Last week's come-from-behind win over NRL premiers Melbourne was exactly what the Rabbitohs needed to prove beyond any doubt they are worthy contenders to the throne.
It's rare that the Storm get run down after leading at half-time, but the Bunnies showed in no uncertain terms they were up for the challenge.
Scariest of all is the fact a handy footballer named Greg Inglis has to come back into this team in the next week or two and he should return fresh and focused for the finals.
The Roosters were on track to make a strong statement of their own before falling asleep and almost blowing it against a Johnathan Thurston-inspired Cowboys.
They got away with the win and Trent Robinson will be demanding an 80-minute performance against the Chooks' traditional rivals.
Match: Rabbitohs v Roosters
Round 22 -
home Team
Rabbitohs
2nd Position
away Team
Roosters
1st Position
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Key match-up: Too hard to go with one key head-to-head clash, so let's pick two. Dane Gagai has a difficult assignment on his hands against the white-hot Latrell Mitchell. Gagai can't afford to relax for a moment defensively. By the same token, Damien Cook managed to out-shine the great Cameron Smith last week and has another test on his hands against the in-form Jake Friend.
Rabbitohs v Roosters - Round 22
For the Rabbitohs to win: Despite being without Inglis and prolific try-scorer Robert Jennings against the Storm, the Bunnies still managed to rack up 30 points against arguably the competition's best defensive side. But they also gave up 20 points and Anthony Seibold is the first to admit his team has to iron out a few defensive chinks before September rolls around.
For the Roosters to win: Trent Robinson would also be making sure his team doesn't stray from their defensive game plan after they noticeably dropped their intensity in the final 15 minutes against the Cowboys. The Chooks have shown how stingy they can be when it comes to giving up points and they will need to be at their very best against the offensive-minded Rabbitohs.
Rabbitohs Stat Attack: This is almost a clash between the best attacking team and best defensive team, but not quite. The Bunnies are second in attack with 24.35 points per game - narrowly behind the 10th-placed Raiders (24.45)
Roosters stat attack: The numbers say the Roosters are the NRL's best defensive side. The Chooks are conceding 15.05 points per game, slightly better than the Storm (15.6). The Bunnies are next (17.35), followed by the Tigers (17.45) and Sharks (18.15).
And another thing: While some Origin players might've struggled or taken time to re-energise themselves upon returning to their respective clubs, Latrell Mitchell has hit the ground running. In the past three games Mitchell has scored six tries and also notched five line-breaks, 18 tackle busts and a try assist.
Match: Rabbitohs v Roosters
Round 22 -
home Team
Rabbitohs
away Team
Roosters
Team Lists
Backs
-
Fullback for Rabbitohs is number 1 Alex JohnstonFullback for Roosters is number 1 James Tedesco
-
Winger for Rabbitohs is number 5 Richard KennarWinger for Roosters is number 2 Daniel Tupou
-
Centre for Rabbitohs is number 3 Hymel HuntCentre for Roosters is number 3 Latrell Mitchell
-
Centre for Rabbitohs is number 4 Dane GagaiCentre for Roosters is number 4 Joseph Manu
-
Winger for Rabbitohs is number 14 Braidon BurnsWinger for Roosters is number 5 Blake Ferguson
-
Five-Eighth for Rabbitohs is number 6 Cody WalkerFive-Eighth for Roosters is number 6 Ryan Matterson
-
Halfback for Rabbitohs is number 7 Adam ReynoldsHalfback for Roosters is number 7 Cooper Cronk
Forwards
-
Prop for Rabbitohs is number 8 Thomas BurgessProp for Roosters is number 8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
-
Hooker for Rabbitohs is number 9 Damien CookHooker for Roosters is number 9 Jake Friend
-
Prop for Rabbitohs is number 10 George BurgessProp for Roosters is number 10 Siosiua Taukeiaho
-
2nd Row for Rabbitohs is number 11 John Sutton2nd Row for Roosters is number 11 Boyd Cordner
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2nd Row for Rabbitohs is number 12 Angus Crichton2nd Row for Roosters is number 12 Isaac Liu
-
Lock for Rabbitohs is number 13 Sam BurgessLock for Roosters is number 13 Victor Radley
Interchange
-
Interchange for Rabbitohs is number 15 Cameron MurrayInterchange for Roosters is number 14 Dylan Napa
-
Interchange for Rabbitohs is number 16 Jason ClarkInterchange for Roosters is number 15 Zane Tetevano
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Interchange for Rabbitohs is number 17 Tevita TatolaInterchange for Roosters is number 16 Mitchell Aubusson
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Interchange for Rabbitohs is number 21 Tyrell FuimaonoInterchange for Roosters is number 17 Sean O'Sullivan
Match Officials
- Referee: Gerard Sutton
- Referee: Jon Stone
- Touch Judge: Nick Beashel
- Touch Judge: Chris Butler
- Senior Review Official: Ashley Klein
Last updated:
Rabbitohs: Campbell Graham will come off the bench, with Braidon Burns to start on the wing. Tyrell Fuimaono has been promoted to the bench, with Dean Britt and Billy Brittain omitted an hour before kick-off. Kyle Turner was cut on Thursday night.
Roosters: The Roosters are unchanged. Nat Butcher and Lindsay Collins were the last reserves cut an hour prior to kick-off, while Kurt Baptiste and Matt Ikuvalu were dropped on Thursday.
Head-to-head: Played 217; Rabbitohs 113 wins, Roosters 99 wins, 5 draws
Previous result: Rabbitohs won 26-14 at Allianz Stadium in round 6
Points per game: Rabbitohs 24.4; Roosters 23
Points conceded per game: Rabbitohs 17.4; Roosers 15.1
Televised: Live on Nine, Fox League
Petero Civoniceva's prediction: This will be an absolute cracker. The Rabbitohs were very impressive against the Storm but I'm wondering if that game may have taken a lot out of Seibold's men. The Roosters were less impressive but still got the job done and thart's the sign of a good side. The Bunnies are slight favourites but I'll go for a mini upset and tip the Roosters.
Tip: Roosters by 6
