There may be only two competition points separating the two sides, but Rabbitohs have something the Storm don't – Latrell Mitchell.
Seventh-placed South Sydney have found their form in recent weeks, making it three in a row with a 36-28 win over the Bulldogs, and the Rabbitohs know all too well the key to their success.
On his return from Origin duties, hooker Damien Cook said in order to weather the Storm on Saturday, the main goal will be setting the stage so their star fullback can shine.
“The best thing we can do is make sure we’re playing consistent footy and everyone is doing their role and from there stars like Latrell can pull out the big plays when needed or add that X-factor as they do,” Cook said on Wednesday.
“We just need to make sure we provide a good platform with quick play-the-balls and all that sort of stuff so Latrell can come into the game.
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“There’s these special moments where he can turn a game very quickly with just one play.”
Since returning from a hamstring injury in round 16, Mitchell has contributed five try assists and 22 tackle breaks to wins over the Bulldogs, Knights and Eels and Cook is confident the No.1 gun can carry the Rabbitohs to the premiership that eluded them last year.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence with what we’ve been building... the last couple of games have been really good, especially our forward pack, I thought they’ve been outstanding,” Cook said.
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“They’ve been playing big minutes, we’ve been quite short on middles on the bench, Tommy Burgess and Tevita Tatola played massive minutes and laid the platform for Latrell.
“If we keep doing that, there’s no doubt we can all jump on Latrell’s back and he can carry us through to his third premiership."
Another Bunny at the peak of his powers, Alex Johnston, says Mitchell's stunning form after returning from the USA has come as no suprise to his team-mates.
“He’s just playing footy like Latrell can, he’s probably the most talented player to play the game and he came back in a good mindset," Johnston said.
"His body was feeling good, so we knew he was going to play good footy.
“He’s just a freak. Having him in the team, you just know he can pull a rabbit out of a hat... pun intended.
"Melbourne are a a hard team to beat, they always are and they’ve had the wood on us the last few years but this week we’re hoping to change that and if we can play 80 minutes hopefully we can get it done.
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“So to have Latrell in the side for us when we need him most is pretty cool.”
With Mitchell, Cook and Cody Walker all coming off contract at the end of next season, the Rabbitohs have some juggling to do to try and keep their star-studded spine intact.
Cook, who has played 153 games since joining the club from Canterbury in 2016, can see the lighter side of the 'big squeeze'.
“Me and Cody laughed about it this morning because it’s probably not a great time to be coming off contract with Latrell, whatever he leaves behind for us we might pick up the scraps and split it between us,” Cook joked.
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“But we’d love to stay together. We all want to stay at South Sydney, we love this club and we’ve got a great bond and combination between us. A lot of hard work has gone into our combination so that’d be the dream.
“I don’t want to compare my contract situation to [Adam] Reynolds and things like that but I do know that I’m feeling good and the late start to my career might be the reason why.
“I want those three years, I know that. I know I’m going to deliver on all of them and continue to perform at a professional level on and off the field in that time.”
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