NRL Round 12 South Sydney Rabbitohs v Canberra Raiders Preview

The Sydney game of Friday night footy is at ANZ for a game between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Canberra Raiders. This game will take an unusual preference over the game down in Melbourne as it will be beamed live into Sydney. Although perhaps this is the better option for 9 because there is the possibility that a host of SOO start could be missing form the other game. Regardless of the situation, I think that Channel 9 should not have the luxury of picking and choosing which game they broadcast to the general public. But there will be more of this once the TV rights are up for debate later this year, for now its the footy. The Bunnies go into this match off a very good performance against a St George team that had a lot at stake, losing the last two and with a stronger team on paper. But the Bunnies fought back in a tough contest and prevaled in golden point when Adam Reynolds slotted a field goal from around 35m out. It is interesting to note that the Rabbits never led at any stage of the game until that field goal was kicked in the 83rd minute. The Raiders come into this game off the back of a Bye and a high scoring victory over the hapless Parramatta Eels in Round 10. It is definitely concerning that the Raiders allowed the Eels to score 34 points against them at home and coach David Furner will certainly be hoping for a greater attitude in defence this week. Defence has been a priority for the Bunnies this year and they will again defend well through the middle. The Raiders look as though they are a team that hasn't figured out their correct style of play just yet, which does add in the element of surprise in this one.

South Sydney Rabbitohs

The Rabbits go into this encounter with the same team that got the job done against the Dragons. Its interesting that the team from that encounter was minus their SOO stars, Greg Inglis and David Taylor. They have been added to an extended bench, along with Chris McQueen. It is obvious that coach Michael McGuire will give his stars the best chance to recover from Wednesday night and see how they come through the match. Inglis is certain to play a full game out in the centres but Taylor will be coming off the bench for QLD so his minutes may be limited, but in saying that, he does go 100-miles-an-hour and will be looking to make an impact immediately in Origin. So who knows what bumps and bruises that he may come off with. As mentioned earlier, the Bunnies have had defended with great conviction and enthusiasm this season which has not resembled a Bunnies team of years gone by. They have a very dynamic forward pack which sets a great platform for Reynolds to work from. They also have the added bonus of arguably the inform hooker of the 2012 season, Isaac Luke, continually getting them over the advantage line. Throw in pommy superstar Sam Burgess and Michael Crocker, and the Souths pack does have a lot of grunt and won't take a backward step. The one downfall in their team is 5/8 John Sutton. While his 2012 form has been a marked improvement on seasons gone by, he certainly is a liability in defence and hasn't been giving the young half, Reynolds, a lot of support. Let's see if he proves himself in this one.

Canberra Raiders

As I have mentioned in recent weeks, coach David Furner is lucky that the Eels have done as poorly as they have this season. Otherwise he would be one coach in the NRL that would be looking over his shoulder. He already has a mountain of pressure riding on him but has been able to escape this so far. But the pressure isn't relived going into this one with star fullback Josh Dugan and robust winger Blake Ferguson being stood down for breaking the clubs alcohol policy. Many suggest that Dugan was unlucky not to be down in Melbourne in the past week with the Blues. But he certainly does have an attitude problem, as does Ferguson so I applaud the Raiders for the tough stance they have taken. As a result, regular winger Reece Robinson moves to fullback and Edrick Lee starts on the wing. Other changes include Joel Thompson moving from second row to centre and Bronson Harrison covers him in the second row. Robinson is definitely not a out of his depth in this one. He has filled in for Dugan at the back this season and will give the Raiders plenty in attack and has very good positional play in defence. As for the winger Lee, he has a lot of people around the scene singing this kids praises. Some have suggested that he will slot in nicely out wide and has the ability to finish off back line moves. But the to win a game you not only have to attack, but also defend. The Raiders this season have looked poor at times defending their line and unless their is a serious change of attitude towards their defence, they will struggle to hold out a South Sydney team that is full of confidence.

Recent History
Overall = Bunnies 17 - Raiders 27
Last 5 = Bunnies 2 - Raiders 3
At ANZ Stadium = Bunnies 1 - Raiders 3

Odds
TAB Sportsbet = Bunnies $1.22 Raiders $4.50
Centrebet = Bunnies $1.30 Raiders $3.65
Sportsbet = Bunnies $1.28 Raiders $3.65

Verdict

Regardless of whether the Bunnies  SOO stars play, I believe that they will be too strong. They have a great forward pack and have a great hooker getting them over the advantage line. The Raiders do have a big forward pack that can serve it up to the Bunnies forwards but as mentioned earlier, this is a different Souths team. If the SOO stars do play, then expect a big game from both of them. Inglis has been electric at the back for Souths and Taylor didn't exactly get a lot of time on the field so should be fresh enough to go again in this one. One thing holding him back may be back spasms that he was suggested of having during the SOO match.


Suggested Bet
Souths 13+ @ $2.10
Value = Souths 13-18 @ $4.25
First Try Scorer = Isaac Luke @ $17 - If they get close enough, be sure that he will be looking around to strike one early.


Good luck!
Scooby
@scoobystips