NRL Round 1 Preview and Prediction - South Sydney Rabbitohs v Wests Tigers @ ANZ Stadium
South Sydney Rabbitohs (0-0) v Wests Tigers (0-0) @ ANZ Stadium
Preview - We didn't have to wait long for Robbie Farah and Jason Taylor to collide again as Farah’s new Club, the Rabbitohs, host the West Tigers in what is an explosive showdown at ANZ Stadium on Friday night. The bitter feud reached its nadir late last year when Taylor punted Farah to Reserve Grade for the final two months of the season, paving the way for South Sydney to offer him a 2-year contract to get Farah out of his Tigers’ hell.
There will certainly be no love lost out there on Friday night when both teams will be desperate to kick off the season with a win after missing the finals in 2016. Whilst it was generally a season of progress and improvement for the Tigers who rose from 15th to 9th, 2016 was a disaster for South Sydney who finished 12th, missing the finals for the first time in five seasons under Michael Maguire. Despite winning their last four games of the season, Souths could only muster 9 wins for the season and looked a pale imitation of their former selves for much of the campaign.
History - The Rabbitohs and Tigers have often traded victories, with the Rabbitohs winning 15 and Tigers 13 overall. However, the Tigers have won the past three matches between the Clubs, including two by hefty margins at ANZ Stadium last season.
South Sydney Rabbitohs Scouting Report - Michael Maguire has pulled a few selection shocks in Round 1, gambling on a couple of rookies. Siosifa Talakai wins a place starting in the centres alongside Hymel Hunt as the Bunnies opt for youth in Round 1. Talakai is a raw player with a lot of potential, with a very big and strong frame for a centre. He was impressive in Souths Charity Shield romp over the Dragons. Souths are missing one of their big guns here in halfback Adam Reynolds, which is huge blow coming into Round 1. Replacing him is NRL journeyman Luke Kelly who has spent the past decade at Melbourne and Parramatta getting limited opportunities playing 47 NRL games in total.
Whilst I think Kelly can provide a solid long kicking game and some structure to Souths, the Tigers will certainly not be worried about him as they would be Adam Reynolds. The other big change for Souths is Maguire elevating Zane Musgrove to starting prop which could mean big George Burgess misses out altogether. Maguire has warned Burgess he wants to see a better attitude or he could spend the majority of the year in Reserve Grade. Robbie Farah will start at hooker against his old Club, with Damien Cook expected to come off the bench and play some hooker and perhaps some halfback, depending on how Luke Kelly is going in the game.
Wests Tigers Scouting Report - The Tigers have had issues of their own in the pre-season with Tim Simona looking at a life ban for gambling on NRL matches and Kyle Lovett suspended due to a drug bust. It's hardly the ideal start for Jason Taylor who is off contract at the end of the year and desperate to move on from the Robbie Farah saga that engulfed the team last season. The Tigers give new signing Jamal Idris a start in the centres as well as shuffling their back row with Sauoso Sue moved from front row to back row to give the Tigers a bigger and stronger starting side. With both Matt Ballin and Jacob Liddle not fit to start, new signing Matt McIlwrick will start at hooker for the Tigers.
Verdict - Tigers 1-12
I'm sticking with the Tigers here, however not with a huge degree of confidence. I just think last year they really troubled Souths with their ball movement and their striker power and I think the likes of Moses, Brooks and Tedesco could do similar to them here. I think if it’s wet, it bring Souths back into this game more, as I think Souths might be able to get on top in this game in the forwards with the Tigers looking a bit weak there for mine. I probably would have taken Souths in this game, however the loss of Adam Reynolds is a huge blow particularly in Round 1 where things like field possession and territory are so important.
Expect this game to have plenty of feeling in it with Robbie Farah looking for a huge game against his former Club. Whilst I expect Farah to play well, the Tigers should know all about his trick shots, especially his dangerous running and short kicking game inside the opposition 20. I think there might be a few points in this game as both teams’ defence doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. Just going for the Tigers, as I think they have a bit more strike power out wide than Souths.