Check out the match preview and prediction for the 2025 National Rugby League round 16 clash between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Melbourne Storm.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
South Sydney Rabbitohs Vs Melbourne Storm
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Date: Saturday 21 June, 7:35pm (AEST)
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Rabbitohs: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Alex Johnston 3. Jack Wighton 4. Isaiah Tass 5. Tyrone Munro 6. Lewis Dodd 7. Jamie Humphreys 8. Jai Arrow 9. Siliva Havili 10. Davvy Moale 11. Euan Aitken 12. Tallis Duncan 13. Lachlan Hubner 14. Ryan Gray 15. Sean Keppie 16. Liam Le Blanc 17. Tevita Tatola 18. Salesi Ataata 19. Keaon Koloamatangi 20. Cody Walker 21. Campbell Graham 22. Jacob Host
Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Grant Anderson 3. Jack Howarth 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 16. Tui Kamikamica 17. Bronson Garlick 18. Ativalu Lisati 19. Alec MacDonald 20. Sualauvi Faalogo 21. Joe Chan 22. Lazarus Vaalepu 23. Keagan Russell-Smith 24. Kane Bradley
Referee: Peter Gough
Bunker: Chris Butler
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
Accor Stadium plays host to another clash of the supercoaches on Saturday night, with Wayne Bennett and the Rabbitohs coming up against Craig Bellamy and the Storm. The Rabbitohs are coming off a narrow 24-18 loss to the Bulldogs last week, while the Storm are fresh off the bye and looking to consolidate their 38-14 win over the Cowboys the week prior.
For the Rabbitohs, Latrell Mitchell is named to back up from Origin on Wednesday night. Keaon Koloamatangi is named in the reserves but is unlikely to play after suffering a suspected fractured eye socket last week. Davvy Moale moves into the starting side, with Sean Keppie joining the bench. Cody Walker and Campbell Graham are named in the reserves and are an outside chance to return from their respective injuries. Jayden Sullivan is out with a calf injury, which sees Lewis Dodd return to the side at five-eighth.
The injury toll continues to hurt the Rabbitohs this season, with another three players ruled out after last week’s game against the Bulldogs. One of the biggest losses will be Koloamatangi, if he is ruled out for this clash as expected. He’s been a revelation since he moved into the front row and will be missed in the middle. After three straight losses, the Rabbitohs find themselves in 14th position and now face a Storm side who have troubled them in recent times. They’ve only managed to beat the Storm twice in their past 13 meetings.
For the Storm, Cameron Munster, Harry Grant, Trent Loiero, Xavier Coates, and Stefano Utoikamanu are all named to back up from Origin. The only other change to the side that defeated the Cowboys is Bronson Garlick, who replaces Ativalu Lisati on the bench. Alec McDonald is named in the reserves and is a chance to return from a quad injury.
Despite the long travel from Perth, Bellamy has named all his Origin contingent to back up. Whether the Storm run out as named remains to be seen, especially with Tyran Wishart and Bronson Garlick on the bench. If they do play, expect to see an early rest for some if the game script goes their way. If Grant or Munster are rested, Jahrome Hughes and Ryan Papenhuyzen will take ownership of this side against a Rabbitohs defence that’s looked shaky in recent weeks. Papenhuyzen holds a particularly strong record against the Rabbitohs – he’s scored nine tries in seven games against them.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Storm by 18 points.
Check out our round 16 predictions here.
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