Matchday Details
Saturday, 21 March 2026 – 7:35pm AEDT – Polytec Stadium, Gosford
📺 Kayo / Foxtel
Referee: Wyatt Raymond | Senior Review Official: Chris Butler
South Sydney Rabbitohs: 1. Jye Gray, 2. Alex Johnston, 3. Latrell Mitchell, 4. Jack Wighton, 5. Campbell Graham, 6. Cody Walker, 7. Jamie Humphreys, 8. Tevita Tatola, 9. Bronson Garlick, 10. Keaon Koloamatangi, 11. David Fifita, 12. Tallis Duncan, 13. Cameron Murray (c), 14. Peter Mamouzelos, 15. Euan Aitken, 16. Sean Keppie, 17. Jayden Sullivan, 18. Lachlan Hubner, 19. Moala Graham-Taufa, 20. Thomas Fletcher, 21. Latrell Siegwalt, 22. Liam Le Blanc
Wests Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula, 2. Sunia Turuva, 3. Jeral Skelton, 4. Heamasi Makasini, 5. Luke Laulilii, 6. Jarome Luai (c), 7. Adam Doueihi, 8. Terrell May, 9. Apisai Koroisau, 10. Fonua Pole, 11. Samuela Fainu, 12. Kai Pearce-Paul, 13. Alex Twal, 14. Jock Madden, 15. Sione Fainu, 16. Royce Hunt, 17. Alex Seyfarth, 18. Tristan Hope, 19. Patrick Herbert, 20. Bunty Afoa, 21. Faaletino Tavana, 22. Tony Sukkar
Match Preview
South Sydney may still be in party mode after the incredible record-breaking achievement of Alex Johnston last weekend, but they won’t want to be too hungover as they take on a Wests Tigers team who looked impressive in their first match of the season in Round 2.
Souths enter the game in Gosford with a win and a loss so far, while the Wests Tigers had the Round 1 bye but looked good in their 2026 season opener. South Sydney were excellent against the Dolphins in Round 1 at a wet Suncorp Stadium, and were competitive against the Roosters despite losing: perhaps the emotion of the Johnston record-breaking took too much out of them. The Wests Tigers may have only played one game, and against the side that looked mysteriously disinterested, but it was a good sign that things are clicking early in the season and there are genuine finals aspirations for the club after a long time away.
Good news on the squad front for the Rabbitohs with halfback Jamie Humphreys returning from suspension: and he deserves to walk straight into the starting side based on his efforts in a tough year in 2025; his return being at the expense of the benched Jayden Sullivan. Another change as Tallis Duncan gets a start in the second row and will give the Rabbitohs a good option out wide; he swaps with Euan Aitken who will no doubt give another honest performance from the bench. For the Wests Tigers, Taylan May is out with a shoulder injury and Jeral Skelton gets a chance in the centres in the big team news for the Tigers. They will miss May, but Skelton looks up for filling in temporarily.
A key battle where the game could be won or lost will be in the halves, with former Rabbitoh Adam Doueihi and Jarome Luai up against the returning Jamie Humphreys and Cody Walker. The 2026 season has seen both sides of Walker the rugby league player: brilliant and one of South Sydney’s best in Round 1 against the Dolphins, and agitated and not quite as sharp in Round 2. When he starts reacting to the niggle, South Sydney very rarely win games. And in Doueihi and Luai, the Tigers have key players who are well capable of throwing Walker off his game.
One asset to Walker is having Latrell Mitchell closer to him in the centres, and Latrell has started the season well, he has three line breaks already, which is half of his entire 2025 total, and two tries (which equals his 2025 output). So fair to say the move has worked so far. He will come up against the one-game rookie in Heamasi Makasini: he impressed mightily in pre-season to the point of making his debut last weekend (and scoring). The head-to-head may not be critical to the result, but it should sure be entertaining.
The forward packs look reasonably evenly matched, with South Sydney possibly have the edge, with Cameron Murray improving every week on his return from long-term injury, and Keaon Koloamatangi has certainly not slowed down for the Rabbitohs despite signing for the Dragons in 2027. The South Sydney prop is second for runs and run metres and third for post-contact metres in 2026 so far. But the Tigers’ bench looks stronger, with some big impact to come from their big forwards.
It should be quite the attacking game if both sides are at their best: both sides have scored 40 or more in one game this season, and the last and only time they met at the Central Coast Stadium in 2024 there was 70 points scored.
Stats favour South Sydney hugely leading into this clash – they have won nine of their last 11 vs Wests Tigers and Souths are also W8 L1 vs Wests Tigers on a Saturday as the home side. The Wests Tigers have some worrying stats too, with losing six in a row vs Sydney opposition away on a Saturday an they have lost 11 of their last 12. Plus the Wests Tigers have lost 13 of their last 14 away to any team on a Saturday. They also haven’t won two games in a row to start a season since 2019. But they are all historic stats to a degree, and there is a buzz around the Tigers at the moment.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Tigers by 6 points.
Bold call: Two tries for Makasini – and Doueihi to seal the game in the last few minutes with a try.
Related
- NRL Round 3 Hub
- NRL Round 3 2026 Predictions & Tips
- NRL Round 3 Team Lists – 2026 Season
- NRL 2026 Results Tracker
- 2026 NRL Match Review Results Tracker: Charges, Suspensions & Fines
- NRL Injury List 2026
