Matchday Details
Saturday 18 April – 5:30pm (AEST) – Accor Stadium, Sydney
📺 Broadcast: Fox League / Kayo
Referee: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski | Senior Review Official: Ashley Klein
South Sydney Rabbitohs: 1. Matthew Dufty, 2. Alex Johnston, 3. Latrell Mitchell, 4. Jack Wighton, 5. Campbell Graham, 6. Cody Walker, 7. Jamie Humphreys, 8. Tevita Tatola. 9. Brandon Smith, 10. Keaon Koloamatangi, 11. Lachlan Hubner, 12. Tallis Duncan, 13. Cameron Murray, 14. Peter Mamouzelos, 15. Bronson Garlick, 16. Sean Keppie, 17. Jayden Sullivan, 18. Edward Kosi, 19. Thomas Fletcher, 20. Salesi Ataata, 21. Moala Graham-Taufa, 22. Liam Le Blanc.
St George Illawarra Dragons: 1. Tyrell Sloan, 2. Christian Tuipulotu, 3. Mathew Feagai, 4. Valentine Holmes, 5. Setu Tu, 6. Daniel Atkinson, 7. Kyle Flanagan, 8. Emre Guler, 9. Damien Cook, 10. Toby Couchman, 11. Luciano Leilua, 12. Jaydn Su’A, 13. Hamish Stewart, 14. Jacon Liddle, 15. Blake Lawrie, 16. Jacob Halangahu, 17. Josh Kerr, 18. Hame Sele, 19. Kade Reed, 20. David Fale, 21. Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga, 22. Lyhkan King-Togia.
Match Preview
The second Saturday game of Round 7 kicks off at Accor Stadium, where the Rabbitohs host the Dragons. The Rabbitohs sit in fifth and are one win outside the top four, while the desperate Dragons are anchored to the bottom of ladder.
Last week, a late Rabbitohs comeback fell short as they lost 36-34 to the Raiders in Perth. Meanwhile, the Dragons are staring down the barrel of a 0-7 start, after going down to Manly 28-18.
For the Rabbitohs, Jye Gray is out with a shoulder injury, opening the door for Matt Dufty to make his return to the NRL. He’s named to start at fullback for his first NRL game since 2022. Elsewhere in the squad, David Fifita is out with a hamstring injury, with Lachlan Hubner replacing him in the second row.
For the Dragons, Moses Suli is out with a fractured eye socket, with Mat Feagai named to start at centre. Jacob Halangahu returns to the bench, with David Fale added to the reserves after serving a one-game suspension last week.
It’s almost last chance saloon for the Dragons, with a 0-6 start officially the worst for the club since their merger in 1998. The biggest key to getting their first win will be their fifth tackle options and execution from their halves. The pairing of Daniel Atkinson and Kyle Flanagan have failed to deliver so far with their kicking game, and they have generally struggled with managing the team. With Clint Gutherson out with injury, the onus will be on these two to exploit the weaknesses in the Rabbitohs’ defence. They get an opportunity this week, with Lachlan Hubner starting in the second row. It’s not his usual position, so the Dragons’ halves should be formulating a game plan around attacking the edge defence that leaked plenty of points against the Raiders.
On the flip side, the Rabbitohs will need to regroup this week with no Gray at fullback. They needed to shuffle their backline to cover his injury last week, with Tallis Duncan struggling to cover the centre as Latrell Mitchell went to fullback. They should have no such issue this week, with Dufty lining up at fullback. He’s a similar build to Gray and there are parallels between the way he attacks the game with speed and determination. Expect Dufty to fit in well to this Rabbitohs side that’s shown its capable of scoring points in a hurry. His combination with Cody Walker and Mitchell on their potent left edge will be key in determining if the Rabbitohs win, and by how much.
The Dragons have lost their past six games at Accor Stadium. Alex Johnston plays his 100th Accor Stadium game this week.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Rabbitohs by 12
Bold call: Alex Johnston continues his brilliant try-scoring record at Accor Stadium with a hat-trick.
Related
- NRL Round 7 Predictions
- NRL Round 7 Team Lists
- NRL Round 7 Hub
- NRL Injury List
- NRL Match Review Tracker
