Matchday Details
Saturday, 9 May 2026 – 5:30pm AEST – Accor Stadium, Sydney
📺 Kayo / Foxtel
Referee: Jarrod Cole | Senior Review Official: Chris Butler
South Sydney Rabbitohs: 1. Jye Gray, 2. Alex Johnston, 3. Latrell Mitchell, 4. Campbell Graham, 5. Edward Kosi, 6. Cody Walker, 7. Ashton Ward, 8. Keaon Koloamatangi, 9. Bronson Garlick, 10. Sean Keppie, 11. Euan Aitken, 12. Tallis Duncan, 13. Cameron Murray (c), 14. Matthew Dufty, 15. Lachlan Hubner, 16. Jamie Humphreys, 17. Tevita Tatola, 18. Peter Mamouzelos, 19. Adam Elliott, 20. Liam Le Blanc, 21. Moala Graham-Taufa, 22. Thomas Fletcher
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks: 1. William Kennedy, 2. Mawene Hiroti, 3. Siosifa Talakai, 4. KL Iro, 5. Samuel Stonestreet, 6. Braydon Trindall, 7. Nicholas Hynes, 8. Addin Fonua-Blake, 9. Blayke Brailey (c), 10. Toby Rudolf, 11. Briton Nikora, 12. Teig Wilton, 13. Cameron McInnes, 14. Jesse Colquhoun, 15. Billy Burns, 16. Oregon Kaufusi, 17. Thomas Hazelton, 18. Hohepa Puru, 19. Braden Uele, 20. Riley Jones, 21. Niwhai Puru, 22. Chris Vea’ila
Match Preview
A potentially high-scoring game between two top four hopefuls awaits on Saturday night, as the South Sydney Rabbitohs look to bounce back from their entertaining loss to Newcastle last weekend, and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks look for a solid follow up to smashing the previous top four Wests Tigers last weekend.
Souths missed the chance to join the Roosters and Warriors on 14 points with a fourth straight loss to Newcastle last weekend, a game they had a chance of winning close to the end despite being 22-0 down – the Rabbitohs nearly outscored their way out of that one. Cronulla jumped the Broncos into the top eight but could easily drop out with a loss with teams seventh to 13th covered by two points.
South Sydney unveiled some notable changes on Team List Tuesday, the biggest is the change in halfback as Jamie Humphreys has been demoted to the bench and Ashton Ward named at number seven. Jack Wighton’s arm injury means Campbell Graham moves back to the centre position he used to own, with Edward Kosi replacing him on the wing. Jye Gray returns from injury and retains his fullback position from pre-injury; Matt Dufty has been excellent as his replacement and has earned himself a spot on the bench. Some musical chairs in the forwards as Keaon Koloamatangi and Euan Aitken move to the starting side and Tevita Tatola drops to the bench.
Unsurprisingly, after winning 52-10 last weekend, there are no changes for the Cronulla Sharks.
Points can’t be the major concern for the Rabbitohs to explain the halfback change: Souths have scored 30 or more points in their last five clashes, and the six in total for 2026 is the competition’s best. And they’ve had a bye. Cronulla are equal next best for 30+ points. So one could expect a high-scoring encounter. There have been 904 points scored between these teams in their eight games so far, with the healthy average points per game of 56.5.
Heavily involved in the scoring will likely come from the centres, and they have done plenty of scoring lately. Cronulla’s KL Iro has scored a hat-trick of tries in consecutive games, but he may find a less generous passage this Saturday with Latrell Mitchell standing in his way, and the defensively solid Graham’s move to the centres will get a full test having to oppose Siosifa Talakai. Mitchell is the headline act of all those three-quarters, his moments of magic can turn a game, and with State of Origin just around the corner one imagines he won’t be backing off. His combination with Alex Johnston is key with the two leading Line Break Assists and Line Breaks respectively.
The halves is an interesting battle, with Wayne Bennett’s change raising eyebrows and will put Ward under the microscope. His playing partner Cody Walker is having a great season in general, but his ability to lose his head at times is key, and the Sharks have enough hard heads to bring out Walker’s worst. Unlike the Rabbitohs, Cronulla’s halves are unchanged for the ninth time this season, and while Nicho Hynes will be overlooked for State of Origin, a few more good games for Braydon Trindall could keep his name in the mix.
Despite all the scoring there’s plenty of interest in the forwards, none more so than two quality props in Addin Fonua-Blake and Koloamatangi: it could be a shootout for an Origin place in a frightening prospect for Queensland, given it may be only for bench spot. The Rabbitohs prop has been coming off the bench recently as he works back from a slight niggle, but Bennett naming him to start means he must be roaring to go. He is still in the top 15 for Run Metres this season despite some bench starts. Less spectacular but no less important are the two Camerons at lock – McInnes and Murray. Both will get through a mountain of work, but McInnes is still building up from an injury return in Round 8. Out wider in the forwards you have the scoring form of Tallis Duncan and Teig Wilton, with a hat trick from the Sharks forward last weekend and one the week before for Duncan.
Cronulla head into this game having won the last five games against the Rabbitohs, and interestingly the last 11 matches between the sides have been on a Saturday. Talking of Saturday, Souths have the better stats, winning four of their last five on a Saturday, and the more obscure record of winning 12 of the last 15 clashes vs Sydney teams on a Saturday at the Olympic Stadium. Cronulla have lost their last three Saturday games. Souths also have the 2026 home vs away advantage heading into the game, with a 3-1 record for home games, and importantly 2/2 at the Olympic Stadium, with their only loss in Perth. Cronulla are 1-2 away so far in 2026.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Rabbitohs by 10.
Bold call: Campbell Graham for first try.
Related
- NRL Round 9 Review
- NRL Round 10 Predictions
- NRL Round 10 Team Lists
- NRL Round 10 Hub
- NRL Injury List
- NRL Match Review Tracker
