Friday afternoon football in Round 6 sees the traditional Good Friday clash between the Canterbury Bulldogs and South Sydney Rabbitohs. The Rabbitohs currently sit outside the top 8 on for and against (9th), after securing early season wins over the Roosters and Dragons.
The Bulldogs meanwhile have quickly slipped back to the bottom of the ladder, after their round 1 win over the Cowboys saw them inside the top 8 for a week. Both teams are struggling, but one side has at least shown some competitiveness this season, but it remains to be seen if that continues in this game.
As always, stay tuned throughout the 2022 NRL season to get the best betting value when taking on the bookies, with our NRL Tips page previewing all the NRL matches in 2022.
Rabbitohs vs Bulldogs Betting Tips
Accor Stadium, Friday 15th April, 4:00pm (AEST)
Squads
South Sydney Rabbitohs
1. Blake Taaffe 2. Alex Johnston 3. Taane Milne 4. Campbell Graham 5. Josh Mansour 6. Cody Walker 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook 10. Thomas Burgess 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jai Arrow 13. Cameron Murray. INTERCHANGE: 14. Hame Sele 15. Jacob Host 16. Davvy Moale 17. Liam Knight. RESERVES: 18. Siliva Havili 19. Isaiah Tass 20. Peter Mamouzelos 21. Richard Kennar 22. Dean Hawkins 23. Terrell Kalo 24. Jaxson Paulo
Canterbury Bulldogs
1. Matt Dufty 2. Brent Naden 3. Braidon Burns 4. Jake Averillo 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Luke Thompson 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Corey Waddell 12. Tevita Pangai Junior 13. Josh Jackson. INTERCHANGE: 14. Brandon Wakeham 15. Chris Patolo 16. Max King 17. Joe Stimson. RESERVES: 19. Bailey Biondi-Odo 20. Aaron Schoupp 21. Reece Hoffman 22. Jackson Topine 23. Ava Seumanufagai 24. Josh Cook 25. Corey Allan
Match Preview
Another week, another Bulldogs preview. Last week, we went back to the well with all the Bulldogs related unders, and to be fair, we were a little unlucky. The first try to the dogs was an horrific unforced error from Jerome Luai on his own line. Admittedly, the Bulldogs second try was a nice piece of play, with a spread left that led to Josh Ado Carr in space, who was easily able to link up with Joe Stimson who strolled over.
This week the Bulldogs will clash with their old foe, the Rabbitohs. The Rabbitohs have been scratchy to start the season, going 2-3 to sit in 9th place on the ladder. The latest news of fullback Latrell Mitchell being ruled out for 8 weeks could be a significant issue for last year’s grand finalist. Blake Taafe will get his chance, after impressing towards the end of last season deputising for Mitchell. With the Rabbitohs already looking like they will be on the bubble of a top 8 spot, will the loss of Mitchell curtail their season entirely?
Looking at the statistics, the Bulldogs have continued to struggle in attack, however it has been their defence over the past two weeks that has taken a beating. Granted, they played the Storm and Panthers, but the early season indication that the Bulldogs had a sturdy defence has been quashed. Can the Rabbitohs take advantage of this or are they more likely to look like the Cowboys, Broncos or Sea Eagles looked against the Bulldogs early this season.
The Bunnies, surprisingly have the highest number of post contact metres made per game in the league. They are also high in terms of metres per game and tackle breaks; however, they make the 2nd most errors per game in the competition. The Rabbitohs forward pack and big outside backs are doing an excellent job laying a platform, however at the moment the attack stagnates inside the opponents 20. The reason is two-fold, the team lost chief organiser Adam Reynolds, and they have a rookie head coach.
I am not convinced the Rabbitohs attack will have a breakout in this game, especially after the loss of Mitchell. Illias has shown steady improvement, however the team appears to be asking too much of Cody Walker, and he does not appear able to be the chief playmaker in this team. This, added with the Bulldogs offensive woes, is the reason I’ll be attacking unders in this game.
The handicap looks about right by my numbers, with the Rabbitohs rating taking a slight hit with the loss of Mitchell. I would lean the Rabbitohs by the numbers, however the Good Friday clash with traditional rivals has me worried the Bulldogs could be well up for this one.
Alternate Tip:
Bulldogs Under 14.5 ($1.88 at Ladbrokes)
Under 39.5 Points
$1.97 (1.5 Units)
