The Rabbitohs come into this massive Friday night contest full of confidence. They take on the Eels, with last year’s Grand Finalists currently sitting in 14th place on the ladder, and desperate to get their season going. With the Rabbitohs now sitting in first place on the ladder, can they keep their hot streak going and push the Eels closer to missing the finals, or will the Eels kick-start their push towards the top 8?
Check out our best bets for the Rabbitohs vs Eels clash below, and make sure to head over to our NRL Tips page for more Round 12 previews and betting tips!
NRL Round 12 Preview & Betting Tips
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Parramatta Eels
Allianz Stadium, Friday 19th May, 8:00pm (AEST)
The Rabbitohs weren’t quite as impressive as they had been in the month prior against the Tigers, however they still managed a dominant 20-0 victory over a vastly improved Tigers outfit. They continued to just go about their business, dominating the attacking stats, whilst also defending beautifully (14 missed tackles), with the only real blemish being their 9 errors.
As for the Eels, they lost their second in a row, as they continue to try and find the answer on the road. With a 1-5 record away from CommBank Stadium, an answer has to be found, and has to be found fast. Last week, they went down 26-18 in Canberra, completing only 69% of their sets. They continue to struggle in this area, and desperately need to clean their act up against a rampaging Rabbitohs outfit this week.
This game opened up last week at Rabbitohs -7.5, and I’m quite shocked it hasn’t grown more, with the number currently sitting at Rabbitohs -8.5. I have the Rabbitohs as 10.5-point favourites in this one, and given the Eels’ abysmal performances on the road this season, I could probably make the number even higher.
So, whilst Rabbitohs -8.5 looks an easy bet, I do have some reservations. The main one I have is the Eels ability to stay in games, even when they lose. They have lost 7 games this season, and all 7 have been by a margin of 1-12. In fact, the biggest loss they have had all season has been 10 points. Despite their 4-7 record, they still have a positive for and against, so they aren’t getting blown away.
So, I lean the Rabbitohs here, and would probably be happy enough to bet them. But let’s get a little narrative-y here. It’s Indigenous Round, and I don’t know about you, but I have definitely noticed a rise in the performance of the Rabbitohs over the years during Indigenous Round. I believe the Rabbitohs win here and win well, in a further dent to the Eels Premiership hopes this season.
We will have a fun little same game multi, an Indigenous Round special to add, with some of the biggest Indigenous starts scoring tries.
Prop Bet
Alex Johnston, Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker (Anytime try scorers) - $7.73 @ NEDS (0.5u)
Rabbitohs -8.5
$2 (1.5 Units)
