NRL and NYC Match Previews vs Roosters - Round 19, 2012

Rabbitohs (6th) vs Roosters (12th)
7pm kickoff - Allianz Stadium
Official Twitter hashtags - #NRLSydSou #gorabbitohs

It's rivalry round and there is no clash with more history than the Rabbitohs vs Roosters battle.

The Rabbitohs have won seven from their last nine with a last gasp loss to the Bulldogs and a gutsy defeat to the Broncos the only blemishes. They will come off a long eight day break and have only Roy Asotasi sitting on the sidelines with injury. Greg Inglis will celebrate his 150th NRL game and is one player sure to be fired up for the clash.

The Roosters in contrast have two wins and a draw from their last nine and with their chances of finals action on a knife's edge, they'll be extremely hungry for the two points. They'll be without Kiwi hitman Jared Waerea-Hargreaves who was suspended for two separate incidents over the weekend but captain Braith Anasta is expected back into the side with a face infection. Anasta will be celebrating his 250th NRL game.

This is one of those encounters where form means nothing. Both sides will be ultra-determined to succeed in front of two sets of fans who share a real hatred for one another.

The Ron Coote Cup is on the line, with the Rabbitohs needing to win by five or more points to take home the trophy.

History

The teams have met 204 times with the Rabbitohs winning 106 to 93 of those encounters with five draws. Only 50 points separates the sides in 104 years, 3105 points to 3155.

Allianz Stadium (the SFS) hasn't been the best venue for the Rabbitohs, winning there just 10 times out of the last 31. This includes a streak of 13 consecutive losses to the Roosters at the ground from 1995 to 2005. South Sydney average just 15.8 points at the SFS against the Roosters 25.6 points.

Recent history

Over the last ten encounters the Roosters have a healthy seven wins to three advantage and have scored 252 to 238 points. The sides have met five times at Allianz Stadium since 2007 with the Roosters winning three games to two. The last encounter between these two Clubs was the round one heart stopper at ANZ Stadium this year, a game dominated by the Rabbitohs for 77 minutes. The Roosters were without Braith Anasta, the Rabbitohs were missing Luke Burgess (broken foot), Nathan Merritt (toe) and Issac Luke (suspension).

In that game Anthony Minichiello broke Rabbitohs' hearts with a try in the final seconds to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The big performers for the Roosters were the back three, Justin Carney (145m), Sam Perrett, who is now with the Bulldogs (145m) and Minichiello (156m) all excellent in attack. Jake Friend made 46 tackles.

For the Rabbitohs, John Sutton was superb, his 18 runs netting him 148 metres, nine tackle breaks, a line break and a try. Sam Burgess was also dominant running for 165m and making 39 tackles. Nathan Peats made 40 tackles and Michael Croker 33.

Key Matchups

Greg Inglis v Anthony Minichiello

Last time the teams met Greg Inglis played in the centres. Since then he's been unleashed at fullback and looks truly at home. Minichiello is a true professional, rock solid in every sense.

Greg Inglis	2012	Anthony Minichiello
195cm	Height	182cm
106kg	Weight	92kg
149	Career NRL Games	243
14	2012 Games	16
185	Runs	284
1916	Run Metres	2334
14	Line Breaks	6
7	Tries	6
84	Tackle breaks	52

Adam Reynolds v Mitchell Pearce

The current NSW halfback up against the player many believe will replace him in the years to come. Adam Reynolds is short odds among many experts to be the rookie of the year while Pearce's form saw him play all three Origin matches this year.

Adam Reynolds	2012	Mitchell Pearce
173cm	Height	182cm
85kg	Weight	91kg
16	Career NRL Games	122
275	Tackles	295
41	Missed Tackles	54
5	Line Breaks	5
11	Try Assists	14
164	Kicks	126

NYC preview

Toyota Cup
Rabbitohs (7th) vs Roosters (6th)
4:45pm kickoff - Allianz Stadium
Official Twitter hashtags - #NYCSydSou #gorabbitohs

For the second week in a row the Rabbitohs meet the team placed above them on the ladder, with the chance to climb a spot. The Roosters are on somewhat of a roll winning three from their past five, plus a draw on Monday.

The Rabbitohs are in some form of their own, dispatching the Knights in a tough clash last week and obliterating the top of the table Panthers 46-16 the week previous.

When the sides met in round one, the Rabbitohs triumphed 34-26, running in six tries for six different scorers. The Rabbitohs best were Adrian Ha'angana who ran for 154 metres while Andrew Artemi made 32 tackles.

We urge all Rabbitohs fans to get out to Allianz Stadium early to cheer on the NYC side as they march towards the finals.