Rabbitohs v Eels
Friday 13 May 2016
7.50pm- NRL Kick Off
After enjoying a week off courtesy of the Representative Round, the South Sydney Rabbitohs will head to Pirtek Stadium to take on the Parramatta Eels in Round 10 of the Telstra Premiership on Friday night.
With both sides intent to register wins and get their seasons on track, the battle in Sydney’s west will undoubtedly be a display of passion and determination.
On the field, the Eels have enjoyed a successful season thus far with strong performances. On the other side of the spectrum, after a strong start, the Rabbitohs will be looking to make improvements having come up short in their last few encounters – something that front-rower, George Burgess, knows all too well.
“We have a fair bit to improve on – sometimes you’ve just got to keep working hard at it,” said Burgess.
“We’re always trying to work on what we can improve on each week,
“We’ve been working hard in the week off out on the training field and in the video room, so hopefully we can put some of that into practice on Friday.”
Rabbitohs Head Coach, Michael Maguire, has this week made some changes to his side in an attempt to add spark.
As announced on Tuesday, skipper Greg Inglis, will slot into the halves alongside Adam Reynolds, injecting unpredictability into the Rabbitohs attack. With Inglis shifting to five-eighth, Alex Johnston – who returns from injury – will occupy the custodian role.
In addition to the backline reshuffle, Nathan Brown returns to the starting line-up, slotting into prop, while back-rower, Jack Gosiewski, has been named on the bench to make his NRL debut.
“I’m looking forward to seeing ‘Greggy’ back at five-eighth,” Maguire told the Rugby League media.
“Greg and I have spoken about various things with our team and being able to play a different style than what we probably have in the last couple of weeks.
“Obviously when you’re going through a period like we have, we’re working really hard to come up with a few little changes to ignite us and that was one of them.
“To put Greg back to five-eighth – I think it’s going to give us a great opportunity down that left edge. Alex Johnston coming back in is pretty handy for us too – we’ve got that little bit of speed coming from behind.”
Spotlight – The Halves
Once again, all eyes will be on the Rabbitohs halves combination. Inglis is certainly no stranger to the playmaking role, having played five-eighth most notably for the Melbourne Storm. During that time, Inglis secured the Clive Churchill Medal in the 2007 Grand Final. The mixture of Inglis and Reynolds is likely to change the dynamic of the Rabbitohs attack, with the little halfback’s ball-playing skills combining with the skipper’s powerful ball-running developing a new dimension to South Sydney’s attack.
NYC
Rabbitohs v Eels
Friday 13 May 2016
5.10pm- NYC Kick Off
The South Sydney Rabbitohs NYC (Under 20s) team will be looking to find their way back into the top eight when they take on the Parramatta Eels at Pirtek Stadium in Round 10 of the Holden Cup.
After securing a 36-12 victory over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in Round 9, the Parramatta Eels will be looking to entrench themselves within the top eight, while the Junior Rabbitohs will be looking to re-gather momentum and fight their way back into the top half of the ladder.
The Rabbitohs were held scoreless by a strong Tigers outfit, who claimed a resounding 46-0 victory in the Round 9 fixture.
The David Penna-coached side has endured a number of injuries during the course of the 2016 season, but with the strong development of the Matt King-coached SG Ball (under 18s) this year, four players now get their shot in the 20s this week.
“There are so many opportunities that players are now taking with both hands,” enthused Penna, speaking to Rabbitohs.com.au.
“It’s exciting times for the Club because you have this group of players that are being given opportunities stepping up and taking them with both hands. We’re looking forward to this Friday.”
