The South Sydney Rabbitohs are pleased to announce their squad for their round 20 Ron Coote Cup clash against the Sydney Roosters at ANZ Stadium this Friday 25 September at 7:55pm.
Rabbitohs Head Coach Wayne Bennett will welcome back Dane Gagai into his backline this week, a game which will be the 200th NRL game of Gagai’s career. Gagai made his first grade debut for the Broncos against the Cowboys in round one, 2011 and has gone to play six games for Brisbane, 128 games for the Newcastle Knights and 65 games so far for the Rabbitohs. Jed Cartwright has been named to start in the second row, replacing the suspended Jaydn Su’A.
The Rabbitohs and Roosters will be playing in the second leg of the annual Ron Coote Cup this Friday night. The Ron Coote Cup celebrates the career of one of the game’s greatest players, Ron Coote AM, who won six premierships and played in nine Grand Finals during his 15 seasons playing first grade football with both South Sydney and Eastern Suburbs.
The Ron Coote Cup is played across both home and away fixtures in any given season, with the winner determined by the aggregate score from those two regular season matches. The Roosters currently hold a 16-point advantage from their victory in round three this year, meaning the Rabbitohs must win by 16 points or more on Friday night to win or retain the Ron Coote Cup in 2020.
This Friday night, the Rabbitohs will be wearing predominantly red socks to support the fight against Cystic Fibrosis. This is the second consecutive year that the Rabbitohs have worn these special socks against the Roosters, the last time being in the Club’s 16-10 victory in round 25, 2019. Following the game, the socks will be auctioned on www.rabbitohs.com.au with all money raised going directly to Cystic Fibrosis Community Care.
Cystic Fibrosis Community Care hold a 65k 4 65 Roses charity walk event each year that the South Sydney Rabbitohs players and staff participate in. The next event will run from 13 February-21 February 2021. People can donate or register for the virtual event through www.65kroses.com. The Rabbitohs’ proud Platinum Partner Suttons Rosebery and Arncliffe have also donated their round 20 match day partnership to Cystic Fibrosis Community Care.
Tickets for Members and supporters are still available for this game. Rabbitohs Ticketed Members should check direct communications from the Club as to how they can redeem their tickets. Non-Ticketed Members and supporters can click here and use the code RABFANS to purchase tickets.
Here is how both teams will line up for Friday's clash:
