In the second semi-final, the Cronulla Sharks (3rd) take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs (7th), with the winner earning the right to take on the Penrith Panthers next Saturday for a spot in the big dance. The Sharks lost a 32-30 extra time thriller last week to the Cowboys, however after finishing inside the top 4 they get a second bite of the cherry. The Rabbitohs won a spiteful encounter last week with the Roosters, winning 30-14 in a dominant display. This should be a great game.

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Team News

The Sharks have made no changes and have no injury concerns, despite their 93-minute extra time loss last week.

The Rabbitohs have made one change, with prop Tom Burgess set to serve a 2-game ban for his high shot on James Tedesco last week. Burgess is replaced by Michael Chee Kam on the bench.


Betting Odds

Sharks $1.95 vs Rabbitohs $1.85 - Bet now at Ladbrokes!


Overview

With this matchup being played at Allianz Stadium, a clear advantage exists for the Rabbitohs. Despite the Sharks being the “home” side, I am confident they will be severely outnumbered in the stands by Rabbitohs supporters. Added to this, the Rabbitohs have played at Allianz Stadium the past two weeks and will feel right at home, whilst the Sharks have never played at the revamped venue.

These sides played 7 weeks ago at PointsBet Stadium, with the Sharks sneaking home 21-20 in Golden Point. Looking through the statistics in that matchup, it is quite extraordinary the Sharks managed to sneak home, and one would have to believe the Rabbitohs will win if the stats are similar again in this game.

I like the Rabbitohs in this game to get the victory. Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker are on fire and the Rabbitohs forward pack should be able to match it with the big Sharks pack. I’m not convinced that this will be high scoring, however at the same time I wouldn’t be surprised to see both teams scoring freely.
 

Love It – Latrell Mitchell - $18,780

Mitchell is by far the most expensive OB, and if you do get him into your squad, you’ll need to save money elsewhere, but he has really hit his straps since returning from injury. Mitchell appears to be able to come into the game and take it over all on his own, and I expect him to do so again this weekend. With 6-straight scores over 50, he has a solid base to work from, whilst also having one of the highest ceilings in the game.

 

Love It – Cody Walker - $14,720

I’m stacking with the two most explosive players for the team I believe wins this game. Walker, like Mitchell, has really warmed into the back end of the season, and has been in tremendous form over the past couple of months. He’s averaged 52 over the past 7 weeks and, like Mitchell, appears to have a solid floor with high upside. Scored 58 against the Sharks in the loss 7 weeks ago, I believe he can go bigger in a win here for the Bunnies.

 

Love It – Tevita Tatola - $15,830

Tatola has been averaging big minutes for the Rabbitohs at the back end of this season, and with those minutes he has been churning out some very solid scores. Was sin binned last week, but if we take last week out, he has averaged over 60 minutes the past month, with scores around the 50-60 mark. With Tom Burgess out this week, I expect Tatola’s minutes to once again push the 60 mark, and a 50+ score at a minimum.

 

Hate It – Matt Moylan - $10,380

Moylan probably isn’t a player many will be looking at anyway, but I feel he is a guy that you really cannot select. With one score above 50 all season, he has proved even when he seems to be heavily involved, he just cannot put scores on the board. Scored only 26 in 88 minutes against the Rabbitohs earlier in the season, Moylan is a player I see scoring 20 or less and cannot be bought.

 

Hate It – Briton Nikora - $17,420

Nikora has been on fire lately, scoring tries and setting them up, whilst also getting through plenty of work for base points. However, this week I can see him struggling getting going in attack. Whilst he will still probably score you close to 40 in base statistics, I don’t see the tries, line breaks and assists that he’s become accustomed to. Scored only 39 in the last matchup with Souths, I think that’s around what you’ll be looking at again this game.

 

Who Knows – Cam Murray - $20,560

This guy nearly made both above lists, which made it easy to put him in this category. If he plays the full 80 (or close to) could be the highest scorer of this slate, however his HIA issues make me shy away from auto-selecting Murray. Scored 73 last time against the Sharks, and with a full allocation of minutes I would not at all be surprised to see something similar. Pick him up, but know the giant risk of an early HIA with him and his history.


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