Stadium Australia will play host to Saturday's Round 5 NRL game between South Sydney Rabbitohs and St George Illawarra Dragons. The game kicks off at 5:30 pm with South Sydney Rabbitohs heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the South Sydney Rabbitohs vs. St George Illawarra Dragons game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Saturday April 9, 2022 at 5:30 pm

Where: Stadium Australia

Bet: Bet On This Match HERE

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs St George Illawarra Dragons Odds

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs St George Illawarra Dragons Preview

Souths were outclassed in their grand final rematch last Friday, but they are travelling better than their 1-3 record suggests – it’s been a brutal draw to start 2022 given their personnel changes.

Lachlan Ilias is looking better with each outing in the No.7 and the Rabbitohs should comfortably account for the NRL’s mid- to lower-level teams.

Which brings us to the Saints, who are rapidly eroding the misplaced late pre-season hype that swelled around them. The Dragons were blown off the park 48-14 by Parramatta in Round 4 – the most points conceded by any team this season.

Coach Anthony Griffin’s baffling call to drop Tyrell Sloan and Talatau Amone to put veterans Moses Mbye and Jack Bird in the spine – which he has stuck with this week – was astonishingly premature. Ben Hunt is playing well but the pack looks cumbersome and Griffin’s tinkering will ruin the club’s Top 8 chances.

Jaydn Su’A returns to boost the Dragons’ engine-room, while Mark Nicholls is out in a Bunnies blow with Tom Burgess coming into the starting side and Davvy Moale joining the bench along with Blake Taaffe. Josh Mansour comes in for the injured Jaxson Paulo on the Rabbitohs’ flank.

Souths have dominated this rivalry over the past decade, winning 16 of the teams’ last 19 games – including the last seven straight. They met twice in the last six rounds of 2021, with the Dragons subjected to a 50-14 thrashing at Suncorp Stadium before a Rabbitohs side resting seven top-liners won 20-16 on the Sunshine Coast.

St George Illawarra’s jarring loss to Parramatta should lead to an improved effort this week. But Cody Walker, Latrell Mitchell and Damien Cook will be licking their lips at the prospect of unpicking the Dragons’ defence in the same manner as Moses, Brown and co. did last Sunday.

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