South Sydney Rabbitohs to Beat Cronulla Sharks – NRL Semi Finals Analysis and Prediction
On Saturday 17th September the Rabbitohs and Sharks are moving to lock horns at the Allianz Stadium to confirm their entrance to the NRL preliminary finals. For Cronulla, it is a home match but seems like they are against enemies because Rabittohs fans are flocking to the Allianz Stadium third week in succession.
South Sydney vs. Sharks Team Analysis
Cronulla Sharks have won all 5 games played against Dragons [by 6], Tigers [by 24], Sea Eagles [by 34], Bulldogs [by 16], and Knights [by 22].
Rabbitohs won the past three games against Warriors [by 38], Eels [by 26], and Cowboys [by 10]. They lost two games against Panther [by 4] and Roosters [by 10].
As the NFL preliminary game is in Sydney Football Stadium, Cronulla has all the advantages but it negates leveraging it as they have played thrice there and failed in succession. Rabbitohs are at their best because they put on a great fight in surviving Roosters in every department 7-days ago.
Sharks are the first team after Storm [2008] to acknowledge less than 12 points per game over 2nd half of the regular season. Under Craig Fitzgibbon, the resilience of their defense has returned. Their draws are soft and they are against the stronger contenders Rabbitohs and Eels. There are also the other defeats to Raiders, Storm, and Panthers to consider. Can Cronulla match with top contenders in the competition? There is no certain answer at this stage!
For the Rabbitohs, Latrell Mitchell scheming in the back offers an extra pass and run option to put strong defense. On the other hand, Cody Walker is a dual threat with 9-line actions per game with 0.8 try supports. Both stats place him at top of every 5-8th in the competition. Besides, Alex Johnson discerns how to score. On the left edge, South Sydney had pocketed 49 of the 107 tries and this was specifically dangerous last Saturday as it targeted Momirovski in defense.
The kicking game is a weakness for Rabbitohs with the absence of Adam Reynolds. However, their forward pack is covering the field but in case they need back off playing then a strong kicking game is a necessity to recover the momentum.
For Walker and Mitchell to work magic need big men to create a platform. Tom Burgess is the forward pack that churned the ground average of more than 160 meters in Round 16. For the Cronulla, Blayke Brailey was a major magician in their wins. His linebreak and try assists and workload in defense have been top-notch this season.
On the other hand, Nicho Hynes their best player needs a lift. He is the one in doubt about how to handle the talks about leading his team to the finals. Fortunately, the Souths got to play the last four preliminary matches and got lucky to enter the grand finale last year. The Sharks did not pass the first week since 2018, so it is a great acknowledgment of Cronulla to come this far. They have been hovering at the bottom for a few seasons.
Prediction
With South Sydney’s last finale experience and instant familiarity with the winning match at Sydney Football Stadium, the team has sufficient confidence to create a Win…
