Friday has two NRL matches with the first game for Round 10 is between South Sydney Rabbitohs and Melbourne Storm with the opening kick to commence at 7:40pm local time. The game is to be played at ANZ Stadium with the favourite for the match being South Sydney Rabbitohs. View our NRL live scores, odds and results for the game between South Sydney Rabbitohs and Melbourne Storm.

Where and when: ANZ Stadium, Friday May 16, 7:40pm

Odds Comparison:

South Sydney Rabbitohs	1.45	1.47	1.44	1.47	1.45	1.48
Melbourne Storm	2.85	2.75	2.85	2.75	2.85	2.70

All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.

Preview:

South Sydney travelled to the Gold Coast in round 9 to take on the Titans in what shaped up as a very enticing match with the Rabbitohs starting find their best form in recent weeks and the Titans having won six of their eight games however, inside of the first 20 minutes, the Rabbitohs had run in four tries and raced to a 22 – nil lead.

Whilst the Titans were able to slow the rate of scoring with two late first half tries, it was simply a position that they could not recover from with the Rabbitohs running three more tries in the second half, registering a comprehensive 40 – 18 win.

It was the Rabbitohs’ fourth win in the past five weeks and continued their improving form. It also highlighted how damaging the Rabbitohs can be in attack.

Exciting young centre Dylan Walker is proving to be a star of the future and adds another weapon to the Rabbitohs bristling back-line.

After a slow start to the season, it appears to be all systems go now for the Rabbitohs who after Melbourne this week, face three matches against teams currently outside of the eight and struggling for form.

A try in the 76^th minute to Melbourne Storm debutante Kurt Mann, saw the Storm produce another miraculous win in round 8, defeating Manly 22 – 19.

The Storm were trailing 19- 10 with ten minutes to go but star half-back Cooper Cronk rose to the occasion, scoring a try and setting up the four-pointer for Mann with a perfectly placed cross-field kick.

They now have won five games for the season, by margins of 1, 1, 8, 4 and 3 points, and hold onto the last spot in the top eight.

The win relieves some pressure for the Storm who had only one win from their previous five matches but it was a match that so could’ve easily seen them 1 – 6.

The Storm have a dominant record over the Rabbitohs, having win 15 of 18 games played between the two clubs since 2004 however, the most recent clash, the opening round of last year’s final series, went to the Rabbitohs 20 – 10 and the momentum over the past month is certainly with them when compared to the Storm.

The Rabbitohs appear set to record successive victories over Melbourne for the very first time.

Each of the last eight games between the two sides has seen the total match score reach no higher 34 points with the average sitting just over 30 but with South in point scoring mode at present, would expect more here.

Teams:

South Sydney Rabbitohs:
1. Greg Inglis 2. Alex Johnston 3. Dylan Walker 4. Kirisome Auva’a 5. Bryson Goodwin 6. John Sutton 7. Adam Reynolds 8. George Burgess 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. David Tyrrell 11. Kyle Turner 12. Ben Te’o 13. Sam Burgess. Interchange: 14. Cameron McInnes 15. Jason Clark 16. Chris McQueen 17. Luke Burgess 18. Joel Reddy 19. Ben Lowe

Melbourne Storm:
1.Billy Slater 2. Sisa Waqa 3. Will Chambers 4. Kurt Mann 5. Young Tonumaipea 6. Joel Romelo 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Bryan Norrie 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Ryan Hoffman 13. Ryan Hinchcliffe. Interchange: 14. Kenny Bromwich 15. Tohu Harris 16. Dayne Weston 17. George Rose

News:

Greg Bird claims players are confused about where they stand on lifting tackles after he successfully challenged his grade three charge at the NRL judiciary on Wednesday.

The Gold Coast and NSW back-rower saw his challenge on South Sydney winger Bryson Goodwin last Saturday reduced to a grade two offence after his case was put forward by former judiciary chairman Jim Hall.

Bird will now sit out the Titans’ clashes with Brisbane and the Warriors and is ineligible for selection for the State of Origin opener on May 28 in Brisbane.

But he admitted he was hugely relieved to not be slugged with a six-game ban which he would have received had his case not been successful, ruling him out of the entire Origin series.

“Players are confused, when you have a big man coming at you, you can’t shoulder charge, you can’t dive in below the knees, now you can’t bend your back and drive,” Bird said.

“It is getting complicated and it will be interesting to see where it goes from here.”

Bird admitted he feared becoming a scapegoat after becoming the first high-profile case to appear before the judiciary since the career-ending injury to Newcastle back-rower Alex McKinnon that led to the NRL issuing a crackdown on lifting tackles.

He also said he’d no choice but to look closely his tackling technique to ensure he doesn’t end up in hot water again.

“I was concerned, but consistency had to prevail,” he said.

“This is going to keep being a contentious issue for the rest of the year, what is a dangerous tackle and what is lifting?

“It’s definitely going to make you rethink your tackling technique and I think everybody is in the same boat.”

In a hearing that lasted just over 40 minutes at Rugby League Central, the three-man panel of Royce Ayliffe, Chris McKenna and Don McKinnon took less than 10 minutes to downgrade the charge.

Hall used comparable clips of tackles made by former Manly prop Richie Fa’aoso, and grade two incidents involving Wests Tigers centre Tim Simona and Bird’s Titans teammate Matt White.

Fa’aoso was hit with a grade three charge for a spear tackle on Souths star Greg Inglis last season and Bird argued his tackle was nowhere near as dangerous.

“I bent my back and to make a regulation tackle to try and put him on his back,” Bird told the hearing.

“I hit him around the waist and pushed him back. The momentum of the collision was upwards and wasn’t focused on one leg. I was trying to get him on the ground.”

NRL counsel Peter Kite argued that Goodwin’s head struck the ground first but Bird challenged the claim saying he landed forcefully on his back and shoulders first.

“The lift is high, the elbow is raised and you put the player in a dangerous position … Goodwin’s head hits the ground … it’s moderate to high force,” Kite said.

However, Hall said because his client didn’t have his hands between Goodwin’s legs, the head and neck weren’t pointing downwards and no injury was sustained, the incident didn’t warrant a grade three charge.

Meanwhile, South Sydney hooker Apisai Koroisau also had a victory at the judiciary and is free to face Melbourne at ANZ Stadium on Friday night after his grade two dangerous throw charge was downgraded.