Sunday’s third NRL Round 17 match is between South Sydney Rabbitohs and New Zealand Warriors with the opening kick to commence at 4.30pm local time. The game is to be played at nib Stadium which see’s home team New Zealand Warriors hold favouritism in the market. View our NRL live scores, odds and results for the game between South Sydney Rabbitohs and New Zealand Warriors.
WHERE AND WHEN: nib Stadium, Perth, Sunday 4.30pm (WA time)
Opening odds comparison:
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| South Sydney Rabbitohs | 1.30 | 1.30 | 1.30 | 1.30 | 1.30 | 1.31 |
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New Zealand Warriors
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3.50 | 3.50 | 3.60 | 3.50 | 3.50 | 3.55 |
Preview:
The South Sydney Rabbitohs play the New Zealand Warriors on Sunday, 4.30pm Perth time at NIB Stadium. The Rabbitohs have had a fantastic year so far, four points clear on top of the ladder and playing as well as ever as the season matures. If they can hold on over the next couple of months, Michael Maguire may just manage to give South Sydney their first premiership in 42 long years. They do face a number of challenges over this time, however, including the Warriors this weekend. The New Zealand outfit have not lost a game since round 10, although this will be their biggest test by far.
Teams:
South Sydney Rabbitohs:
Greg Inglis, Nathan Merritt, Bryson Goodwin, Dylan Walker, Andrew Everingham, John Sutton, Adam Reynolds, Dave Tyrrell, Issac Luke, Roy Asotasi, Chris McQueen, Ben Te’o, Sam Burgess. Interchange: Nathan Peats, Ben Lowe, Jeff Lima, George Burgess, Tom Burgess, Justin Hunt, Dylan Farrell (three to be omitted).
New Zealand Warriors:
Kevin Locke, Glen Fisiiahi, Dane Nielsen, Konrad Hurrell, Manu Vatuvei, Thomas Leuluai, Shaun Johnson, Sam Rapira, Nathan Friend, Ben Matulino, Feleti Mateo, Simon Mannering (capt), Elijah Taylor. Interchange: Russell Packer, Jacob Lillyman, Todd Lowrie, Dominique Peyroux, Ngani Laumape, Suaia Matagi, Charlie Gubb (three to be omitted).
Vatuvei a chance, Packer out for Warriors
Winger Manu Vatuvei remains an injury doubt but will travel with the Warriors for their NRL match against competition leaders South Sydney in Perth on Sunday.
Vatuvei limped off the field early in the second half of the Warriors’ 18-16 win over Brisbane last Sunday after getting a whack to his right shin.
The incident left him with a contusion that is responding to treatment, but he sat out the team’s training session on Thursday ahead of their flight on Friday.
Coach Matthew Elliott says a decision on whether Vatuvei – who has 10 tries in 11 matches season – would play against the Rabbitohs will be made on Saturday.
NRL rookie Ngani Laumape, who has impressed in his seven first-grade appearances to date, will come into the starting side if Vatuvei is ruled out.
Meanwhile, prop Russell Packer, originally named on the bench, is still troubled by an ankle injury and will remain in Auckland.
Packer picked up the injury in training last week and was a late withdrawal from the match against the Broncos.
The Warriors go in against South Sydney on the back of a five-match winning streak, which makes them the competition’s form side and has lifted them to 10th on the table.
However, Elliott was looking for further improvement from his players operating as a team within the structures put in place.
He said some of the wins had been the result of individual plays, such at the Konrad Hurrell’s late 90-metre intercept try against the Broncos.
“Victories cover over cracks, don’t they,” he said.
“We were lucky at the weekend, let’s be honest.
“There was a forward pass adjudicated that, if I was the opposing coach, I wouldn’t have been really happy about.
“Even Konny’s match-winning play was probably that far off being a match-losing play.”