NRL Round 24: South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Sydney Roosters preview, teams
Ahead of a potential finals preview, Souths playmaker Adam Reynolds has issued a huge warning to the club’s NRL premiership rivals.
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A defiant Adam Reynolds says South Sydney is still better placed than at this time last year heading into Friday night’s crucial clash with arch rivals the Sydney Roosters.
It comes as Reynolds brushed off a heavy spray from Mick Ennis who claimed the Rabbitohs skipper went missing when the match was on the line against Penrith while halves partner Cody Walker’s emotions got the better of him.
But Reynolds was adamant on Monday that Wayne Bennett and the rest of the coaching staff had walked away “happy” with the performance of Souths’ halves.
Reynolds also revealed veteran winger Josh Mansour has probably played his last game for the club after picking up a knee injury.
Bennett was on Monday also still tossing up whether to rest Damien Cook this week after he picked up a minor leg injury.
Cook has indicated he wants to play but the coach is yet to make his call on whether it would be a greater benefit to give his dummy half a rest in the countdown to the finals. Young hooker Peter Mamouzelos is on standby just in case, while Jaxson Paulo is likely to get the call up to cover Mansour’s absence on the wing.
While Souths are already guaranteed to finish no lower than third with only two rounds of the regular season remaining, there is a legitimate concern another loss to the injury-ravaged Roosters would be a huge psychological blow on the eve of the finals.
But Reynolds was anything but upset with his own performance against Penrith, shaking off Ennis’ criticism like it was water off a duck’s back.
Ennis gave a brutal analysis on Fox Sports’ Big League Wrap on Sunday night, saying Souths No 7 “was non-existent in the second half when they were on the back foot”, while Walker “tried to force his hand” and “played emotionally” which was why “he came up with errors”.
Ennis also claimed Bennett would have some “concerns” how his halves “melted” under the blowtorch applied by the Panthers’ Origin halves Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai.
But Reynolds reasoned the amount of mistakes and lack of possession and field position was the real issue.
“Mick can have his say. Everyone is entitled to their say,” Reynolds said.
“But it is pretty hard to play some footy when we are making mistakes on our own line and camped down our own end.
“I’m not making excuses but I thought we were pretty good for much of the night, myself and Cody.
“Our coaches were happy with us so that’s all that matters.
“Obviously it would have been nice to get up their end and play some footy but we just didn’t allow ourselves to do that.”
Asked if Souths walk away with more or less confidence that they can now take it to the top two teams in Penrith and Melbourne who they now haven’t beaten for two years, he responded: “We walk away probably a bit more confident than we were sort of this time last year.
“We know we can match it with the top two teams.
“Obviously the scoreline doesn’t reflect it but there were moments in that game when we well and truly thought we were on top of them.
“It is just about doing it consistently for the 80 minutes.”
There’s no question the lopsided 11-2 penalty count didn’t help, while Mansour had a night to forget trying to defuse Cleary’s towering bombs.
Souths also got a tough call on the controversial “downtown penalty” that went against Mark Nicholls.
Reynolds conceded “I wasn’t aware of the exact ruling” but says Souths still need to handle adversity better going forward.
“We can’t dwell on what’s happened … a ref has made a decision. Whether it is the right one or wrong one we have just got to get on with it,” he said.
“It is probably a good lesson for us to just get on with our job.”
THE STATS WHICH SHOW TEDESCO IS STILL NRL’S BEST
Nick Walshaw
Roosters superstar James Tedesco is on the cusp of reclaiming his mantle as rugby league’s No. 1 player as he heads into a blockbuster Friday Night Football showdown with South Sydney — and a hyped rematch with Bunnies enforcer Jai Arrow.
In a year where a host of players have staked their claim for the crown of rugby league’s best – most notably Tom Trbojevic, Cody Walker and Nathan Cleary – the numbers now reveal Tedesco to be hitting peak form for the NRL playoffs.
It comes as the Roosters No. 1 revealed his teammates would not be looking to target Souths enforcer Arrow, as they had earlier this year in Round 3, following an unsavoury incident involving the pair during the 2020 State of Origin series.
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Tedesco said that while his fellow Roosters had taken things “personally” in this season’s first encounter between the clubs, they have subsequently spoken about not playing on emotion in their upcoming NRL derby match.
Regardless, Tedesco has taken his own game to new levels in recent weeks.
According to the Fox Sports Laboratory, since Round 19 the Roosters captain has racked up most metres, most tackle busts and second most try assists of any player in the game.
Against St George Illawarra last Sunday, Tedesco ran for a staggering 280m, which is a career best figure for the NSW and Australian Test star.
He also had four try assists against the Dragons, with his tally over the past six weeks now at 10 — only one behind Bunnies No. 6 Walker.
Better, the devastating fullback will now bring that form into Friday night’s NRL derby with Souths, which also doubles as another showdown between the Roosters and Arrow.
Back in Round 3, the Bunnies enforcer was continually challenged by the Roosters pack, most notably Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, and was even punched in the back of the head by Tricolours forward Daniel Suluka-Fifita – which resulted in the youngster being sin binned.
The chaos was effectively the Roosters way of seeking revenge on the Queensland Origin tough who, during the series finale in 2020, had lifted an unconscious Tedesco off the ground and then thrust him back into it.
Asked about the pair now coming up against each other again in Friday Night Football, Tedesco laughed: “I’d forgot all about that actually”
So no more payback?
“There’s definitely been no focus about him this week,” he continued of Arrow. “There was obviously a bit (in Round 3) because of what happened last year — the boys took that a bit personal.
“But it bit us in the backside because we had someone sin binned. So it’s been a big focus for us not to play with emotion, because it has got the best of us sometimes.
“For us it’s about getting the job done with no emotion attached.”
Reminded Roosters prop Waerea-Hargreaves had been obviously seeking Arrow out in the first encounter this year, Tedesco continued: “Jared fires up quite a bit.
“It’s not abnormal for him to get angry or aggressive, that’s his nature on the field. But I don’t think you will see anything like that (on Friday night).
“It will be the natural competition between us and Souths.”
Quizzed on his form surge in the past six weeks, Tedesco credited being able to focus solely on the NRL after an arduous Origin campaign with NSW.
“The Origin period is draining, and you have a lot of focus on that,” he said. “But once that is all done it’s time for me to focus on myself and the Roosters.
“Robbo gave me the break after Origin and now I’m ready to lead the boys to some success at the end of the year.
“I’m enjoying the responsibility of leading these boys and to do that I have to play my best footy. I put that on myself. I need to lead the way and I want to keep doing that.”
So what chance he is also finding motivation in the form of so many fullbacks this year, including good mate and Manly Sea Eagle Trbojevic?
“I enjoy watching Tommy play, a lot of people do,” Tedesco said.
“But it’s really motivation … not like I’m trying to outdo him or anything like that.
“I enjoy watching him as a footy fan, as a fullback, some of the stuff he does.
“But if I try to focus on Tommy or other players that takes away from my best footy. So I have to remind myself to not try and be like someone else because that takes away from my instincts and natural footy.
“I need to focus on myself and not worry about other people.”
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