The South Sydney Rabbitohs banked a statement win in NRL Round 24, all but assuring their own finals hopes and fending off a trending Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs side in the process.
While I’m more than happy to talk about that result as a Bunnies fan, it also highlighted a bit of a theme throughout the NRL whole with three rounds to play.
Fatigue levels are high across the competition right now and some are feeling the pinch more than others.
Those with a full complement of forwards are reaping the rewards of a deep and healthy roster while those without a full strength forward rotation are being hung out to dry.
We saw Canberra enjoy the benefits of a healthy pack in a run of form a month ago before injuries struck again in the nation’s capitol. Manly and the Gold Coast are in a similar boat right now, while Newcastle are somehow bucking the trend to win three straight while Dylan Lucas and Jacob Saifiti have sat out.
For South Sydney – a team that ranks mid-table for total run metres (9th in NRL) and post-contact (13th) – to simply run through Canterbury’s pack on Saturday speaks to this theme.
With a net-positive 400+ metres yardage differential and 103m more run through contact, the Bunnies bashed and bullied the Bulldogs from siren-to-siren in NRL Round 24.
Much of this can be put down to the healthiest forward-rotation Souths have employed all season; Sean Keppie, Lachlan Hubner and Euan Aitken have all filled big minute starting roles at different times but now make up a handy rotation for the Bunnies off the bench.
And now that the troops have returned, there is a silver lining to Souths injury-disrupted campaign.
Not only are those injured players returning to a side that has managed to find different ways to win, they’re also returning with fresh legs for the finals.
Jack Wighton missed a large chunk in the middle of the year but is a lockdown defensive centre on the right edge right now. His try saver on Stephen Crichton (and helped by Tallis Duncan all the way over from the left edge, no less) was one of a few highlight moments off the ball for Souths last week and captures the best qualities of this Rabbitohs side.
For a team stacked with individual attacking talent, the best version of South Sydney in 2026 has manifested itself in those desperate defensive moments.
On the back of their defence, the Rabbitohs are making a habit of marching up the field and quickly cashing in themselves. Cody Walker laid on a beauty for David Fifita last week; flipping Connor Tracey to the short-side before rolling one into the in-goal on the open-side for his backrower.
And in good-ball, the Bunnies play coast-to-coast in attack as well as anyone right now.
Alex Johnston’s try last week was a perfect example; Matt Dufty plays long for Campbell Graham to strip them on the right before Walker puts Tallis Duncan into space on the left, one tackle later. It was a familiar look for a South Sydney attack that is having consistent joy hitting defensive systems in one spot before stripping them elsewhere on the following tackle.
To potentially introduce Latrell Mitchell on top of this formula will throw a huge curve ball in the 2026 finals race.
Currently priced at $21 for the Premiership, there’s an argument for South Sydney as a value bet while the market zeros in on Easts, Penrith & New Zealand.
NRL Round 24 Wrap
Lindsay Collins returned from an extended layoff last week and his numbers were typically underwhelming; 35 minutes, 67 run metres, 24 tackles with 3 misses. Collins is the personification of stats not always painting the full picture and NRL Round 24 was no exception. His try saver on Scott Sorensen – when the game was in the balance and Penrith had the momentum – was a huge play and another vote of confidence in Easts premiership push.
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The Dolphins aren’t short of game breakers but Selwyn Cobbo profiles as a genuine point-of-difference for Redcliffe in the finals series. His ability to execute on half-chances – or whatever you want to call that try he scored in the corner against Manly – puts him in rare company as one of the best wingers in the NRL right now. He scores tries other players simply can’t and his workrate out of the backfield is a key cog in the Dolphins yardage machine.
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Cronulla are sweating on the fitness of Braydon Trindall given how the Sharks attack fell apart on Saturday without him. We’ve been here before with Nicho Hynes in a lead playmaking role; there’s a reason Craig Fitzgibbon has worked hard to transition Cronulla’s attack this year and the old rhetoric around their finals form will likely return if Trindall doesn’t.
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One week after I wrapped the Warriors systems for producing two Dally M-leading halfbacks in consecutive seasons, they’ll now have to turn to a third in the wake of Luke Metcalf’s injury. The way New Zealand performed throughout the season with Te Maire Martin in the No.7 jumper should fill Wahs fans with confidence, but there’s a bit of disruption for Andrew Webster to manage this week given Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad is also missing (suspended). I like South Sydney ($2.30 H2H) to make it a contest this weekend.