The final NRL game on Saturday night heads to Homebush with the Rabbitohs hosting the Eels. The two sides who have sacked their coaches this season face off with interim coaches filling the void. Both have had long seasons impacted by injuries and will be in desperate need of some consistency to add to their game. This game could deliver anything, including some exciting NRL action. Before You Bet is here to take a comprehensive look at the action ahead.
NRL Round 12 Preview & Betting Tips
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Parramatta Eels
Accor Stadium – Saturday 25th May – 7:35pm (AEST)
Match Preview
The Rabbitohs are stuck to both the bottom of the competition ladder and the NRL Power Rankings but there were small signs of improvement in their 28-22 loss to the Cowboys. Expected to struggle against a superior team, they came close at times, but still lacked execution in their kicking game to build pressure. They managed to have one of their highest completion rates of the season (83%), while also having a larger share of possession (53%). As it has been all season, defence is still an issue. They allowed 10.4m per carry (only 8.7m themselves), more PCM’s, 7 line breaks and they missed 39 tackles. Such effort areas must improve if they are to get their second win of the season.
The Eels faced the Storm in their fixture and were outclassed in all areas, defeated 48-16. Despite a tight first half where they trailed 16-10 at HT, when their opponents lifted into another gear, the Eels were powerless to stop them as they concede 5 second half tries. While they were ineffective carrying the ball, averaging just 8.2m per carry, it was their defence which let them down. They conceded 9.8m per carry, 9 line breaks and missed 35 tackles. They were made to pay for their mistakes, with a 72% completion rate making it challenging to build pressure. With Coach Arthur sacked late on Monday, things might get interesting with players needing to impress a new coach.
Match Prediction
This is an ugly game to invest upon. The Eels head into this match with Barrett at the helm, meanwhile, the Rabbitohs are winless under Hornby after sacking their coach. The Eels are relatively unchanged for this match following a poor defeat to the Storm. The Rabbitohs have finally made the call to shift Wighton to 5/8 alongside Walker, but the uncertainty of that combination will create doubt in the minds of punters.
On face value, the fact that the Eels are still missing Gutherson and Moses makes them difficult to invest upon. The Rabbitohs halves, along with Mitchell and Cook, will sense an opportunity to capitalise on the shortcomings of their opponents. It will not be easy though and their defence also must be improved; the Rabbitohs have conceded the most points of any team in the competition to date (34ppg vs Eels 29ppg). Points are also hard to come by for either team (Rabbitohs 16ppg vs Eels 18ppg), removing any last fragments of confidence which may have exist in this match.
Ideally, you should stay away from this game completely. There are other fixtures that are worth investing on. The variables over 80 minutes are too much to part with your money. If you must, the price on the Rabbitohs, who are favourites ($1.85 vs $1.95) is too high for a team who is facing off against one without several star players. Then again, anything is possible.
Rabbitohs to Win
$1.85 (1 Unit)
