It’s been a disrupted end to the pre-season for the Dolphins’ third season in the NRL, with Tropical Cyclone Alfred bearing down on southeast Queensland causing havoc for the Dolphins and their preparation. With several players foregoing the season opener to be with family, the Dolphins are going to be short handed for the clash against the Bunnies, who themselves have had their own off-season issues with injuries to stars Latrell Mitchell and Cam Murray. An interesting clash awaits at CommBank Stadium, with two teams looking to get their season off to a wining start. We bring you our full preview and betting tips below!
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South Sydney Rabbitohs vs The Dolphins
Location: CommBank Stadium – Sydney
Date: Friday, 7th March
Time: 8:00pm AEDT
Odds: Rabbitohs ($1.77) vs Dolphins ($2.05)
Line: Rabbitohs -1.5
Points: 42.5
Odds and lines provided with thanks to Ladbrokes. Note that odds and lines can fluctuate throughout the week and are correct at the time of writing.
Match Preview
The Rabbitohs have taken over as the home team in this round 1 clash, after the NRL decided to have the game moved to Sydney so as to avoid Tropical Cyclone Alfred affecting the game. The change of location hasn’t been the only disruption, with the Dolphins losing Kodi Nikorima, Mark Nicholls, and 18th man Kenny Bromwich. They have been replaced by Sean O’Sullivan at five eighth, Josh Kerr on the bench, and Oryn Keeley as 18th man. The Rabbitohs are expected to line-up unchanged, with Cody Walker (calf), Campbell Graham (hand), and Tevita Tatola (foot) all good to go.
These teams have met twice since the Dolphins entered the competition in 2023, with each team winning a game apiece.
Last season, the teams met in round 19 at Kayo Stadium, with the Dolphins going off as 1.5-point home favourites, with the total closing 49.5. The Dolphins won a back-and-forth track meet, scoring six tries to five in a 36-28 win. Jack Bostock had a huge game, running for 277 metres, breaking the line three times, and scoring a try. Keaon Koloamatangi was huge upfront for the Rabbitohs, running for 185 metres and making 40 tackles in the loss.
The Dolphins were 3.5-point favourites heading into this clash prior to the Tropical Cyclone information coming through, which obviously not only takes away the Dolphins home field advantage, but also drops them with the loss of Kodi Nikorima as their starting five eighth. The favourite has now changed, with the Rabbitohs now short favourites in the market. I’m not sure I agree with this, and sense that the market may have exaggerated the level of disruption to the Dolphins for this game. The Rabbitohs are without their starting 1 and 13 and are also missing Damien Cook who left for the Dragons in the off-season. The Rabbitohs appear to be overrated in the market, and I believe that’s mainly down to the Wayne Bennett factor.
Speaking of Bennett, he returns to the Rabbitohs where he famously led the cardinal and myrtle for three season (2019-2021). Bennett was last seen coaching the Rabbitohs in a losing Grand Final effort in 2021, with the Bunnies narrowly going down 14-12 to the Panthers. Whilst Bennett is a massive Kew for the Bunnies, there’s only so much he can do with a limited roster, as shown by his time at the Dolphins.
Despite the Dolphins looking the better team by my numbers, the Bennett factor has me siding with the Bunnies here. In 2019 in his first season with the Rabbitohs, they started 10-1 and were top of the table after round 11. He also famously got the Dolphins off to a flyer in 2023. Where he goes, wins follow, and I’ll take the Rabbitohs to win this one.
Rabbitohs -1.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Same Game Multi
Throughout the 2025 NRL season we’ll be putting together a fun same game multi for every match at BoomBet using their BetShare feature.
To follow our multi, just click on the BoomBet BetShare button below and our same game multi selections will be added straight into your bet slip on BoomBet. You can then enter how much you wish to wager, and with a single click, your bet has been placed!
Leg 1: Rabbitohs to Win – As above, the Bunnies should start fast with new coach Wayne Bennett, and with the game moved back to Sydney, the Rabbitohs should win for mine.
Leg 2: Jamayne Isaako (1+ try) – Isaako had a down year last season, scoring only 12 tries in 24 games, however managed 24 tries in 2023. With the fourth lowest odds to score a try, I see good value in adding Isaako to your multi against a Rabbitohs team that conceded a whopping 85% of tries last season on the edges.
Leg 3: Tyrone Munro (1+ try) – Boom youngster Munro managed to score 3 tries last year in 4 games on the back of this Bunnies backline. The Dolphins conceded 76% of their tries last season on an edge, and I expect them to struggle to contain the young winger in this one.
SGM Odds: $7.50 at BoomBet
