NRL Round 5 Preview - Dragons v Rabbitohs @ Jubilee Stadium

St. George Illawarra Dragons v South Sydney Rabbitohs @ Jubilee Oval
 
Preview - The Dragons will be looking to stay undefeated in their blistering start to 2018 when they host the Rabbitohs at Jubilee Oval on Friday night. The Dragons are white hot at the moment, having won their last two games by 36 and 18 points, after beating Newcastle 30-12 at WIN Stadium on Sunday. The Rabbitohs came from 16-10 down with 7 minutes to go to scramble over the line against the Bulldogs to get to 2-2 on the season. 
 
St George Illawarra Dragons’ Scouting Report - No surprises here with Paul McGregor sticking with the side following four wins on the trot. Jack De Belin is a player playing out of his skin at the moment in a Dragons’ forwards pack that would have to be rated the best in the competition through four rounds. Gareth Widdop and Ben Hunt are causing all sorts of problems on the back of that momentum, with some really quick and pin-point ball movement. 
 
South Sydney Rabbitohs’ Scouting Report - Souths have suffered a massive blow with Sam Burgess suspended for 2 weeks. However they do welcome back Adam Reynolds after he missed the past three games with a knee injury. Adam Doueihi moves to the bench. Richie Kennar (hamstring) again misses out.
 
Verdict - Dragons by 6-16

I expect this to be a really good quality game, however Souths will need to step up a few gears if they any chance of knocking off this Dragons’ side at Kogarah without Sam Burgess. The Dragons are playing with speed and power at the moment, and Souths have a few frailties that could easily be exposed. Despite some returning trips, this is not an easy game for the likes of Adam Reynolds to waltz into after a few weeks off. Saints have been hard to beat over the years at their traditional home grounds, despite being an average side. This year they are a really good side and I expect them to get the job done here in a closer game than many people expect.