NRL Round 22 Preview and Prediction - St.George Illawarra Dragons v South Sydney Rabbitohs @ SCG

St. George Illawarra Dragons (8th) v South Sydney Rabbitohs (14th) @ Sydney Cricket Ground
 
Preview - Rugby League returns to its spiritual home at the SCG as two old rivals, the Dragons and Rabbitohs, do battle on the famous old stomping ground. It's a crucial game for the home side in the Dragons who are currently holding on to 8th spot on differential alone, after a costly 21-14 loss to the last placed Knights in Newcastle last week. The Dragons have now lost 8 of their past 11 games, and memories of their early season form are fast slipping away as the Club now stares down missing the finals for the 5th time in the past 6 seasons. The Rabbitohs’ shocking season continued last week with a hapless 32-18 loss to the Raiders at ANZ Stadium. The Rabbitohs look all but certain to finish in the bottom 4, and could finish as low as 15th if they can't scramble together a couple of wins to finish off another disappointing season. 

History - Souths have really had the wood on the Dragons of late winning 5 of the past 6 clashes between the sides. When the sides last met the Bunnies ran out 34-24 victors in Round 11 of 2016. Overall the Dragons hold the advantage in the head to head stakes with 16 wins to Souths 11. 
 
St. George Illawarra Dragons’ Scouting Report - The Dragons have maintained their backline pecking order with youngster Matt Dufty retaining his place at fullback, with Josh Dugan shifting to the centres. With the Dragons having their first choice starting pack back together, they will be keen to get over a Souths’ pack that has largely been too heavily reliant on Sam Burgess this season. 
 
South Sydney Rabbitohs’ Scouting Report - The Rabbitohs desperately need to start this game better after an ordinary first half against the Raiders last week. Damien Cook will be looking to push his claims for a permanent starting role ahead of Robbie Farah in 2018, and gets another chance here with Farah on the bench. Sam Burgess remains in doubt for the game with an ongoing rib injury. 
 
Verdict - Dragons by 8-16

You would think the Dragons would win this game given what is at stake for them compared to Souths, however it’s hard to trust their form at the moment. However, the good news for the Dragons is they are playing Souths who are playing as poorly as any side in the NRL at the moment. I thought the Dragons were morals to beat Newcastle last week given Penrith were hot on their heels, however their loss gives me some cause for concern. I think, given this game is at the SCG, it takes away the home ground advantage for the Dragons and I expect this game to be a close game throughout. The Rabbitohs will be desperate for any sort of victory after a barren 4-game losing streak, and the Dragons need to win to stay ahead of the Panthers in 8th spot. I’ll go for the Dragons to win by a try or less, but not with a lot of confidence.