Panthers v Rabbitohs NRL qualifying final tips, prediction and betting preview
Welcome to our preview of the Penrith Panthers v South Sydney qualifying final at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville, on Saturday night, September 11.
This is the second match of a tremendous NRL finals double-header at the stadium, with all NRL finals being played in Queensland because of the COVID-19 outbreak in the southern states.
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The earlier match is the Roosters v Titans clash and this is definitely the pick of the matches, with both of those teams having strong claims to winning the title this year.
In any other year, the dazzling Rabbitohs might well be hot favourites for the title; they have torn teams apart all season, especially with their deadly left-side attack, and head into the finals with an impressive record of 20 wins against only four losses.
But incredibly, that record was good enough for only third on the table behind the astonishing 21-3 records of the heavyweight Melbourne Storm and Penrith combinations.
Throw in the fact that the Bunnies will be without superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell after his moment of madness and you can see why they have been somewhat written off as contenders, though that could all change with an upset win in this final against the Panthers.
Penrith have won the past five meetings between these teams and won both matches during the 2021 season in great style: 56-12 in round 11 and 25-12 in round 23.
They go into this match at the peak of their powers, while Souths must adjust on the fly and pin their faith in some hugely talented youngsters to pick up the slack.
Team news for Panthers-Rabbitohs final
The Panthers fielded close to their best team last weekend against Parramatta and have made two changes, with injured Scott Sorensen (wrist) and Tyrone May (knee) replaced by Mitch Kenny and Spencer Leniu.
The Rabbitohs took another approach and rested a stack of first-team players for the final-round win against the Dragons, and those players will obviously be fresh for this. The Bunnies will be confident after their second-string outfit was too good for the Dragons.
There will be great interest in the form of young fullback Blake Taaffe, who has been handed the No.1 jersey with Mitchell suspended for the rest of the season for his high shot on Roosters star Joey Manu.
The Rabbitohs also welcome back tough front-rower Keaon Koloamatangi from a suspension.
Continue reading for our free Panthers v Rabbitohs betting tips and winner prediction for their NRL qualifying final on Saturday, September 11, 2021.
Start: | 7:50pm AEST, September 11 |
Venue: | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville |
Head-to-head odds: | Penrith ($1.27) v South Sydney ($3.90) |
Line betting: | Penrith -10.5 ($1.95) v South Sydney +10.5 ($1.85) |
Premiership odds: | Penrith $2.60; Souths $10 |
Penrith Panthers v South Sydney Rabbitohs tips – NRL QF 2021
Our NRL betting expert has examined the markets and found value Penrith-Souths tips:
Souths +11.5/match total under 44.5 points double
Penrith have built their dominance this season on the back of incredible defence, and we expect them to turn this one into a real finals grind. They can’t afford to let the Rabbitohs backs get a roll on, so this should be a battle of attrition but the Rabbitohs certainly can hold their own in that style of game.
Matt Burton anytime try-scorer
The Panthers centre has been a try-scoring phenomenon this season with 16 from 22 games in a team which tends to spread the try-scoring load more than the other major contenders. Burton has been outstanding, and has also filled in in at different positions through the year. He’s a great chance to score at least one.
Penrith Panthers v South Sydney Rabbitohs prediction 11/9/2021
Souths have attracted good support with Australian betting sites, escpecially at the heft points line and that’s fair enough as they are an exciting and talented team. This is shaping up as a battle between the best defence in the league against one of the best attacks. We think the defence might just win out this time, with the Panthers also being helped by the rising superstar of the comp in Nathan Cleary calling the shots from halfback. Either way this will be a cracking match between two high-class side.. Our final Penrith-Souths prediction? Panthers by 4 points.
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