South Sydney Rabbitohs vs North Queensland Cowboys Prediction: Mitchell to lead Bunnies to five in six

A wide-open race for the NRL Telstra Premiership could work in the favour of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, who go for a fifth win in six on Saturday when they take on North Queensland Cowboys at Optus Stadium in Perth (08:30 BST, 15:30 local, live on Sky Sports Action).

The Bunnies are one of a number of teams who will believe they can capitalise on the four-time repeat champion Penrith Panthers’ continued struggles, but they do have a host of absences to contend with in round six. Below are my South Sydney Rabbitohs vs North Queensland Cowboys predictions, along with full team news and Betfred’s match odds.

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs North Queensland Cowboys Odds

At 4-1 for the season, Souths would normally be sizeable favourites over the 2-3 Cowboys, but a string of issues in the build-up to this one has North Queensland as slight favourites with Betfred.

The Cowboys are 4/5 to win the game in 80 minutes, with the Bunnies available at 21/20 for a third straight victory.

The draw is 20/1, while the regular handicap market is set at a narrow marker. The Rabbitohs are on just a 1.5-point start, with 10/11 given for Wayne Bennett’s side to make the most of that advantage. It’s 5/6 for Todd Payten to lead his team to the victory against the extra point-and-a-half.

Team News

Here’s where things are difficult for the Bunnies. Both Cody Walker and Jamie Humphreys suffered hamstring injuries in the Latrell Mitchell-inspired win over the Roosters in the big Sydney derby last week. That leaves Bennett needing to select an entirely new half-back pairing.

Mitchell moves into the number-six jumper, but there’s still no NRL debut for Lewis Dodd. The former St Helens scrum-half, who has been kept out by Humphreys to date, is unavailable for selection having picked up a suspension on NSW Cup duty.

Instead, it’s Jayden Sullivan who steps up from the bench to fill in at seven. Elsewhere, Alex Johnston is back after a rib issue and Euan Aitken returns from a pec injury to play in the centres.

Rugby League Odds

Having missed the round-five win over the Panthers due to illness, Cowboys co-captain Reuben Cotter is back at loose forward.

Sam McIntyre switches to the bench to make way, while former Warrington Wolves middle Thomas Mikaele is one of the reserve options.

Rabbitohs by 1-12 points @ 12/5

This one came in for us last week at 11/5, and at an even bigger price this time around – likely due to the turnover of Souths’ halves – I’m happy to back another narrow Rabbitohs success on Saturday.

Yes, they have to contend with some disruption, but they’ve had a week to come to terms with the absences of Walker and Humphreys. And in Mitchell they have the ultimate showman who could well revel in getting his hands on the ball some more.

His incredible two-man cut-out pass last week to set up Isaiah Tass’ winning try was something else, and that elusive running game could have the Cowboys second-guessing themselves all night.

The Bunnies have made a habit of making things tight, with their four wins so far coming at a combined 19-point advantage, so I reckon it will be a narrow victory again in Perth.

The price implies a 29.4% probability, but results so far make me think this has a real chance.

Double Result: Rabbitohs-Rabbitohs @ 19/10

The Rabbitohs aren’t known for their stability. Even last week against the Chooks they were behind, ahead, and behind again before coming from 14-8 down to win by six.

But I see them getting a lead and largely sticking with it on Saturday. From what I’ve seen of the Cowboys so far, they appear to be leaky in defence. Indeed, they have conceded an average of over 28 points per game so far.

And while they have gradually got better in that regard, keeping the champs down to 18 last week, they have looked susceptible to off-the-cuff stuff. Which is where Latrell Mitchell comes in.

There’s every chance that if the Bunnies get ahead and put North Queensland under pressure there will be further cracks, and while I don’t think the Cowboys will be too far off it, I reckon they’ll be kept at arm’s length long enough to give the cardinal and myrtle breathing space early.

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