SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS

What we’ve learnt: The Rabbitohs showed plenty of resilience in both their finals, losing the first by a point and winning the second by the same margin. Their win over the Dragons last weekend wasn’t pretty but they ground it out and showed the mental steel you need to win a premiership.

Strengths: Souths have one of the best forward packs in the comp. With George and Tom Burgess in the front row and Sam Burgess, John Sutton and Angus Crichton in the back row, they’ve got a pack capable or ripping any team apart. If they get on the front foot, look out for Damien Cook. He is the quickest dummy-half in the business and doesn’t need an invitation to run. His second half against the Dragons last week was super.

Weakness: The Bunnies’ left-side defence was found wanting against the Storm in week one of the finals, leaking three tries. The Bunnies were better down that side against the Dragons, but will need to improve again against the Roosters. Souths will also need to improve their discipline. They gave away several silly penalties against the Dragons and came up with a number of crucial errors coming out of their own end.

Key man: Greg Inglis is a fantastic player with a stack of talent, but his infectious attitude is his most important attribute. When GI is on there’s few more influential players in the game. When the Bunnies were on the ropes last week, GI came from the left-hand side of the field over to the right to make a big tackle. Those little things give teammates around him a boost.

Prediction: This one is a toss of a coin. The Roosters will be well rested after a week off while Souths are coming in battle-hardened after a gruelling win over the Dragons. If the South Sydney pack can lay a solid platform, I feel the Bunnies’ spine of Adam Reynolds, Cody Walker and Cook will have too many points for the Roosters. Souths by six.