There has been plenty of comments far and wide about how Souths will cope without star halfback Adam Reynolds next year but the skipper is confident he s leaving Souths in a strong position.
Since being told he couldn t be squeezed under the South Sydney salary cap when his deal expires at the end of this year, Reynolds was the hottest property on the market for a raft of clubs looking for a veteran playmaker of his quality.
The interest from media has been as strong as the interest from rival clubs, with Reynolds happy to no longer be a weekly headline as he casts his gaze towards finishing strongly with the Rabbitohs before the fresh challenge in a new city that awaits at the Broncos
Team news
Rabbitohs: Cody Walker has been moved to fullback and rookie Dean Hawkins from the reserves list to five-eighth. Alex Johnson is back on the wing and Taane Milne was omitted 24 hours before the match.
Jed Cartwright replaces Jacob Host on the bench. Hame Sele is the 18th man while Troy Dargan and Milne were the two players left out on the eve of the match.
The Rabbitohs have won only three of their past 19 games against the Storm, while Johnston has scored 13 tries in his past 10 games at Stadium Australia.
Storm: Harry Grant will come off the bench with Brandon Smith starting at hooker and Tui Kamikamica playing at lock.
Wayne Bennett will be forced to pull several Rabbitohs out of his hat with more than $3 million of star power sidelined for Thursday s blockbuster clash with premiers Melbourne.
South Sydney will go into one of the modern game s more intense rivalries without three of their biggest names, with Adam Reynolds (thumb), Cameron Murray (ankle) and Latrell Mitchell (suspension) are unavailable and amounting to around $2.4 million in salaries alone.
Reynolds is facing up to six weeks out pending a surgical consult, Murray and centre Campbell Graham (broken hand) will both be sidelined for the next month and young winger Jaxson Paulo (fractured wrist) won t be in action for up to eight weeks.
Team news
Rabbitohs: Forward Hame Sele, who survived the first round of squad cuts, has been cleared to play if selected after recovering from a rib injury. Named in the reserves, he provides another option for Wayne Bennett. Utility Dean Hawkins will debut off the interchange.
Winger Jaxson Paulo and halfback Troy Dargan were omitted 24 hours ahead of kick-off.
Benji Marshall has taken the No.6 jersey in place of the suspended Cody Walker while Jacob Host will come into the back row for Keaon Koloamatangi (also suspended).
The Rabbitohs have won three of their past four games against the Broncos.
Melbourne Storm vs South Sydney Rabbitohs: Thursday Night Forecast A Set the default text size A Set large text size
Replay A Set the default text size A Set large text size
Life after Cameron Smith will begin for the Melbourne Storm as they launch the 2021 NRL season at home against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, with both sides carrying high expectations.
If there is one story which has dominated the headlines this off-season, it has been the eventual destination of Smith.
The legendary figure still hasn’t uttered a word about his future, and the only fact clear as we start the season is that he won’t be in Melbourne, or running out for any other club… Yet