Another chapter could very well be written in rugby league’s Book of Feuds when the Roosters and Rabbitohs face off in a blockbuster clash on Friday night.
Sure, the Rabbitohs sit 13th on the ladder and technically have nothing to play for, but make no mistake they’ll be up for this game like it was a preliminary final — especially when they have a chance to potentially end the finals hopes of their fiercest rivals.
The Roosters currently sit eighth on 30 points. A win will cement their spot in finals, however a loss will open the door for the Dolphins to leapfrog them, granted they overtake them on points differential, with the current difference being 15 — and of course two competition points.
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What does not bode well for the Tricolours is Ricky Stuart’s decision to rest majority of his regular 17.
After locking up the minor premiership, Stuart has given the likes of Joseph Tapine, Ethan Strange, Jamal Fogarty and Hudson Young the weekend off. Among the mass changes are three NRL debutants and four rookies with seven games or less under their belts.
The Dolphins are now short-priced favourites to beat Canberra, which means the Roosters have their own fate in the palm of their hands — and the Rabbitohs have a chance to really make a statement.
But the finals scenario is not the only layer to this clash. There’s been an unwelcomed off-field incident that’s impacted both clubs, while the result could also answer a question that’s been hanging over the Roosters’ future halves combination.
Bennett backs Smith despite allegations | 00:29
ROOSTERS VS SMITH
It’ll be interesting to see the reception that Brandon Smith gets at Allianz Stadium on Friday night — especially off the back of the headlines regarding him.
Smith spent two-and-a-half seasons at the Roosters but after failing to meet the expectations the club had for the marquee signing, he was granted a mid-year release to join the Rabbitohs.
This will be his fifth game back from an ACL injury and his first against his former club. But what makes the clash even spicier is the fact that Roosters star Victor Radley has been dragged into an off-field incident involving Smith.
Smith was charged with drug supply and betting offences last week with Radley’s name appearing in a police summons relating to Smith’s drug supply allegations.
But despite that brewing off the field, Robinson made it clear on Thursday that his side’s “sole focus” is purely on getting the two points.
“It’s purely what his traits are and if he’s coming off the bench and whether it stays that way. We know his strengths, so it’s been pure analysis on his game,” Robinson said when asked what his approach is to Smith, opting for cool professionalism over fire and brimstone.
“We’re not robots when we go out there (so you can’t expect players to not take on a former teammate), but it’s not the driving force.
“I know the simplification of it that it’s the driving force, but in the end, the prize is so much bigger than putting a shot on a guy. That’s not how it works. People like contests, but the purpose is much greater than that for us.”
THE CURIOUS CASE OF DCE…
While there’s been no contract signed and no one will admit an agreement has been made, the worst kept secret in rugby league is that Daly Cherry-Evans will join the Roosters next season.
But with Manly realistically out of the finals race and the Roosters still alive, questions have been raised over whether the Tricolours really need 36-year-old DCE.
The Roosters’ attack centres around Sam Walker, who has been thriving at halfback since returning from an ACL injury in Round 19. Meanwhile, five-eighth Hugo Savala has emerged as a real surprise packet for the Roosters this season.
That’s why Cherry-Evans’ arrival would cause a major ripple effect — one that Roosters fans hope will be worth it.
Despite the fact that both Cherry-Evans and Sam Walker are right-side specialists, the veteran’s addition would likely bump Walker to five-eighth. It’d also force Savala either to the bench or our of the 17 completely… only for Cherry-Evans to retire at the end of 2026.
That’s why many voices across the game have questioned whether it’s worth going after Cherry-Evans.
Josh Reynolds said on ESPN’s Boom Rookies podcast that “the emergence of Hugo Savala has changed everything” and this is a “very, very big call for the Roosters” given how well Savala and Walker are combining.
Meanwhile, Braith Anasta questioned on NRL 360 whether the Cherry-Evans decision by the Roosters was “a bit premature,” and journalist Paul Crawley declared it will be a “failed move” if it doesn’t deliver a premiership.
That doubt over the DCE deal is only going to intensify if Savala and Walker can steer the Roosters to a finals berth on Friday night.
DCE Bids Manly Goodbye Amid Move Rumours | 02:38
WALKER DEAL SHINES LIGHT ON SOUTHS’ PLAYMAKER DILEMMA
Cody Walker’s one year extension has again shown how much Souths have missed Adam Reynolds amid their lack of a succession plan for their halves.
At his best Walker is one of the bets playmakers in the game, but injuries have caught up with him late in his career and he has only played 10 games in 2025.
The soft tissue injuries with his calf and groin are a worrying sign given he will be 36 by the time next season kicks off and nearly 37 by the end of next year.
Walker was a late bloomer having only debuted in 2016 at the age of 26, which the club believes can help him play on into his mid to late 30s but rugby league players can grow old overnight.
Wayne Bennett even admitted Walker was re-signed due to the lack of options Souths have to replace him.
That claim makes the decision to let Reynolds leave in 2022 after their last grand final appearance even more difficult to swallow, given he will play on for a fifth season at the Broncos in 2026 after 76 games for Brisbane, including 20 this season.
While Walker has the potential to bounce back next year and play a full season, it is a risk placing the team in the hands of an ageing playmaker, but the real issue is Souths’ inability to unearth successors for Reynolds and Walker in the halves.
23-year-old halfback Jamie Humphreys had a strong start to the season, but his performances have tailed off over the course of a long rookie season and while he has the potential to be an elite half, he is not near that level yet after just 17 games for Souths in 2025.
Five-eighth Ashton Ward is still just 21 and has shown he has promise in five eye-catching performances in his rookie campaign, but he is also extremely early in his development. And we all know how signing Lewis Dodd from the Super League has worked out playing just six games, before being told he is free to leave one season into a three-year $2.1m deal.
If Reynolds can lead the Broncos to a drought-breaking title this season or next, it will make the decision to let him go because they didn’t want to give the then 31-year-old more than a one-year deal even more confounding as time goes on.
Ward and Humphreys may be excellent players in a couple of seasons, but if Walker struggles with injuries again in 2026, it will be a bitter pill to swallow for Souths fans.
Dan Ginnane brought up Bennett’s take on re-signing Walker as evidence Souths had no choice but to take the risk.
“Yes, but it’s risky. He’s now at an age where he is breaking down with soft tissue injuries, but what are they going to do? Wayne Bennett said this a month ago,” Ginnane said.
“He said it’s a risk but it’s a risk we have to take, hard to argue. Just in the fact that he is now injury prone, but I don’t think they had any other choice… he at his best is still one of the elite, Cliffy Lyons style, five-eighths in the competition.”
However, that is why clubs have succession plans, so they aren’t caught out when their star players get to the end of their careers and Souths should have seen this coming.
The other option they have is to turn Latrell Mitchell into a five-eighth, but he has only played 11 games in each of the last two seasons, so he has his own injury issues.
The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis believes Mitchell moving to five-eighth is a big possibility, which Bennett has flagged in the past for later in his career.
“For mine it’s not just longevity, it’s the emergence of Jye Gray. Gray has to be in that team week in, week out,” Carayannis said.
“He is a different fullback to Latrell. He’s running 250-300 metres, popping up in support. The best 13 for South Sydney, Jye Gray is in that now.
“So the question is now do you play Latrell at centre or five-eighth? I wouldn’t mind him in the No.6.”
Souths could also play Jack Wighton at No.6, but have shown an unwillingness to move him from the centres unless injuries strike and he has only managed 14 games and will be 33 next season.
Bennett has some big decision to make this off-season if he wants Souths to be legitimate contenders next season.
CAMERON MURRAY’S UNEXPECTED RETURN
Cameron Murray will play his first NRL game of the season, in arguably one of the most brutal ties of the year.
The 27-year-old suffered a pre-season Achilles rupture that looked destined to end his chances of taking the field in 2025.
But after a quicker than-expected recovery, Murray has been named on the pine to face South Sydney’s arch rivals the Roosters.
There’s no doubting Murray is one of the NRL’s premier forwards, but doubts have been cast over whether it’s a smart idea to risk re-injury in a game that has no finals ramifications for the Rabbitohs.
Rugby league supremo Phil Gould was of the opinion, if the Bulldogs were in a similar position, Murray would be put on ice.
“People were saying that if he could prove his fitness, he could go on the Kangaroos tour – but he said he’s not available,” Gould said on the Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
“He didn’t think that was very fair, not to play all season and then get someone’s spot in a rep team. That’s quite a sensible and mature thing for him to do.
“I’ll leave it to the medical team and the team that are dealing with him. It seems strange that just for the sake of one week in one game, you’d want to trot him out for this one.
“I don’t know that I’d be playing him, I think I’d be resting him.”
However, by playing Murray, Bennett has shown that beating the Roosters means a lot to the proud South Sydney club.
THE TURF WAR
Just to put the exclamation mark on the bitter rivalry between the Roosters and Rabbitohs, there’s been an ongoing tug of war between the two proud clubs over Allianz Stadium.
The Rabbitohs are keen to make a permanent move from Accor Stadium to Allianz, but the Roosters are having none of it after spending $12.5 million building their Centre of Excellence and offices inside the venue.
The Tricolours won’t have to worry too much about sharing their home though because the NSW government has rejected the Rabbitohs’ bid to get out of their deal with Accor Stadium, which runs to the end of 2030.
What they do have to worry about though is their use of Matraville Sports High after the Rabbitohs lodged an application with NSWRL to get stop the Roosters from using its facilities.
The high school is in the Rabbitohs’ local area, however the Roosters have been using it for pathways training sessions for 15 years.
South Sydney chair Nick Pappas accused the Roosters of hypocrisy given their efforts to block the Bunnies from using Allianz.
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