I have great confidence in how the mighty Rabbitohs will perform this year. I’m looking forward to a fantastic season. I cannot see any fault in the team we have (then again, I am a one-eyed Rabbitoh!).
With the player group we have, all playing together for more than a season, including front-men Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker, Alex Johnston and Damien Cook, and of course our captain Cam Murray, I predict a grand final between Souths and Parramatta, with Souths to win!
My top-four prediction is Souths, Parramatta, Canterbury and Cronulla. I hate to predict the wooden spoon, but if St George don’t pull themselves together and start playing some rugby league, they could very well claim the honour.
Round 1 showed me how good our side can be. The 27-18 victory over the Sharks at Pointsbet Stadium was positive. Ilias did really well. Mitchell’s goal kicking was excellent. It was a hard game played up the middle. I would have liked to see Souths spread the ball out a bit more.
T20 Women triumph
Steve Turner reports: Australia has won a sixth Women’s T20 World Cup title after defeating South Africa by 19 runs at Newlands in South Africa. An unbeaten half-century from Player of the Match Beth Mooney ensuring the defending champions secured a coveted three-peat.
The hosts fell short of the 157-run target despite a stellar batting performance from opener Laura Wolvaardt, who scored 61 (48) during the chase.
“We’ve been longing for this moment since the last World Cup,” Australian all-rounder Ash Gardner, unveiled as Player of the Tournament, said during the post-match presentation. “We’ve played some fantastic cricket throughout this tournament. We probably weren’t in winning positions throughout the game, but we scrapped and we fought and we bowled the absolute house down. I’m just super proud of this group.”
Meg Lanning becomes the first captain to win five ICC trophies, cementing her status as one of the sport’s modern greats.
“You guys are very annoying,” South African captain Sune Luus joked after the defeat. “You guys have been inspiring the world of cricket for a very long time. A lot of players look up to you guys, and I think you just showed your class again today, so well deserved, and well done.”
