With week one of the finals done and dusted, we’re only 19 days away from the 2021 NRL Grand Final.
With Melbourne and South Sydney winning straight through to Preliminary Finals, matchups this weekend of Penrith versus Parramatta and Manly versus Sydney will decide who makes up the final four.
With the six best sides now battling it out for the ultimate success, rugby league greats Cameron Smith and Matty Johns were asked which teams they envision clashing for the ultimate prize at Suncorp Stadium on October 3.
“I think it’s Melbourne and the Rabbitohs,” Smith said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“I think it’s pretty clear cut now, after the loss on the weekend, Penrith will have to play their absolute best game of the season to reach a Grand Final.
“Firstly, they’ve got to get through Parramatta, then they’ll have to go through Melbourne who were red hot on Friday night.
“Then the Rabbits, they looked so composed, they played a solid style of football that works so well in finals.
“I don’t see either of the Roosters or Manly beating the Rabbitohs after what I saw on the weekend.”
Johns agreed with Smith, believing that the week off is too big of an advantage in the modern game for any team playing this week to beat a rested side.
“We used to think all the time whether it was better to have the week off, or keep playing to gain momentum,” Johns explained.
“It’s undeniable now that the advantage the week off gives you.
“For that reason, I’m with Cameron, I’m with Souths, and they’ll play Melbourne.
“There was a few worrying signs with Penrith, I’m not sure if they’re getting a bit of fatigue in their bones, or the very fact that it was a final and they weren’t up as emotionally as they should’ve been.
“I’m interested to see how they come up against this week, but I think it’s Souths and Melbourne, it’s really flipped the competition on its head.”
While Johns is predicting a Storm v Rabbitohs matchup, he gives Manly or Sydney a better chance of knocking off South Sydney compared to if Penrith won straight through.
“I said the loser of Melbourne and Manly couldn’t rebound to win the comp, but that was purely off if Penrith won in week one, I couldn’t see them beating the Panthers,” Johns said.
“But after that game, it’s really changed a lot of stuff.”