Panthers vs Rabbitohs betting preview & top tips – Friday, 1/4/22

The Penrith Panthers and South Sydney Rabbitohs will face off in a Grand Final rematch when they lock horns on Friday evening at BlueBet Stadium. When the two teams who faced off in a premiership decider come together the following season, it is a game that all fans wait the entire summer to see. Penrith come in as the competition leaders and the $1.39 favourite, having not lost at BlueBet Stadium since Round 19 in 2019 at their home venue.

South Sydney Rabbitohs may be the outsider at $3.10, but they could be good value at the +7.5 handicap, with Latrell Mitchell rounding back into his best form. Many believe had Mitchell not been suspended that the result in the Grand Final would have gone the other way, so the Bunnies’ superstar will no doubt be out to dominate the contest.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Penrith Panthers have won 45 games, lost five and had one draw. Just read that again. 45 wins from their last 51 starts. To get almost $1.40 in a two-horse race is actually decent value. Consider that they will get Nathan Cleary back into the side after having shoulder surgery in the offseason and most likely James Fisher-Harris from the extended bench, it is really hard to look past the Panthers to move to a 4-0 start for the 2022 season. Liam Martin is another who may push for a late inclusion after being a late scratching in Round Three, which means Brian To’o is the only missing star unavailable. While To’o is on the shelf for several weeks, they unearthed a future star in Taylan May, who bagged a treble of tries against the Knights. Bet365 has him as the $8 favourite to score the first try of the match, while his running mate Izaak Tago is sensational value at $14 on his inside.

Penrith may have got the 13 plus win last start against a 12-man Knights side in the second half, but they were forced to work hard and they proved to be sloppy at different stages. The 1-12 margin looks the better way to go for this one, Souths will turn up ready to produce their best.

While many think they’ll fall to the reigning NRL premiers, the +7.5 line is the way to go for Souths. They’ve progressively got better each week and both their losses were close games, and Latrell Mitchell will be in his third run back from a long pre-season. Having Mitchell ascend closer to his best form will open the game up for Cody Walker, who hasn’t been able to have a consistent option to look for when they attack down the left side. One area the Knights were able to have some joy against the Panthers were on either edge, and that plays into their hands. Look for the likes of Campbell Graham and Alex Johnston to have big games on either side of the field as a result, and they feel like great value to score tries ($5 and $2 respectively. The other factor in this game many cannot wait to see is the battle of the two best locks in the game, being Cameron Murray and Isaah Yeo. Yeo is the current Dally M leader, but his NSW teammate has had an outstanding first month of the season.

Panthers vs Rabbitohs betting tips

Betting Prediction: Penrith win by six points in what will no doubt be a terrific game of Friday Night Football. Penrith’s last two performances have had periods of sloppiness that Ivan Cleary hasn’t been impressed with, and on Friday they will face their toughest test to date. Alex Johnson, Izaak Tago and Taylan May all score tries as well.

Penrith Panthers v South Sydney Rabbitohs same-game multi

Panthers 1-12 with Tago, May and Johnston to all score tries is a $26.25 multi that many punters will want to be on.

More NRL betting tips