Storm vs Rabbitohs NRL Rd 2 betting tips – Thursday, March 17

The Melbourne Storm will play their first NRL game at AAMI Park in 11 months when they host the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Thursday evening.

The Storm hold an imposing 30-5 win-loss record over the Bunnies and they’ve never lost to the Rabbitohs in Melbourne in their 24-year history, making the task at hand for Souths even harder.

The Storm will be without Christian Welch, Brandon Smith and George Jennings, who all suffered injuries in the gutsy win over the Tigers in Round 1. Welch and Jennings will both miss the remainder of the season with Achilles and ACL ruptures respectively, while Smith will need up to six weeks to recover from a broken hand.

Welch’s absence for the remainder of the season has sparked rumours of the Storm looking toward NSW Blues’ hardman Tariq Sims to come in as a replacement for this season and beyond. The whispers will grow stronger if the Dragons once again leave Sims in reserve grade, giving the Storm a chance to get him at a potentially discounted rate as his value drops for St George Illawarra.

Melbourne will be buoyed by the return of Cameron Munster and Harry Grant from suspension, which will put together an attacking spine many of their rivals could only dream of. The return of those two superstars is the big reason they are just $1.42 in the head-to-head betting at BetOnline.

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South Sydney have known nothing but misery against their southern rivals, with an average margin of 14.5 points across their 35 games since 1998.

The Rabbitohs endured a tough start to life without Adam Reynolds in Round 1, losing 11-4 against the Brisbane Broncos up at Suncorp Stadium.

It’s one thing to lose, but it was the way they were unable to generate much good attacking football which has seen them come in as a $3 outsider with Sportsbet.

Lachlan Ilias is still learning his craft as a first-grade halfback and is going to be under enormous pressure to fill the shoes of the man who was instrumental to their run to the NRL Grand Final in 2021.

One man who can help the Rabbitohs is Latrell Mitchell, who will make his return to the side this Thursday after serving a suspension from the 2021 season. Mitchell will add more strike to the Rabbitohs and it will also make like easier for Cody Walker, who was noticeably out of sorts in the season opener.

Key matchup: Papenhuyzen vs Mitchell

Fullback battles in recent years have been the headline act of most big games, and Thursday night is no different with Latrell Mitchell and Ryan Papenhuyzen set to play enormous roles for their respective clubs. Mitchell will give the left edge a lot more punch and it will leave the Storm’s right edge with a lot more decisions to make than Brisbane had to with Alex Johnston deputising in that role last week. Papenhuyzen’s incredible second half against the Tigers showed he has elevated his status in the competition to more than just an exciting player, but a man who can put his team on his back and carry them to victory. This should be fun.

Storm vs Rabbitohs betting predictions

Melbourne will come away with the win, and it looks like the 13+ margin could be on the cards. A rejuvenated Cameron Munster could prove to be the key in what would have been a closer game seven days ago. The left edge of Melbourne will also produce more points than the famous left side of Souths, which brings Justin Olam and Xavier Coates into the frame for a multi.

Storm vs Rabbitohs same-game multi

Storm at the 13+ margin with both Justin Olam and Alex Johnston to score at any time gets you a very tasty $11 return.