League great Peter Sterling expects Wayne Bennett to stick with Rabbitohs rookie Blake Taaffe at fullback for Saturday’s qualifying final showdown with the Panthers despite an up and down performance in Latrell Mitchell’s absence against the Dragons.
Speaking on Wide World of Sports’ Sterlo’s Wrap, the legendary Eels halfback said there was no need for Bennett to change his spine, despite the question marks that hang over Taaffe’s ability to play a key position in a final after just five NRL games.
“Wayne Bennett said there were things he liked about Taaffe’s game and things he didn’t like,” Sterling said. “The question is did he see enough to pick him this week with confidence. I think that he did.
“He dropped one ball under a high kick and (Mikaele) Ravalawa ran though him late but he’s run through plenty of great defenders that close to the line so I didn’t read too much into that.”
After having the week off, Cody Walker is another option to deputise at fullback during the finals series, with Benji Marshall the ideal replacement to slot in at five-eighth. However, Sterling said the Rabbitohs have too much to lose in breaking up Walker’s combination with Adam Reynolds at the scrum base.
Alex Johnston is the third option to wear the No.1 jersey, yet that would rob the Rabbitohs of one of the form wingers in the competition, with the veteran crossing the stripe 27 times this season on the left flank.
Souths go into the clash against Penrith in Townsville with haunting memories from their match-ups against them this season. They were pumped 56-12 by the Panthers in Round 11 and then went down 25-12 last month after giving up an early lead.
In that clash, Nathan Cleary was pivotal and the NSW half will no doubt test Taaffe with the high-ball after watching this week’s video session of his drop against the Dragons. Taaffe is reportedly one of the more popular members of the Rabbitohs squad and Bennett will be hoping that positive energy can be diverted to the playing field.
When Souths were missing Mitchell last season to injury, Bennett picked Corey Allan to cover at fullback and the Rabbitohs surprised most with how well they played without their biggest star. They eventually fell to the Panthers in a close preliminary final loss.
Sterling said Taaffe’s energy and presence had a positive impact on his team last weekend, despite the Bunnies letting the Dragons go on a run late in the game.
“The thing I like about him is I see a confident player out there,” he added. “I know he dropped and didn’t make a try-saving tackle (but) I see enough energy and confidence in the kid, and you need that from your fullback because they have so much responsibility.
“And I think the fact that the opposition didn’t score points until very late. It was 20-16 but it shouldn’t have been, it should have been 20-0. The Dragons were poor but made a run late, I guess that’s a bit of a concern for South Sydney.”
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