South Sydney legend Greg Inglis believes the Rabbitohs’ powerhouse back-row combination of Keaon Koloamatangi and Jai Arrow will pave the way to victory over Manly in the big season opener in Vegas on Sunday.
With the backs likely to be less effective having less room to work their magic on the shortened field at Allegiant Stadium, Inglis sees the forwards leading the way.
He believes Koloamatangi and Arrow have a slight edge over the Manly pair of Haumole Olakau’atu and Ben Trbojevic.
FOLLOW LIVE: New Zealand v Australia first Test day three
READ MORE: ‘Not worried’: Ricciardo shrugs off Bahrain ‘disappointment’
READ MORE: Brutal reality facing Aussie Olympic shooting champion
“Manly has a good back row – but I think ours will be better on the night,” Inglis told Wide World of Sports.
“Keaon had a great season last year and Jai is a weapon – he never stops working.
“I reckon they give us a slight edge and will get us over the line.”
Souths normally rely on the class of five-eighth Cody Walker and fullback Latrell Mitchell to win their games.
But there are real fears among all four clubs here that the width of the field – reduced from 68 to 63 metres due to the dimensions of Allegiant Stadium – will see less sweeping backline play and more forward battles.
Inglis is in Vegas as an ambassador for the NRL and is being mobbed by fans up and down the famous Strip.
“It’s just amazing the hype here – who would have thought this a few years ago,” he said.
“The launch downtown on Thursday night was amazing and there were just thousands of people there.
“Ours is the best game in the world and hopefully plenty of Americans will watch and fall in love with it.”