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Newcastle Knights vs South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL Round 9 Tips - Knights Stars Realign

Ryan Tucker

Editor

Last updated: Thu 30 Apr 2026 11:07

Ryan Tucker 30 Apr 2026

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Newcastle tipped to defeat South Sydney in a close home game.
Bunnies’ offense strong, but defense vulnerable on right edge.
Bet: Newcastle moneyline, Souths under 26.5 pts, Best to score.
Kick off is at 2:00 PM (AEST) on Sunday, 3rd May at McDonald Jones Stadium

Newcastle Knights vs South Sydney Rabbitohs

Newcastle Knights vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, Round 9 2026 - Expert Prediction

Newcastle are tipped to win in a tight contest at home against the high flying Bunnies.

Newcastle Knights vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, Round 9 2026 - Expert Prediction
Head to Head
Newcastle Knights Form Analysis
South Sydney Rabbitohs Form Analysis
Newcastle Knights vs South Sydney Rabbitohs Team List & Team News
Newcastle Knights vs South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL 2026 Round 9 FAQ’s

The Knights have struggled with injury this season but see a number of big names return to the lineup. There is a small chance that they need some time to work back into the flow of having all these players back but the winning trend they have over Souths is hard to ignore.

South Sydney are in electric form but it is difficult to gauge their performances given the relative form of their last 4 opponents that are on downward spirals. What we have seen this season is, if they get out to a lead they are hard to stop, but if they are brought into a grind or end up behind on the scoreboard, they falter.

Newcastle are kings of the grind, especially on their home deck on a warm autumn Sunday afternoon. They have won 13 of their last 19 games on a Sunday at home while Souths on the road on Sundays are 3-5 since the start of 2023.

The angle here is that the Knights are able to slow down the South Sydney attack and put some points on early down the Rabbitohs right side that has allowed 38% of opposition tries this season. Forcing them to play catchup footy.

Take Newcastle on the moneyline, South Sydney under 26.5 pts on the Team Total and Bradman Best to cross for a 4 pointer against a weaker Bunnies right edge.

Newcastle have won 3 straight games against South Sydney and 13 of their last 19 games at home on a Sunday.
South Sydney have averaged just 10 pts per game in their last 3 against the Knights and have struggled to score against better defensive teams this season.
Bradman Best has scored in 5 of 6 career games against South Sydney
The Rabbitohs have allowed the majority of opposition tries down their right edge, opposite Bradman Best.

Head to Head

The Knights have won 3 straight and 5 of the last 7 regular season matchups against the Rabbitohs. The lone matchup last season ended 30-4 at Magic Round.

3 of the last 5 games have gone Under the Game Total while 5 straight meetings have finished with double digit margins. The Knights are 6-1 ATS since the start of 2019.

Newcastle Knights Form Analysis

After winning 4 of their first 5 games the Knights have slipped to 11th on the ladder following a 3 game losing streak. The 44-12 loss at home to the Panthers, the latest on the list.

If injuries are plaguing your team and you need to capitalise on the few opportunities your opponent presents you, it doesn’t help to have 15 Errors and then also miss 58 tackles which is exactly what happened against the Panthers last weekend.

With a host of names set to return this week, including captain Kalyn Ponga, Dylan Lucas and Bradman Best, there is bound to be a bit more confidence in that dressing room.

South Sydney Rabbitohs Form Analysis

The Rabbits put Melbourne to the sword last weekend running away 48-6 winners at AAMI Park, their first ever win at the venue. The Storm often put it on a platter for them but there was a lot of skill on show by the likes of Latrell Mitchell who had 3 Linebreak Assists and Matt Dufty at fullback who is impressing in place of the injured Jye Gray.

One of the better metrics for South’s was holding out the Storm inside the Red Zone, absorbing 33 tackles without breaking. The only opposition try an opportunistic one off the short kickoff.

Souths have scored 30+ pts in 4 straight games and while they have been strong defensively when things are going right at the other end, they have been shown to lose patience and focus in tight clashes or when behind on the scoreboard.

Newcastle Knights vs South Sydney Rabbitohs Team List & Team News

Team News and Lists are in our dedicated Round 9 Team List Article.

Newcastle Knights vs South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL 2026 Round 9 FAQ’s

How to livestream Newcastle Knights vs South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL 2026 Round 9?

You can livestream the Newcastle Knights vs South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL 2026 Round 9 game via Fox Sports or Kayo Sports. If you are watching from outside of Australia the WatchNRL app is the perfect solution.

How to buy tickets to Newcastle Knights vs South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL 2026 Round 9?

To buy tickets to the Newcastle Knights vs South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL 2026 Round 9 game check the NRL website or the official Newcastle Knights site.

Verdict

Newcastle Knights v South Sydney Rabbitohs

Take Newcastle on the moneyline, South Sydney under 26.5 pts on the Team Total and Bradman Best to cross for a 4 pointer against a weaker Bunnies right edge.

Newcastle Knights

Moneyline

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