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South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Parramatta Eels NRL Round 23 Tips & Prediction - Bunnies to continue dominance over Parra

Andrew Hendrie

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Last updated: Thu 06 Aug 2026 03:22

Andrew Hendrie 51 minutes ago

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South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Parramatta Eels predictions for Saturday's NRL R23 game
Souths equipped with dominant record over Eels, winning 10 of last 11
Bunnies tipped to cover -9.5 line in a game with Over 45.5 points - AJ & Da Silva backed for tries
The match is scheduled for kick off at 7.35pm AEST on Saturday August 8

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Parramatta Eels NRL Round 23 Tips & Prediction

The Rabbitohs are unreliable, but have a dominant record over the Eels - I'm taking Souths to cover a -9.5 line in a game that features Over 45.5 points, with Alex Johnston scoring a try and a small stake on Tallyn Da Silva scurrying over from dummy-half at good value.

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Parramatta Eels NRL Round 23 Tips & Prediction
Rabbitohs vs Eels Stats & Trends
Rabbitohs vs Eels Head To Head
South Sydney Rabbitohs Form Analysis
Parramatta Eels Form Analysis
Rabbitohs vs Eels Team News

Admittedly, not a real fan of this game. Souths remain one of the most erratic, unpredictable and unreliable teams in the competition, while the Eels continue to battle hard but just don't have the quality - as illustrated through their win over the Tigers last week, which was one of the worst NRL games in recent memory.

But I'm going to tentatively get behind the Rabbitohs here. They have some big guns back in Cameron Murray, Tallis Duncan and David Fifita, while they have owned the Eels over recent seasons, winning 10 of the last 11 meetings.

Souths remain lethal with the ball in hand, but their defence is leaky and vulnerable, which makes Over 45.5 points an appealing play. On a good day, the Bunnies could almost get to this total on their own, but their weak defence means Mitch Moses should be able to unlock a few gaps close to the line and get his side rolling.

It's Indigenous Round, so expect Cody Walker and Alex Johnston to have big games - that left-edge remains the go-to for the Bunnies in attack and AJ at $1.60 odds with Ladbrokes (compared to around $1.40 with most other Australian bookmakers) is pretty good value.

I'm also liking a sneaky value play on Eels hooker Tallyn Da Silva. I've already mentioned Souths have dodgy defence on their line and they've conceded 1+ try to an opposition hooker in four of their last six games, while Da Silva has been pretty prolific himself lately too.

Rabbitohs vs Eels Stats & Trends

Rabbitohs have won 10 of the last 11 meetings
Rabbitohs have covered a -9.5 line in nine of those 10 wins
Rabbitohs have seen Over 45.5 points in six of their last seven games
Eels haven't won back-to-back games since Round 3
Alex Johnston has scored 18 tries in 17 games vs Eels & has 22 tries in 16 games this season
Tallyn Da Silva has scored a try in three of his last four away games when starting at hooker
Rabbitohs have conceded 1+ try to an opposition hooker in four of their last six games

Rabbitohs vs Eels Head To Head

As mentioned, Souths have dominated this matchup in recent years, winning 10 of the last 11 - including a one-sided 32-12 win back in Round 17.

Year	Winner	Score	Venue
2026	South Sydney Rabbitohs	32–12	CommBank Stadium
2025	South Sydney Rabbitohs	20–16	Allianz Stadium
2024	South Sydney Rabbitohs	32–16	CommBank Stadium
2024	South Sydney Rabbitohs	42–26	Accor Stadium
2023	Parramatta Eels	36–16	Allianz Stadium

South Sydney Rabbitohs Form Analysis

It's been a topsy-turvy season for the Rabbitohs and they've obviously been affected by the long-term injury to Latrell Mitchell.

Souths probably aren't a serious premiership contender without Latrell and come into this clash with a 4-6 record across their last 10 games.

The Bunnies have a solid +62 points differential, but are just two points ahead of the 10th-placed Sea Eagles coming into Round 23, so they need to win here in order to give themselves some breathing room in the race for a finals spot.

Wayne Bennett's side are coming off a 32-16 defeat to the in-form Sharks last week, while their last two wins have come by exactly two points against the Storm and Knights.

Parramatta Eels Form Analysis

Another tough season for the Eels and while they've been decimated by injuries, you've got to think Jason Ryles will come under some pressure if they don't have a strong start to next season.

In saying that, Parramatta continue to plug away and the effort is always there - but they don't have the quality for consistent week-to-week performances, which is why it isn't surprising to see they haven't won back-to-back games since Rounds 2 & 3.

After pushing Penrith the previous week, the Eels managed to edge out the embattled Tigers in a diabolical game last Sunday afternoon at CommBank, with Isaiah Iongi scoring a try in the final minutes to secure a 16-13 victory.

There was a total of 34 handling errors in the match, with Parramatta committing 19 of them and completing at just 63 per cent of sets.

Rabbitohs vs Eels Team News

The calvary is back for Souths, with Tallis Duncan, David Fifita and Cam Murray all returning to the starting side, pushing Latrell Siegwalt and John Radel to the reserves and Lachlan Hubner to the bench.

Luca Moretti returns from concussion for the Eels, while Dylan Walker has been rested. Jezaiah Funa-Iuta could make his NRL debut off the bench.

Rabbitohs	Position	Eels
1. Matthew Dufty	Fullback	1. Isaiah Iongi
2. Alex Johnston	Winger	2. Brian Kelly
3. Tallis Duncan	Centre	3. Will Penisini
4. Jack Wighton	Centre	4. Jordan Samrani
5. Campbell Graham	Winger	5. Josh Addo-Carr
6. Cody Walker	Five-Eighth	6. Ronald Volkman
7. Ashton Ward	Halfback	7. Mitchell Moses
8. Tevita Tatola	Prop	8. Sam Tuivaiti
9. Brandon Smith	Hooker	9. Tallyn Da Silva
10. Keaon Koloamatangi	Prop	10. Luca Moretti
11. David Fifita	Second Row	11. Jack Williams
12. Adam Elliott	Second Row	12. Kitione Kautoga
13. Cameron Murray	Lock	13. Jack De Belin
14. Jye Gray	Interchange	14. Saxon Pryke
15. Lachlan Hubner	Interchange	15. Junior Paulo
16. Sean Keppie	Interchange	16. Teancum Brown
17. Jamie Humphreys	Interchange	17. Kelma Tuilagi
18. Jayden Sullivan	Interchange	18. Joash Papalii
19. Thomas Fletcher	Interchange	19. Jezaiah Funa-Iuta

Verdict

South Sydney Rabbitohs v Parramatta Eels

Souths have dominated Parra over recent years & are tipped to win in a high-scoring game again, with AJ continuing his red-hot tryscoring form. Bit of value on Da Silva too.

Rabbitohs -9.5

Line

$1.90 - 3 Units

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