Game Preview - 2018 Round 13

By Samuel Lindsayvs West harbour (H) Fresh from a week off Southern Districts will be welcoming West Harbour to Forshaw ahead of what's set to be a huge Back to Souths Day. 29 years of Rebels rugby will be celebrated by all those who have donned the candy stripes over the years, and what better way to mark such an occasion with Southern Districts fifth win in as many weeks. The clash is set to mark Souths first reverse fixture of the 2018 season. Much has changed at Sylvania Waters HQ since the trip to Concord in early April and recent results have been of no coincidence. Jake Douglas has been in arguably career best form and has been included in the past three Intrust Super Shute Shield Team of the Week Squads prior to the bye round. Luke Smart seemingly can’t stop scoring since his Round Three return with ten tries so far this season, led closely by Captain Marcus Carbone with nine of his tries own. Christian Kagiassis is settling in at fullback and looks even more comfortable with kicking duties, with new recruits Ben Chalmers and Will Thomas generating sparks and flair in the Souths backline. The squads additions rounded off with a reunited Waldo Wessels who’s linked up with the squad as though he’d only been on a brief holiday. While West Harbour surged to the pointy end of the ladder early on, their recent form has been slightly patchy, with wins against Parramatta and Penrith forfeit points their only gains over the past five weeks. The Pirates will be heading south with a sense of vengeance and retribution having squandered 24 - 5 lead at half time to collapse 24 - 46 against Eastern Suburbs last weekend. Having tasted victory early on this year, the Pirates will be hoping to bounce back and get the double over the Rebels this season. Another unchanged lineup named by Head Coach, Matt Barr this week, a trend that has suddenly become an unfamiliar luxury in contrast to the opening rounds of the year. Pending NSW Waratahs duties Shambeckler Vui may start in the number 3 jersey, alternatively Conor Young and Willie Ma’umalanga are equally adept in the role and wait eagerly in the wings. Angus Ryan will celebrate his 50th game for the Rebels this Saturday. The towering second rower has stamped his name onto the number four jersey since his arrival in 2016 with consistent performances that have made him a regular on the teamlist week in, week out. The Rebels set the standard for end of season form in 2017 with nine wins on the bounce to finish the regular season in 2nd place. With six games to go, can the Rebels go one better in 2018 and finish with ten games unbeaten? The best way to find out is to be at Forshaw this Saturday with first grade kicking-off at 3pm and the first game of the day, fourth grade getting underway at 10:45am. SDRC TEAM NEWSStarting Line-up1. Conor Young2. Liam Dwyer3. TBA4. Angus Ryan5. Jake Douglas6. Alex Perez7. Conor Mitchell8. Marcus Carbone (c)9. Waldo Wessels10. Ben Chalmers11. Luke Smart12. Will Thomas13. Denny Godinet14. Rowland-Keni Kotabalavau15. Christian Kagiassis STATSForm – Last 5 matchesSouthern Districts L W W W WWest Harbour W L W L LSouthern Districts vs West Harbour at Forshaw – Past 5 years2017 Round 7 Southern Districts 34 – 27 West Harbour2016 Round 12 Southern Districts 27 – 8 West Harbour2015 Round 11 Southern Districts 44 – 19 West Harbour2014 Round 8 Southern Districts 14 – 49 West Harbour Southern Districts 5 year record vs West Harbour P W L F AForshaw Rugby Park 4 3 1 119 103Concord Oval 4 1 3 119 101Total 8 4 4 238 204