Wests Tigers will feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off their shoulders after they dug deep to down the Eels and break a five-game losing streak.
The move of Jackson Hastings to halfback and Luke Brooks to No.6 proved a masterstroke by Michael Maguire and the confidence flowing through those two players is sure to rub off on their team-mates.
CommBank Stadium will feel very comfortable indeed for Wests Tigers after their Easter Monday heroics but they'll need to be at their best defensively to contain a Rabbitohs side brimming with attacking threats.
From Lachlan Ilias and Cody Walker in the halves to Damien Cook out of dummy half and Cam Murray's elite ball-playing, the Bunnies can hurt an opponent any number of ways as they showed on Good Friday.
The Rundown
Team news
Wests Tigers: Two changes on Friday with James Roberts and Jake Simpkin (ankle) dropping out. Luke Garner moves to centre and Jacob Liddle is the new hooker while Alex Seyfarth joins the bench. Tyrone Peachey and Oliver Gildart remain on an extended bench as part of the 19-man squad.
Rabbitohs: Davvy Moale has been recalled on the bench with Isaiah Tass going back to the reserves after debuting last week. Hame Sele has been named to start at prop with Tom Burgess on the bench. No changes to the squad in Friday's 24-hour update.
Key match-up
Luke Brooks v Cody Walker: Rejuvenated by his move to five-eighth, Brooks looked a new man against the Eels, racking up two try assists, two line break assists and making 30 tackles. With more room to move, Brooks was dangerous every time he touched the ball, much like the man he confronts this week in the Rabbitohs No.6 jersey. Walker has also had his share of critics to start the season but against the Bulldogs he ran the ball 11 times, laid on a try and had a couple of tackle busts and the red and green machine clicked into gear with six tries, the most they have scored in any game this season.
Stat attack
After six rounds the Rabbitohs and Wests Tigers sit first and second for errors, which won't please either coach. Jason Demetriou's men have committed 83 errors at an average of 14 per game while Michael Maguire's side has racked up 78 errors at 13 per game. Apart from banking two competition points another big positive for the Wests Tigers in round six was the fact they made just eight errors in a frenetic 80 minutes at CommBank Stadium.
Story first published on NRL.com