Rabbitohs v Roosters preview - 2017 Round 4

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Foundation rivals kick off Round 4 with a blockbuster.

Shunted from their regular role as season openers, these two sides will be raring to go, each coming into this contest in form and keen to continue hot streaks.

The hosts South Sydney are back at ANZ for the first time since their Round 1 showdown with the Wests Tigers - a match in which they lost captain & star fullback Greg Inglis to an ACL injury and were written off as also-rans almost immediately. Ignoring the pundits, the Bunnies have gone back-to-back in the two rounds since, recording a comfortable win over a lacklustre Manly outfit before overcoming Newcastle in a spiteful clash last weekend in the Hunter.

Resultant from the victory over Newcastle is the mounting list of players unavailable this weekend, with George Burgess, Hymel Hunt & Braidon Burns all serving suspension this weekend in addition to the absence of Inglis and outside back Aaron Gray. Those omissions have forced coach Michael Maguire to dig deep into the Bears' Intrust Super Premiership side.

Over in Bondi the Roosters are yet to drop a game this season after picking up the NRL Auckland Nines title during the pre-season. Outstanding first halves have become something of a trademark, with the Roosters dominating the Titans and Bulldogs over the opening two rounds before Penrith threw everything at them last weekend. In the first two rounds however, their second half performance left plenty to be desired - both sides exploiting their complacency and capitalising on silly errors.

It all makes for an interesting contest - a heavyweight title favourite up against a team few people expect much from this season. Strap yourselves in.

Last meeting: Round 6 2016 - Rabbitohs 10 Roosters 17

236 matches - the most played between any two opponents in the NRL - and the Rabbitohs have the advantage 123-107 here, with just six draws over the 107 seasons. Honours have been shared in recent seasons, with each side winning one of the two regular season meetings dating back to 2011.

Who to watch: John Sutton returns to an familiar role in the cardinal and myrtle this round, with the back-rower filling in at five-eighth to cover the multitude of omissions in the backline. With Hunt and Burns sidelined through suspension, regular in the halves Cody Walker shifts to fullback in a reshuffle, giving Sutton the number six jersey back for the first time since July last year - but more importantly the first time he's appeared in the halves alongside Adam Reynolds since the last weeks of 2015. He'll be keen to make an impression in his makeshift position where he's previously lined up some 179 times since his debut in 2004.

The Roosters halves have come up for plenty of praise and while plenty of eyes will be on former Rabbitoh Luke Keary, his halves partner Mitchell Pearce has been going about his 2017 with aplomb. Keary's skill at five-eighth has allowed Pearce the space and time to conduct the side as he sees fit. He's been helped along by an in-form forward pack who have stepped up massively after a hit-and-miss 2016 which saw the Roosters slide into the bottom four following three straight minor premiership titles. The Roosters' no. 7 will be keen to help take the focus off his halves partner, who will no doubt come in for plenty of attention from his former teammates.

The favourite: An unbeaten start to 2017 has the Roosters very warm favourites for this one.

My tip: While I fully expect the Bunnies to be competitive, it's hard to see them matching up against the Tricolours on Thursday night. The Roosters, despite their faltering second halves and unflattering win over Penrith, are a level above South Sydney this year and while the home side boasts two wins, their opponents in those victories leave a bit to be desired. Roosters by 10.

2. Alex Johnston 21. Sitiveni Moceidreke 3. Siosifa Talakai 4. Robert Jennings 5. Bryson Goodwin 1. Cody Walker 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Burgess 9. Robbie Farah 10. Jason Clark 6. John Sutton 12. Kyle Turner 13. Sam Burgess 11. Angus Crichton 14. Damien Cook 16. Robbie Rochow 17. Zane Musgrove

1. Michael Gordon 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Latrell Mitchell 4. Joseph Manu 5. Shaun Kenny-Dowall 6. Luke Keary 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 19. Paul Carter 10. Dylan Napa 11. Boyd Cordner 12. Mitchell Aubusson 13. Aidan Guerra 14. Isaac Liu 15. Zane Tetevano 16. Ryan Matterson 17. Connor Watson

Referees: Gerard Sutton, Alan Shortall; Sideline Officials: Belinda Sleeman, Chris Butler; Video Referees: Bernard Sutton, Luke Patten;