The Rabbitohs Cast - Back Rowers
The Rabbitohs had one of the best back row groups in the game. Pretty simple. While some teams opt, or just go along with having a bit more mobility on the edges because their recruitment wasn't too flash, the sheer size of the Bunnies back row put fear in to their opposition. This is why you heard so often about the size of the Rabbitohs forward pack. They don't just have big props, but John Sutton is a unit, Sam Burgess is a beast and Ben Te'o well he's a bit of a monster. When you combine their size with their skill and mobility, you have a crew who are equally as good leaving a path of destruction as they are showcasing some subtle skill to assist their outside men.
Sam Burgess - I don't need to harp on about his performance in the Grand Final. Burgess is the epitome of the third prop situation or the blurring of the lines between props and locks, which is now commonly referred to as 'middle men'. Burgess is able to play prop, so the nitty gritty is nothing new to him and his combination of speed and size make him extremely tough to handle. However, the key for Burgess is how athletic he is. This guy can move which enables him to show up anywhere at anytime, hence he's always the guy making that last ditch effort on defence. He added a little bit of ball playing but he's no James Graham, he is however able to do everything an a consistently high level. Burgess' contribution to the GF is that he still impacted the game as only he could, yet he did so with a broken cheekbone. You'd have been forgiven for thinking that they might try hide him somewhere, less defence, less carries etc but nah. His performance wasn't hindered at all and a Sam Burgess who is playing near his best, is hard to contain let alone on such a massive stage.
John Sutton - I once hated John Sutton. He just oozed that aroma that made you hate him. I can't pin-point it but he was pretty meh. However in recent years, he's showed what a great footy player he is. This season, besides filling pretty much any hole, Sutton was one of the best edge back rowers in the league. He's big, so he's a bit of a chore to bring down when he runs the ball. Combine that with his skills as a half and you have a focal point for any attacks down that left edge. He's signature was running, drawing in a few defenders and popping out an off load. Sutton is the captain of the Rabbitohs. He's the main man, he's the spirit of Redfern, he is a Rabbit. This win was on the back of the development of Sutton as a player and a leader. Hats off to him.
Ben Te'o - The impact of Te'o was evident in the match against the Rabbitohs a week earlier. He came on and looked like an absolute work horse, everything was aggressive, he oozed (word of the day) energy and gave the Rabbits a massive boost. He looked like a bit of a liability, he would always be good for a few penalties let alone a few weeks on the sidelines but the fact that he plays through the middle for Queensland is a testament to his ability. Such a physical player on an edge makes match ups pretty difficult, you're gonna have to try contain Te'o and once you over dedicate yourself to him, he's good enough to play some footy and set up his outside men. Te'o formed a combination with Dylan Walker in the last two games of the season that you would hate to play against. Sure they're both uber skillful, but these two both played like dicks, they were in your face, they were better than you and they let you know it. Te'o was out to showcase himself, show the world what he's got before he left the NRL. He did exactly just that.