'We can beat anyone': Rabbitohs primed for season-defining clash
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Rabbitohs five-eighth Cody Walker has declared his side can challenge the competition heavyweights as they prepare to put their top eight hopes on the line.
South Sydney will take on Canterbury in a Friday night blockbuster at Accor Stadium with the winner to take a bit step towards playing finals this year.
The Rabbitohs and Bulldogs are in a three-way battle with the Cowboys for the final two spots in the eight.
North Queensland and South Sydney are currently on 28 points, with Canterbury two points back on 26. The Rabbitohs are desperate to triumph to create some breathing room above Canterbury on the ladder.
Vintage Walker
With victories over Cronulla, the Dolphins and Newcastle throughout the year, South Sydney have shown they can compete with the top sides and Walker is confident his team can challenge for the title throughout the next two months.
"We have the confidence and belief that we can beat anyone on their day," Walker told NRL.com. "It shouldn't matter who's in our side, it shouldn't matter what injuries we have.
"You have a responsibility as a first-grade footballer to go and do your job for the team."
Match: Bulldogs v Rabbitohs
Round 24 -
home Team
Bulldogs
9th Position
away Team
Rabbitohs
7th Position
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
A big crowd is expected at Accor Stadium on Friday night, with the Rabbitohs riding high after a tight win over Parramatta last week.
Canterbury enter the game on the back of a Round 23 loss to the Roosters and desperately need a win to keep their top-eight hopes alive.
South Sydney's biggest challenges this season have been health and consistency.
While they are still without Latrell Mitchell and have lost Ashton Ward to a hamstring injury, the return of Cam Murray, Tallis Duncan and David Fifita last week provided an instant boost.
Rabbitohs v Eels – Round 23, 2026
Consistency has been harder to achieve. It's been two months since they last won back-to-back games, while they haven't won three in a row all season.
Walker concedes it's been a frustrating feature of their campaign but backed his side to find their rhythm in the run to the finals.
"It's been the question of our season," Walker said. "We are so good for a week and then we drop back down and be that team that we've shown over the inconsistent weeks of our game.
"It's disappointing but we've got to put it all behind us, turn it around and back it up this weekend.
"One of the things we need to learn and learn quickly is if you're going to make errors, if you're going to give penalties away, you're going to give opportunities for good teams to hurt you and they're going to hurt you.
"Against the form teams in the competition, you can't afford to give those away. We've done a good job to defend some of those errors but as fatigue sets in and you give teams more opportunities, it's hard to stop the good teams. If we don't learn that quickly, we'll stand under the posts and be disappointed with our performance."
Friday's match comes in the second week of Indigenous Round, with Walker proudly representing his Bundjalung Yuin heritage.
The veteran has watched the event grow from his rookie season in 2016 to its current status as a showpiece round on the rugby league calendar.
Walker has played a key role in the growth and hopes to continue inspiring future generations of Indigenous players.
Welcome to NRL Indigenous Round
"It's a special round," he said. "It's one of those rounds where we can look back on the wonderful things our people have done in the game and highlight some of the great players in the game at the moment.
"You look across the NRL, you see guys like Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall playing unbelievable football. I love watching players like that play for every club. It's good to celebrate the wonderful things our people have done in the game in the past and highlight the great things happening in the game right now.
"I love how much Indigenous Round has grown over time. I played my first one in 2016 and only a handful of clubs were wearing Indigenous jerseys, now every club has a jersey, the NRLW girls have a jersey and I love seeing the path we've taken over the years."
A top-eight spot is on the line when the Bulldogs host the Rabbitohs in a Friday-night blockbuster at Accor Stadium. Use the code FridayCrew to get four tickets for the price of two. Click here to access this exclusive offer before it's gone.
