1. Chaos!
After a few weeks of rugby league wrestling with the notion of 'negative news', it seemed like a self-fulfilling prophecy that the Rabbitohs would make front-page news for all the wrong reasons a day ahead of the game. The charge was that a player had exposed himself to a woman on a video chat.
What a mess: The Rabbitohs train at Redfern Oval on the eve of their semi-final match against the Dragons.
Souths coach Anthony Seibold said it had caused "chaos" in the club and urged his players to try and keep their mind on the job against a Dragons team that belted Brisbane off Suncorp Stadium the weekend prior.
How well Souths handle the mess could dictate the outcome. They start as heavy favourites but lesser things have derailed teams in the past. Rabbitohs fans would be furious if an off-field incident ended up sinking their season.
2. Big nasty
Tariq Sims had the game of his life against the Broncos, scoring a hat-trick of tries and bossing the edges. Tyson Frizell was a huge factor as well and that pair must replicate that sort of form, if not take it to a new level, if the Dragons are to upset a team that go into the contest as overwhelming favourites.
Powerbroker: Tariq Sims was huge against the Broncos.
Lock Jack De Belin will push through the pain of an ankle injury and take up his role in the middle. The Rabbitohs duo of Angus Crichton and John Sutton will be on high alert for the Sims-Frizell one-two punch. It shapes as the key confrontation in the match.
3. Health check
Both Greg Inglis and Adam Reynolds finished under injury clouds following the one-point loss to Melbourne and their fitness levels are vital to South Sydney's chances. If either are off their game, or fail to see out proceedings, it could be fatal for the Bunnies and their hopes are finding their way to another grand final.
Everything revolves around Reynolds. He's the key link to the deadly backline shifts and adds an accurate goal-kicking boot. Inglis, though, could be the man again. He goes one-on-one with rising Dragons star Zac Lomax, who will face the biggest challenge of his fledgling career.
4. Hunted man
Are we over bagging Ben Hunt yet? The Dragons No.7 was rock-solid against the Broncos but must go into a match without his five-eighth, Gareth Widdop, once again, with Widdop suffering a serious shoulder injury last Sunday.
The fixation on Hunt has been merciless during the second half of the season. He would be the first to admit his form had lapsed at stages but blaming halfbacks has become the default setting for the social media crowd once a slump sets in for a team. Hunt can be effective again but that's only if the Dragons can contain the Rabbitohs through the middle. And that's not always easy.
Looking for improvements: Sam Burgess had a tough night against the Storm.
5. Sam needs to be the man
Sam Burgess found himself the target of virtually every Storm big man any time he caught the ball in the first week of the finals. Felise Kaufusi and Christian Welch were among those rattling his cage at every point and it paid dividends for Melbourne, who stole the one-point win via a Cameron Munster field goal.
Burgess must bring his usual intensity but not overcook things against the Dragons. He's got a fiery temper but doesn't need to prove to anyone what a tough campaigner he has been in the past. Burgess and his brothers need to boss the middle and if they get their job done, Souths stand a good job of progressing.
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