Our best bet for Friday's NRL Round 24 clash between the Canterbury Bulldogs and South Sydney Rabbitohs is the Bulldogs 1-12 / Johnston to Score / Second Half Highest Scoring Same Game Multi at $9.00, with Canterbury shutting out the Tigers, beating the Warriors and running the Roosters close in their last month of football.
The high-stakes encounters continue in Round 24 of the NRL with the seventh-placed Rabbitohs taking on the ninth-placed Bulldogs at Accor Stadium on Friday.
Canterbury Bulldogs vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Both teams are playing to keep their season alive, with only two points separating them on the ladder and neither assured of a top eight spot yet.
Canterbury come into this clash off the back of a narrow loss to the high-flying Roosters, before which they'd won six of their last seven.
The Rabbitohs were victorious last round, albeit against cellar-dwellers Parramatta in a match they almost lost, but have been choppy overall, winning just three of their last six.
Leg 1 - Bulldogs 1-12
The Bulldogs have looked rock-solid the past month, shutting out the Tigers, beating top-two contender the Warriors, putting 36 on perennial finalists the Storm, then running the second-placed Roosters close last week.
They're finally in a spot where it feels like their attack is firing. Combine this with their ever-solid defence, and that's a ruthless recipe.
At home, against a mercurial side that struggles on the road, expect Canterbury to get the job done here.
Leg 2 - Alex Johnston to Score
Johnston has a knack for getting over the line, regardless of how things are going for the Rabbitohs overall.
He picked up a hattrick last week and has 25 tries for the season. Even against the Bulldogs' defence, he'll find a way to score.
Leg 3 - Second Half Highest Scoring
There should be a bit of tension in this one to start, given both teams will know their seasons are on the line.
Conservative play and a few errors early on would be no surprise, before the trailing side throws caution to the wind and the game opens up later in the second half.
Same Game Multi
Bulldogs 1-12 / Johnston to Score / Second Half Highest Scoring = $9.00
Value Bet
As the Bulldogs' captain and key man in their backline, Crichton will know a lot of Friday's result rides on him. Expect him to take matters into his own hands and mix in plenty of direct runs.
He scores at a good clip for a five-eighth, with seven tries already this season.
Three of those have come in the last three rounds, one against the Warriors and a brace in Canterbury's demolition of the Storm.
