Round 26 Preview — 2026 NRL SeasonNRL Analytics

Titans v Rabbitohs

SavvyPlays · Saturday 29 August 2026 · Cbus Super Stadium · 3:00pm AEST

Visual Comparison

01Key Metrics Side-by-Side

Motivation is the finals-race tier each side enters the round on; Wins to Finals is how many of their remaining games they need to reach the top eight ("-" already there, "x" out of reach).

Headline averages from every completed match this season (Titans n=22, Rabbitohs n=22). Bars diverge from centre — longer bar wins on the metric (green where lower is the goal, like points conceded or penalties).

Titans
Metric
Rabbitohs
WOODEN SPOON RACE
Motivation
MUST-WIN
x
Wins to Finals
2
19.8
Points For / G
27.4
27.1
Points Against / G
24.5
1,549m
Run Metres / G
1,580m
3.5
Tries / G
5.0
75.0%
Completion %
78.3%
3.9
Penalties Conceded / G
4.9
4.0
Six Agains / G
3.5

Team Records

02Season Records & Scoring

Titans
Metric
Rabbitohs
6-16-0#16
Season Record
#712-10-0
3-7-0 (H)Home games
Home / Away Record
Away games4-7-0 (A)
16.3Home · #16
Avg Points For (Home / Away)
Away · #825.8
28.6Home · #15
Avg Points Against (Home / Away)
Away · #1025.6

Against the Spread

03ATS Performance (W-L-P | % = Cover Rate)

Titans
Metric
Rabbitohs
13-9-0 (59%)
2026 Season — All
10-12-0 (46%)
4-6-0 (40%)
2026 Season — Home (H) / Away (A)
4-7-0 (36%)
9-3-0 (75%)
2026 Season — Away (H) / Home (A)
6-5-0 (54%)
W2
Current Streak
L1
23-23-0 (50%)
2025-26 — All
24-22-0 (52%)
10-12-0 (45%)
2025-26 — Home (H) / Away (A)
9-14-0 (39%)
13-11-0 (54%)
2025-26 — Away (H) / Home (A)
15-8-0 (65%)

Streak format: W3 = three covers in a row, L2 = two ATS losses. Within each block Home + Away equals All.

Over / Under

04O/U Performance (O-U-P | % = Over Rate)

Titans
Metric
Rabbitohs
8-14-0 (36%)
2026 Season — All
12-10-0 (54%)
2-8-0 (20%)
2026 Season — Home (H) / Away (A)
5-6-0 (46%)
6-6-0 (50%)
2026 Season — Away (H) / Home (A)
7-4-0 (64%)
O2
Current Streak
O1
20-26-0 (43%)
2025-26 — All
18-28-0 (39%)
6-16-0 (27%)
2025-26 — Home (H) / Away (A)
8-15-0 (35%)
14-10-0 (58%)
2025-26 — Away (H) / Home (A)
10-13-0 (43%)

Within each block Home + Away equals All.

Halves Breakdown

05How Each Team Builds the Game

1H = first half, 2H = second half. 1H/2H averages across the full 2026 season. "1H win → match win" is how often leading at half-time converts into the win.

Titans
Metric
Rabbitohs
7.1
1H Avg For
13.4
12.6
1H Avg Against
12.8
-5.4
1H Net
+0.6
33%
1H Win → Match Win
100%
11.9
2H Avg For
16.3
12.9
2H Avg Against
10.3
-1.0
2H Net
+6.0

Player Contribution Scores

06Spine vs Spine, Forwards vs Forwards, Backs vs Backs

PCS (Player Contribution Score) is a correlation-informed rating built from play-by-play stats — run metres, line breaks, tackle breaks, missed tackles and so on. Each stat is weighted by how strongly it correlates with winning margin across 1,000+ matches. Aggregated to position group over a 15-game rolling window.

Why position groups matter: the spine (FB, halves, hooker) controls structure, the forwards set the ruck and tempo, the backs finish chances. A team can be middling overall but elite at one group — and that often shows up as a directional edge in the result.

Titans
Metric
Rabbitohs
135.3#14 Δ -0.1
Squad PCS
#8 Δ -5.7155.8
39.1#12 Δ +1.1
Spine PCS
#11 Δ -2.140.1
32.7#12 Δ -0.9
Forwards PCS
#11 Δ -1.135.4
55.5#11 Δ +0.4
Backs PCS
#4 Δ +1.275.8

Sub shows current league rank. Δ = change vs last round (noisy week-to-week — treat the rank as the headline).

First Scoring Play

07Who Strikes First

Strictly the very first scoring play of each match — try, penalty goal, or (rarely) field goal. Teams that open the scoring tend to lead at half-time about 65% of the time and win about 60% — so the opening play matters. Penalty-goal openings are shown as raw counts because most games never open with a PG; the position-group breakdown only fires when the first play was a try.

Titans
Metric
Rabbitohs
3/22 (14%)
Scored first try — All games
13/22 (59%)
1/10 (10%)
Scored first try — Home / Away
6/11 (55%)
18/22 (82%)
Conceded first try — All games
7/22 (32%)
9/10 (90%)
Conceded first try — Home / Away
5/11 (45%)
1 (H:0 A:1)
Scored first via penalty goal
1 (H:1 A:0)
0 (H:0 A:0)
Conceded first via penalty goal
1 (H:1 A:0)
1 (H:1 A:0)
First try scored by Spine (All games)
2 (H:1 A:1)
2 (H:0 A:2)
First try scored by Forwards (All games)
2 (H:0 A:2)
0 (H:0 A:0)
First try scored by Backs (All games)
9 (H:6 A:3)
0 (H:0 A:0)
First try scored by Interchange (All games)
0 (H:0 A:0)
3 (H:2 A:1)
First try conceded to Spine (All games)
3 (H:0 A:3)
4 (H:3 A:1)
First try conceded to Forwards (All games)
3 (H:2 A:1)
11 (H:4 A:7)
First try conceded to Backs (All games)
1 (H:0 A:1)
0 (H:0 A:0)
First try conceded to Interchange (All games)
0 (H:0 A:0)

Position groups: Spine = FB/halves/hooker. Forwards = prop/lock/second row. Backs = centre/wing. Interchange = bench.

Current Streaks

08Active Streaks

Titans
Metric
Rabbitohs
L4
Win / Loss — 2026
L1
W2
ATS — 2026
L1
O2
Over / Under — 2026
O1
L1
1st Half — 2026
W1
W1
2nd Half — 2026
W1
L3
Win / Loss — Home / Away
W1
W1
ATS — Home / Away
W1
O1
Over / Under — Home / Away
U2

Includes previous season(s) where applicable. D = Draw, P = Push (ATS/O/U).

Consistency / Disruption

09Volatility & Squad Health

Consistency Index (CI) measures how predictable a team's results are. It's built from the standard deviation of their margin and their points-conceded across the season. Higher CI = tighter range of results, more dependable.

Disruption Score (DS) measures how far the named squad is from each team's best 17 — weighted by position importance (a halfback out hurts more than a bench prop) and by how fresh the absence is. Higher DS = more disrupted, less the side coaches game-plan around.

Titans
Metric
Rabbitohs
0.560
Overall CI
0.537
0.605
Defensive CI
0.564
17.7
Margin SD
18.5
5.2
Disruption
0.0
87%
Best-17 %
100%
1
New Outs This Round
0

CI (Consistency Index) measures result predictability from 0 to 1 — higher = more consistent. Defensive CI isolates defensive performance. Margin SD measures the spread of winning/losing margins — lower = more predictable outcomes. Teams with high CI and low Margin SD are the safest to tip; teams with low CI and high Margin SD are volatile and produce the most upsets.

Named Squads

10Titans — 87% Best 17 (DS 5.2) — Squad avg ±/G: -5.7

#PlayerPositionGP±/G
1Keano KiniFullback21-7.6
2Jaylan De GrootWing4-2.0
3Jojo FifitaCentre19-7.6
4AJ BrimsonCentre19-6.8
5Phillip SamiWing21-7.3
6Jayden CampbellFive-Eighth19-5.8
7Lachlan IliasHalfback10-7.8
8Klese HaasProp20-2.0
9Oliver PascoeHooker13-8.3
10Tino Fa'asuamaleauiProp18-6.3
11Josh PatstonSecond Row1-10.0
12Kurtis MorrinSecond Row19-0.1
13Cooper BaiLock20-2.8
14Moeaki FotuaikaInterchange21-8.6
15Chris RandallInterchange18-4.9
16Bodhi SharpleyInterchange
17Luke SommertonInterchange3-6.7

±/G (Plus/Minus per Game) measures each player's average impact on the scoreboard while on the field — the team's scoring margin during their minutes, divided by games played. Positive values indicate the team scores more than it concedes with that player on; negative values indicate the opposite. Best 17% reflects how many of the team's optimal starting lineup are named for this match. GP = games played in 2026. Out: Sam Verrills (2wk absent), Beau Fermor (new this round). Long-term (1): Jaimin Jolliffe (22wk) — excluded from the Best 17% denominator, carried at reduced weight in DS. Players listed as out are ordered by Disruption Score (DS) — a measure of how difficult each absence is to replace based on positional importance and individual performance.

Named Squads

11Rabbitohs — 100% Best 17 (DS 0.0) — Squad avg ±/G: +4.0

#PlayerPositionGP±/G
1Matthew DuftyFullback11+3.6
2Alex JohnstonWing18+6.9
3Tallis DuncanCentre19+5.1
4Jack WightonCentre15+2.9
5Campbell GrahamWing15+3.1
6Cody WalkerFive-Eighth20+4.5
7Jayden SullivanHalfback11+4.0
8Tevita TatolaProp21+2.3
9Brandon SmithHooker13+2.3
10Keaon KoloamatangiProp21+2.7
11David FifitaSecond Row13+2.6
12Euan AitkenSecond Row15+4.4
13Cameron MurrayInterchange16+7.1
14Jye GrayInterchange14+1.6
15Lachlan HubnerInterchange20+3.6
16Sean KeppieInterchange14-1.0
17Jamie HumphreysInterchange15+2.7

±/G (Plus/Minus per Game) measures each player's average impact on the scoreboard while on the field — the team's scoring margin during their minutes, divided by games played. Positive values indicate the team scores more than it concedes with that player on; negative values indicate the opposite. Best 17% reflects how many of the team's optimal starting lineup are named for this match. GP = games played in 2026.

Titans — Recent Form

12Titans — Last 5 Games

RoundOpponentH/AScoreResMarginLineATSTotalO/U
2026 R25SharksH22-30L-8+8.5W50.5O
2026 R24KnightsA26-36L-10+12.5W50.5O
2026 R23CowboysH8-30L-22+4.5L48.5U
2026 R22WarriorsH6-42L-36+4.5L48.5U
2026 R21DragonsA38-18W+20+1.5W47.5O

Rabbitohs — Recent Form

13Rabbitohs — Last 5 Games

RoundOpponentH/AScoreResMarginLineATSTotalO/U
2026 R25WarriorsH26-45L-19+3.5L45.5O
2026 R24BulldogsA22-6W+16+4.5W43.5U
2026 R23EelsH28-24W+4-10.5L46.0O
2026 R22SharksA16-32L-16+14.5L51.5U
2026 R21StormH28-26W+2+1.5W45.5O

Titans — Try Scoring

14Titans — Try Scorers (2026)

PlayerPosT1stLast1st 20m2nd 20m3rd 20m4th 20mH / A
P.SamiWing15124369 / 6
J.CampbellFive-Eighth1013420 / 10
J.FifitaCentre81113136 / 2
A.HauInterchange71112134 / 3
K.MorrinSecond Row7103312 / 5
O.PascoeHooker4121103 / 1
S.FaeamaniInterchange410120 / 4
A.BrimsonCentre4112012 / 2
B.FermorSecond Row401211 / 3
K.KiniFullback3200030 / 3

Rabbitohs — Try Scoring

15Rabbitohs — Try Scorers (2026)

PlayerPosT1stLast1st 20m2nd 20m3rd 20m4th 20mH / A
A.JohnstonWing28445116617 / 11
C.GrahamWing113232244 / 7
L.MitchellCentre111122258 / 3
T.DuncanCentre10202533 / 7
C.WalkerFive-Eighth81111243 / 5
J.GrayInterchange4112013 / 1
D.FifitaSecond Row4103102 / 2
E.AitkenSecond Row411112 / 2
J.WightonCentre4130014 / 0
E.KosiInterchange3111101 / 2

SavvyPlays Tips — Strong

16The Call

Rabbitohs by 10
Strong · WOODEN SPOON RACE v MUST-WIN
Win
Titans +10.5
predicted Titans margin -10 vs line +10.5
ATS
Under 53.5
projected 48.3 · edge -5.2
Over / Under
Rabbitohs Backs
HIGH · 2.89/g
Anytime Edge
RankGroupScore /GOpp Concede /GCombined
Attacking Titans (vs Rabbitohs defence)
1Backs1.361.641.50 HIGH
2Spine0.821.231.02 MODERATE
3Forwards0.640.860.75 MODERATE
4Interchange0.680.320.50 LOW
Attacking Rabbitohs (vs Titans defence)
1Backs3.182.592.89 HIGH
2Spine0.641.270.95 MODERATE
3Forwards0.730.820.77 MODERATE
4Interchange0.500.230.36 LOW

Anytime Try Scoring — Matchup Likelihood: each side's position groups ranked by how often they score against how often this opponent concedes.

Rabbitohs Backs are the standout anytime bet — the top combined matchup score in this game at 2.89/game (Rabbitohs backs score 3.18/game; Titans concede to the backs at 2.59/game).

The Rabbitohs' season is on the line — they need to win both remaining games to make finals. A 5-0 H2H streak, 93% Cbus dominance, and the emotional lift of a teammate's final games provide every reason to perform.

Before you bet

ATS tip is based on SavvyPlays' predicted margin compared against the line at the time of publication. Lines move — always verify the current spread with your bookmaker before placing.

Data & Methodology

Team records sourced from official NRL data. Play-by-play timeline data drives the halves analytics. PCS is a correlation-informed player rating aggregated to position groups (Spine, Forwards, Backs) over a 15-game rolling window. Best-17% reflects the proportion of each team's optimal lineup named for this round. CI/DS combines result-volatility and squad-disruption signals. Closing-line market data via The Odds API.

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