Charlie Staines is poised to play his first finals match since last year’s shock loss to the Rabbitohs, as Viliame Kikau braces for a barrage of abuse from South Sydney fans over his infamous post-grand final video.
Staines, who lost his spot in the Panthers team which ground its way to last year’s premiership, is firming as a replacement for the suspended Taylan May in the grand final qualifier at Accor Stadium on Saturday night.
Coach Ivan Cleary will consider shifting Brian To’o to the left wing outside Izack Tago and parachuting Staines – who scored four tries in a memorable NRL debut in 2020 – onto the right to partner Stephen Crichton.
It means the 21-year-old is set to face the monumental task of helping stop Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell down the Rabbitohs’ lethal left edge attack.
Asked about the possibility of Staines returning to the Panthers side, To’o said: “He’s worked twice as hard. He’s always trying to improve the little things in his game. Whether he plays this week or not, he’s always going to put his best foot forward and put the team first.
“Wherever coach puts me, left, right … it doesn’t matter. I’ll do my job for the boys and it’s team first.”
Charlie Staines is firming for a finals recall in the absence of Taylan May.Credit:Getty
Staines was 18th man for Penrith’s qualifying final win over the Eels and has spent most of this year behind rookie May, who has been a revelation for Penrith.
But May’s finals campaign has been dogged by controversy, firstly having a two-match suspension for assaulting a patron in a Sunshine Coast beer garden after last year’s grand final deferred by the NRL until next year.
He was then charged by the match review committee for a high tackle in the Eels match which will keep him out of the preliminary final, but he wouldn’t have played in any case with a hamstring injury.
One man who will play is Kikau, the Bulldogs-bound back-rower admitting he will be a marked man after posting a video to social media after last year’s grand final in which he mocked the Rabbitohs.
It included singing South Sydney’s Glory Glory song, with the stakes again high as the rivals meet in a final four showdown.
“I still cop a fair bit every time I play the Rabbitohs,” Kikau said. “Nothing’s going to change this weekend I don’t think.
“I can’t even remember that day [I recorded the video] now to be honest. I think they will [target me]. I’ve just got to be ready.”
The Panthers are the joint shortest-priced title favourites heading into the preliminary finals in the last decade.
Sportsbet listed them a $1.80 chance on Monday, the same quote as the Storm before they were bundled out of the title race by the Panthers in the grand final qualifier last year.
Asked about their tag as overwhelming favourites, Kikau said: “We do our own thing here and outside noise is outside noise. We just focus on ourselves and that’s been one of the big things we’ve been doing the last couple of years. It has been working.
“Everyone puts their egos aside and work hard on preparing. It’s just a new week and it doesn’t change this week.”
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