Stat to Fix: Souths searching for balance on edges

Finding a poor statistic to highlight in South Sydney's 2018 season was like finding a needle in a haystack, given they were only one victory away from a grand final appearance.

The Bunnies didn't do a whole lot wrong last season but struggled against a defensively sound Sydney Roosters outfit when it mattered in the preliminary final to be bundled out of the competition.

To call their attack "predictable" in the finals would be harsh, but it was no secret to opposition sides that their left edge was their strength.

South Sydney totalled 49 tries via the likes of Robert Jennings, Greg Inglis, Cody Walker and John Sutton down the left channel, but their right side wasn't as destructive.

Only four teams in the Telstra Premiership finished with a positive differential when it came to tries scored and conceded on the right edge in 2018, and the Rabbitohs weren't one of them.

pan66.com crunched the numbers to find a rare discrepancy between Souths and their fellow top-four teams when it came to the right side of the field. The Roosters scored 12 more tries than they conceded on the right edge, while the Storm (+11) and Sharks (+14) had similar numbers.

The Rabbitohs meanwhile finished with a -6 difference down the right channel.

Of course, scoring 30 tries on the right edge is no slack effort (equal 7th best in 2018), but Souths were the only team in the top four to have a negative points differential on any channel of the field.

Australian international Dane Gagai managed three tries in 22 regular season games, while players like Campbell Graham, Hymel Hunt and Richie Kennar occupied the right wing throughout the year.

The Warriors (+5) were the other team to enjoy a positive differential on the right last season, along with the Roosters, Storm and Sharks. 

The Rabbitohs' lethal left side returned with a +22 differential – the best margin in the league.

But with Inglis set for a shift to fullback in 2019 and Jennings facing an uncertain future, the left edge is set for a makeover, indicating the right channel could be in for a bigger challenge this season.