Raiders v Knights preview

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Canberra look to shed 'Faders' tag against determined cellar dwellers. 

The Canberra Raiders will again look to build on consistency when they host the bottom of the ladder Newcastle Knights in a tricky game at GIO Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Cheekily nicknamed the 'faders' due to their inability to string together 80 minute performances (which continued last Sunday when they led 30-10 against the Titans, only to concede two late tries). Canberra will be very keen to put these statements to bed and put forward an encouraging result against the Knights. With that said, Canberra have been much improved of late with 4 wins recorded in their last 5 outings and well entrenched in the top 8.

With conditions expected to be just 10 degrees at kick off, this is certain to drop later on in the game which may favour the home side. The Raiders are to be wary of a Knights side that has struggled all year. They showed encouraging signs in a mini fight back against St George Illawarra last week and it seems it's just a matter of time until this young Knights outfit cause a boilover. Canberra prop Shannon Boyd had a word of warning to his Canberra team mates:

"The Knights haven't been going so well this year but if you put your guard down they're a chance of beating you, They're not a bad side, they've got some good forwards, so if we don't pick up and start off well it'll be a tough game."

Like the above quote mentions, it should be a torrid battle in the forwards which is an area that the Knights have to dominate if they want to have success on Sunday. Blessed with talented forwards such as Korbin Sims, Jeremy Smith and youngster Daniel Saifiti the Novacastrions have some bite to challenge the monster pack of the Raiders. This young squad is learning lots every week and their effort in turning up for each other will help further down the line in years to come. Look for another committed effort by the Knights as they attempt to move closer to their 2nd win of the season. 

Last meeting: Round 3 2016 - Knights 24 Raiders 24

Canberra blew a 24-6 lead against the Knights earlier this year in a match where the Knights garnered a lot of momentum in the last 15 minutes. Canberra have only lost once against the Knights in the last 6 meetings (a 26-12 defeat in round 6, 2014 at GIO Stadium). Newcastle have a diabolical record in the nations capital with 5 wins in 22 games played at GIO Stadium, they'll need history to change for them if they want their 2nd win of the year. 

In 44 meetings since Newcastle's inception in 1988, Canberra lead 24-18 along with two draws.

Who to watch: A lot of the talk around this entertaining Canberra side has been that of the dynamic play by Jordan Rapana, Joey Leilua and Blake Austin but little has been made of the impact that has been provided by Jack Wighton at fullback. A quiet achiever in this Canberra side, the country representative has already chalked up 2 tries, 1 line break and an impressive 10 try assists on the season. Wighton has eased into the role of fullback after initially struggling with the move from centre. His passing off the back of the block plays that the Raiders run, especially down the left hand side has been very impressive this year and has caught the eye of head coach Ricky Stuart who has been full of praise for his young fullback. Also look for Wighton to get Canberra on the front foot with his kick returns, especially if Trent Hodkinson's kicking is a little bit off. Wighton is averaging 16 hit ups and 137 metres a game from the back. He is sure to be involved heavily on Sunday to attempt top get the Raiders their 5th win in 6 games. 

One of the young players for the Knights that has been a shining light in an otherwise dim season has been prop forward Daniel Saifiti. Standing a huge 6'4 and weighing in at 117kg, he has size on his side and is not afraid to use it. Being used mainly off the bench by Nathan Brown, Saifiti has had a very good impact by averaging 11 tackles, 104 metres and 22 tackles a game. He is a very strong carrier of the ball and has good leg drive which means he gets lots of metres after contact. Since round 11, Saifiti has hit a purple patch of form by averaging 145 metres a game from an average of just 15 hit ups. His ability to dent the defensive line will come in handy against a Canberra side that has one of the biggest packs in the NRL. Can Saifiti and co knock off the Raiders?

The favourite: No surprises here, Canberra strong favourites against the last-placed Knights.

My tip: I have a feeling that Newcastle will make it hard for Canberra in the first 30-40 minutes but don't believe that have enough in the tank or across the backline to trouble the Raiders for the full 80 minutes. That said, if they can be in touch with 20 to go, we know how brittle the Raiders can be. Look for the Raiders forward pack to roll on in the 2nd half and record another victory for them with the assistance of their exciting outside backs. The kicking game of both sides will also be vital particularly with the predicted wind down in Canberra. Raiders by 12.

1. Jack Wighton 2. Brenko Lee 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Joseph Leilua 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Blake Austin 7. Aidan Sezer 16. Paul Vaughan 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Shannon Boyd 11. Josh Papalii 12. Elliot Whitehead 18. Shaun Fensom
Interchange: 14. Kurt Baptiste 8. Junior Paulo 13. Luke Bateman 17. Joseph Tapine

1. Dane Gagai 2. Nathan Ross 20. Jake Mamo 4. Peter Mata'utia 5. Brendan Elliott 6. Jack Cogger 7. Trent Hodkinson 15. Robbie Rochow 14. Tyler Randell 10. Korbin Sims 3. Sione Mata'utia 12. Mitchell Barnett 13. Jeremy Smith
Interchange: 9. Danny Levi 8. Sam Mataora 16. Daniel Saifiti 22. Josh King

Referees: Jared Maxwell, Chris Sutton; Sideline Officials: Russell Turner, Nick Morel; Video Referees: Luke Patten, Jason Robinson, Bryan Norrie