2017 Preview | Canberra Raiders

After finishing one pass away from a Grand Final berth, the Raiders enter the 2017 season under the burden of lofty expectations, with a possible premiership touted by many experts.

It was quite an eventful 2016 for the Canberra Raiders, who stormed into the finals series in second position off the back of 13 wins from their last 14 games of the season capping off their best finish to a regular season since their last premiership victory way back in 1994.

However, an injury to pivotal hooker Josh Hodgson in their first week clash with Cronulla jeopardised their premiership hopes. Yet, a miraculous recovery saw the Englishman suit up a week later and help down Penrith to set up a Preliminary Final berth with the Melbourne Storm. Unfortunately, Canberra fell agonisingly short, just one pass away from possibly meeting with the Sharks once more, but this time in the Grand Final.

Despite the agony, the Raiders appear just as good a shot at the title this season, with a relatively unchanged line up. The inclusion of Dave Taylor adds even more competition for spots in an already intimidating forward pack, although the departure of Sam Williams leaves their halves depth lacking in experience. In spite of this, last year's best attacking side (by over 100 points) is set for a significant season in its history, with the chance to build upon last year's success and possibly claim premiership glory.

Why They'll Win It

There's no other answer really. If the Raiders are to hold the Provan-Summons trophy high in the first week of October this year, it will be their scintillating attack which will again figure as a key contributor to their success. The combination of Joey Leilua and Jordan Rapana was something special, with the pair crossing for a total of 31 tries and creating 37 line breaks. Even more integral, however, was Hodsgon, who starred in a break out season which included a team high 16 try assists. And with another off season, settled halves Aidan Sezer and Blake Austin will look to capitalise off the field possession created by one of the competition's most dominant forward packs.

Why They Won't

There's no reason the Raiders cannot go all the way in 2017, however, one factor that may stand in their way is the sheer competition that they face to get there. The likes of the Storm, Cowboys, Broncos and even Sharks are expected to be up there again, while the young Panthers face similarly high expectations coming into 2017. And all remaining teams, par Newcastle and St George also look competitive this year. Although I can't find a reason the Raiders themselves won't win, it may in fact be other teams that prevent them from premiership success.

Key Players

Mentioned earlier, another stellar season from Josh Hodgson would go a long way to securing a premiership for the Raiders. The British hooker controlled things easily in the middle, as well as proving a creative spark, rolling off a rampaging forward pack. With 16 try assists, 6 line breaks, 4 tries and an average of 34 tackles a game, his presence will be essential this season if the Raiders figure at the back end of the year with backup hooker Kurt Baptiste sidelined with an Achilles injury leaving Adam Clydesdale on the bench.

Rookies

Although Canberra have two outstanding centres in Jarrod Croker and Joey Leilua, Australian Schoolboys representative Nick Cotric oozes all the potential qualities of a break out star. Named in the Holden Cup Team of the Year, Cotric rivalled Croker and Leilua's impressive seasons with 7 tries, 11 try assists and 135 tackle busts, signalling that, if an injury does strike in Canberra's backline, Cotric will certainly be considered for his NRL debut.

Player Movements

Gains | Jordan Turner (St Helens), Dunamis Lui (Dragons), Makahesi Makatoa (Bulldogs), Scott Sorensen (Mounties), Brent Naden (Mounties)

Losses | Lachlan Lewis (Bulldogs), Sisa Waqa (rugby union), Zac Woolford (Bulldogs), Sam Williams (Wakefield), Brenko Lee (Bulldogs), Paul Vaughan (Dragons)

Best Line-up

1. Jack Wighton
2. Edrick Lee
3. Jarrod Croker
4. Joey Leilua
5. Jordan Rapana
6. Blake Austin
7. Aidan Sezer
8. Junior Paulo
9. Josh Hodgson
10. Shannon Boyd
11. Josh Papalii
12. Elliot Whitehead
13. Sia Soliola

14. Adam Clydesdale
15. Joseph Tapine
16. Luke Bateman
17. Clay Priest

2017 Draw

Click the image below to look at the Raiders 2017 schedule