Round 11: Raiders v Rabbitohs preview
The national capital is the focus for action on Saturday night and for good reason as the Canberra Raiders take on South Sydney in a top 8 battle at Canberra Stadium.
The Canberra Raiders head into Saturday's match high on confidence after putting aside a mounting injury toll to take a 24-20 victory over their 2019 Grand Final rivals the Sydney Roosters. The Raiders came into that clash missing key players for the rest of the season and their never die attitude of previous seasons came into force taking victory.
The Raiders have mixed their form this season significantly with good performances such as last weekend but then have struggled through performances against the Tigers and Dragons to take victories. Canberra have also put in some strong performances for defeats including good efforts against Parramatta and Melbourne.
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart has handed a debut to Harley Smith-Shield on the bench at this stage whilst the Raiders could also be boosted significantly with the possibility of English star John Bateman potentially coming into the side having been named in the reserves.
Last weekend, the South Sydney Rabbitohs suffered an agonising two-point defeat against the Newcastle Knights which saw the Rabbitohs overturn a 20-0 deficit to get back within two before falling just short. The Bunnies could've had one last chance at the end to make a match winning play however, they failed to pack the scrum in the correct position and time elapsed meaning they were consigned to a 20-18 defeat.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs have had an inconsistent season sitting in eighth spot and have had a 50% record across the 10 games this season. The Rabbitohs have taken all of their wins this season against sides that have been outside of the top 8 at the time.
Bunnies coach Wayne Bennett has been forced into two main changes with James Roberts and Ethan Lowe both suffering long-term injuries meaning that Campbell Graham returns from injury in the centres whilst Bailey Sironen is promoted to the starting line-up. Jack Johns is added to the interchange bench.
Last meeting: Finals Week 3 2019 - Raiders 16 Rabbitohs 10
Who to watch: Canberra's Englishman George Williams had a strong start to his NRL career but like the Raiders he has had an inconsistent patch of form and a bounce back last weekend helped the Raiders to victory over the Roosters. Williams put his mark on the competition back in Round 3 when the competition resumed but since then has struggled to put a consistent effort in on the park.
The efforts of Cody Walker this season have replicated the performances of South Sydney. The times that Walker has looked dangerous has been the same time that Souths have been able to be dangerous. The quickening of the game should've been a bonus for Walker but he hasn't stood up as far as the Rabbitohs would be wanting at the halfway part of the season.
The favourite: Canberra have been put as heavy favourites, a return to GIO Stadium as well as their victory against the Roosters last weekend. The two clashes last season were low scoring affairs split between the two sides.
My tip: The Raiders looked impressive last weekend against the Roosters whilst the Rabbitohs looked off the mark early against Newcastle. The Raiders tenacity helps them significantly and if they can get off to the good start, the Rabbitohs won't be able to come back. Raiders by 8.
