Round 3: Raiders v Warriors preview
It's been a torrid few weeks in the spotlight for the nation's capital but the eyes are back focussed on Canberra again on Saturday this time for a positive as the Canberra Raiders look to keep their 100% record going up against the New Zealand Warriors.
The Canberra Raiders have started their season with two straight wins against the Wests Tigers and the Cronulla Sharks. Last weekend, the Raiders scraped by the Cronulla Sharks with their 12-10 victory in the heavy wet conditions at Kogarah on Sunday. The Raiders took a comfortable 12-0 lead into the halftime break before a poor second half let the Sharks back into the game.
Poor goalkicking was the only thing that stopped the Raiders from falling to defeat last weekend which will be a concern to Ricky Stuart. The Raiders dominated the stats last weekend which would also be of a concern to the team given the comeback that the Sharks were able to mount. Despite looking good for periods across the two weeks, the Raiders will be looking to put together an 80-minute game together after only being able to dominate in one half in each of their matches against the Tigers and Warriors.
A big boost for the Raiders on Saturday is the return of Jarrod Croker after having off-season shoulder surgery and missing the first two matches of the season. Croker comes into the side in the centres replacing the impressive Sebastian Kris who has been named in the reserves. Raiders enforcer Hudson Young is expected to play after suffering a knee injury against the Sharks.
Last weekend, the Warriors suffered a 20-16 defeat against the Newcastle Knights after conceding a late try to fall to the defeat. Both sides in last weekend's contest were evenly matched and it was only a late defensive lapse that saw the Knights take victory over the Warriors. The defeat for the Warriors came after an impressive victory for the Warriors in Round 1 up against the Titans.
The Warriors were still good despite their defeat last weekend, matching a side that they were expected to be beaten by comfortably. Coming up against the Raiders, the Warriors will need to be at their best given that they dominated the possession stats against Newcastle but couldn't get a stranglehold on the game and there were a few defensive lapses that ultimately cost the them.
The clash last weekend took a heavy toll on the Warriors with star half Chanel Harris-Tavita suffering a serious foot injury that will see him miss 12 weeks on the sidelines. Sean O'Sullivan is set to make his Warriors debut on the weekend after being named in the number seven jersey for the Warriors. A suspension to Jamayne Taunua-Browne has seen Bunty Afoa named in the starting 13 for the Warriors with Jack Murchie returning to the side following a pec injury.
Last meeting: Round 19 2020 - Raiders 26 Warriors 14
Who to watch: Coming back into the side, Jarrod Croker will be an important part of the Raiders lineup on Saturday. Sebastian Kris has been an attacking weapon for the Green Machine over the first two rounds so it will be interesting to see what sort of role that Croker will play for Canberra. He will need to ensure that he comes quickly back up to speed for the Raiders.
Kodi Nikorima is a key for the Warriors attack on the weekend and will need to lead the way if they want to be in the contest against the Raiders. Nikorima has yet to have a try-assist this season which will be a major concern and something that Brown and his coaching staff will hope that Nikorima will want to improve on.
The favourite: Canberra are heavy favourites for the contest given the strengths of the respective line-ups and the fact that the Raiders are hard to beat at home.
My tip: It's hard to go past the Raiders for the contest, the Warriors have been good against their opponents but Canberra are a step-up from the Titans and the Knights over the past few weeks. The injection of club captain Jarrod Croker will be a boost to the home team whilst the visitors are down a couple of key players which will hurt them. Canberra by 12.
