Round 9: Raiders v Dolphins preview
The first of Saturday's regional contests see Rugby League action head to the Riverina as the Canberra Raiders take on The Dolphins at McDonald's Park in Wagga Wagga on Saturday afternoon.
Coming off a bye, the Canberra Raiders were rocked by the news that long-term star Jack Wighton would be leaving the club at the end of the 2023 season to head to South Sydney. This coupled with a rocky season so far for the Green Machine will leave them in an interesting spot going forward both this week and going forward. The Raiders sit in 11th spot with just three wins this season and four losses.
In their last match before the bye, The Raiders picked up their second straight victory taking out a 20-14 win over the St George Illawarra Dragons in Canberra. The performance from the Green Machine wasn't as crisp as their victory over the Broncos the week prior but they did enough against the Dragons for the victory. Canberra have found some strong form and cohesion that were lacking from their performances especially given the turning point being their big defeat to the Panthers.
The Raiders have the return of Jordan Rapana to boost them after his severe head cut against the Broncos though he does come into the side with a straight swap for the injured Nik Cotric in what is the only change for the Raiders side.
Confounding all expectations, the Dolphins have proven themselves to be a strong contender in 2023 sitting in eighth spot with five wins and three losses which is the opposite to the pre-season expectations of the newest side struggling to get wins.
Last weekend, it was a tale of two halves big time for the Dolphins as they equalled the NRL's record for biggest come back as they came from 26-0 down to take a strong 28-26 victory over the Gold Coast Titans at Suncorp Stadium. The Dolphins weren't in the game for the opening 38 minutes but then quickly found momentum and had the luck they missed from the first half on their side as they ran in five unanswered tries and arguably could have had more.
The Dolphins are boosted by the return of Kenny Bromwich from suspension into the front row joining brother Jesse. This sees Herman Ese'ese dropping back to the bench. Anthony Milford could be a chance of returning
Last meeting: Round 2 2023 - Dolphins 20 Raiders 14
Who to watch: As mentioned a lot of the focus for the Raiders has been around the departure of Jack Wighton and his signing with South Sydney for next season. It is going to be an interesting watch given the talk and negative aura that has been around since that announcement and what effect it has on the close-knit club. Wighton's performances have only been there abouts this season so he will want to step it up against the Dolphins who don't lack confidence.
One of the brightest futures in the NRL belongs to Dolphins halfback Isaiya Katoa who has done a magnificent job in his rookie season. The ex-Panther has a cool and calm head on his shoulders and since the loss of Sean O'Sullivan to injury Katoa has led the side around well. Coming up against a confident Raiders side, Katoa will need a big performance to win the game for the Redcliffe based side.
The favourite: The Raiders are strong favourites for the contest in their first meeting against the Dolphins though it could be argued the difference is too big between them.
My tip: If the Dolphins can put an 80-minute performance together, they should be strong contenders to win it. Their form last week bar some brain explosions in the second half showed they have enough to beat any side and with a topsy-turvy week the Raiders might not be all there mentally. It will be a tough game but I think an upset is more likely than not. Dolphins by 6.
