Round 15: Raiders v Warriors preview
Canberra celebrates goal (kicker) of the (triple) century.
Jarrod Croker will become only the second man to play 300 first grade games for the Canberra Raiders on Friday evening against the New Zealand Warriors.
Celebrating the historic milestone at home after the veteran centre was rested last week, the Canberra Raiders will be looking to continue an impressive run over the past two months that has yielded seven wins from their past eight matches.
Holding off a fast-finishing Tigers side to clinch a 20-19 victory at Campbelltown last Friday, Croker's return at centre sees Nick Cotric revert to the bench and Sebastian Kris come back into the backline in place of Harley Smith-Shields.
Holding a 50 per cent record from 18 meetings against the Warriors during Ricky Stuart's tenure at the club, the Raiders could finish the round as high as third heading into their second bye of the season.
Sitting in seventh position following their biggest victory of the season, the New Zealand Warriors will be looking to play spoilers and record back-to-back wins for the first time in two months.
Dominating the Dolphins in the second half last Saturday to run out 30-8 winners in Auckland, coach Andrew Webster will blood debutant Ali Leiataua in the centres with Rocco Berry ruled out with concussion.
Defying a poor historical precedent in Canberra by winning three of their past five visits, Addin Fonua-Blake and Marcelo Montoya will play their 50th games for the club, while Josh Curran will make his 50th career appearance.
Last meeting: Round 19 2022 - Raiders 26 Warriors 14
Who to watch: Set to join exclusive company as only the 48th player in Australian rugby league history to reach 300 first grade appearances, Jarrod Croker will be determined to put the team first in his milestone match. Debuting in 2009 as an 18-year-old before going on to become the highest point-scorer and try-scorer in Raiders history, the 32-year-old centre has fought back from a wretched run with injury in recent years to join Jason Croker as just the second player to reach the triple century for Canberra. Winning his 100th and 200th milestone matches by narrow margins, Croker will be hoping to cap his triple century with a similar result on home soil.
Returning to Canberra for the first time since an emotional departure at the end of last season, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad will be looking to steal the spotlight on Friday evening. Averaging 187 running metres to go with 44 tackle breaks and two tries in 11 matches to date, the 27-year-old New Zealand representative has re-established himself as a first-choice fullback after two seasons disrupted by injury and falling out of favour in the nation's capital. Providing the Warriors with plenty of punch as a ball runner and support players, look for Nicoll-Klokstad to be heavily involved as the Warriors strive to consolidate a place in the top eight.
Favourite: The Raiders are expected to rise to the occasion and maintain their 70 per cent record in matches contested against the Warriors at GIO Stadium.
My tip: Jarrod Croker should get a result befitting his reputation if the Raiders can handle the hype leading into one of the most monumental regular season fixtures in their history. Raiders by 8.
