Raiders v Warriors preview

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Canberra Raiders v Warriors Sunday 11:00am at Allegiant Stadium, Paradise / Las Vegas NV

Rugby league comes back to Las Vegas.

The NRL's mission to spread the rugby league gospel abroad is back for another year with the Canberra Raiders and New Zealand Warriors facing off in Las Vegas to open the 2025 season.

Kicking off year two of the NRL's five-year project to gain a footing in the US, the Saturday afternoon local time clash - Sunday morning for viewers in the southern hemisphere - will see two sides that failed to play finals football last year look to make amends with an opening round win.

Defying expectations to narrowly fall short of the finals on points differential last season, the Canberra Raiders will have their sights set on laying the foundations for the year to come with a style of football based around high completion rates and playing for field position.

Claiming seven wins from 11 opening round matches during Ricky Stuart's tenure as coach, including first up wins in five of the past six years, the Raiders demonstrated positive signs during the pre-season with an inexperienced side defeating the Panthers (22-16) before going down to the Sharks (10-40) at home.

The Raiders have named 15 players who featured in first grade last year in their squad; highly-rated hooker Owen Pattie will make his NRL debut off the bench, while outside back Savelio Tamale will make his first appearance in green after joining from St George Illawarra over the off-season.

Coming into the new campaign with a changing of the guard following several high-profile departures, the New Zealand Warriors will be banking on strong crowd support despite playing nearly 11,000 kilometres from home.

Boasting a solid record of five opening round wins over the last eight seasons, the Warriors were among the better performing teams during the pre-season with a draw against the Sharks (12-12) followed by a flamboyant attacking display over the Storm (36-10).

Kiwi test captain James Fisher-Harris and returning utility forward Erin Clark headline the new faces in coach Andrew Webster's squad, while emerging forwards Demitric Vaimauga and Leka Halasima have won spots on the bench.

Canberra and New Zealand have met once before in the opening round with the Raiders claiming a 24-8 victory in Auckland back in 2001. 

The Raiders have won 10 out of 22 matches against the Warriors under Ricky Stuart; the Warriors, in contrast, have claimed three wins from four matches against the Raiders during Andrew Webster's two seasons at the helm.

Last meeting: Round 20 2024 - Raiders 20 Warriors 18

Who to watch: Starting a season in the number one jersey for the first time in his career, Kaeo Weekes will be looking to light up Allegiant Stadium with his dazzling speed and footwork. Beginning his time at the Raiders in the halves before shifting to fullback with great success, the 23-year-old former Sea Eagles utility created plenty of havoc in 17 appearances last season with eight tries, five try assists and 120 running metres on average. Showing no signs of slowing down after a sensational kick return to set up a try during the trials, expect Weekes to have a major impact on the scoreboard as the Raiders look to hit the Las Vegas jackpot with two premiership points.

After mixed results in his return to rugby league as a centre last year, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will be aiming for better things as he winds back the clock to play on the wing. Scoring five tries in 18 appearances across the backline in 2024, the 31-year-old New Zealand dual international remains one of the most influential figures at the Warriors given his standing as the only player to win the prestigious Dally M medal in the club's history. Scoring tries in his past three appearances against the Raiders, including four poiters in both matches last season, look for the man known as RTS to make a point of getting his name on the score sheet.

The favourite: The Warriors have been backed to translate their pre-season successes into two premiership points.

My tip: The Raiders have built a reputation out of proving their naysayers wrong and they'll relish the opportunity to do it once again on the world stage. Raiders by 8.

1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Savelio Tamale 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Corey Horsburgh 9. Tom Starling 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Zac Hosking 13. Morgan Smithies 14. Owen Pattie 15. Simi Sasagi 16. Josh Papali'i 17. Ata Mariota 19. Trey Mooney 22. Jed Stuart

1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Taine Tuaupiki 3. Ali Leiataua 4. Adam Pompey 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita 7. Luke Metcalf 8. James Fisher-Harris 9. Wayde Egan 10. Mitchell Barnett 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Marata Niukore 13. Erin Clark 14. Dylan Walker 15. Jackson Ford 16. Demitric Vaimauga 17. Leka Halasima 21. Eddie Ieremia 20. Te Maire Martin

Referees: Grant Atkins; Sideline Officials: Phil Henderson, Dave Munro; Video Referees: Gerard Sutton;