Canberra Raiders v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Lead Changes multiple times as Dolphins hold on to Narrow win
5 hours ago | Josh Robertson
Raiders v Bulldogs preview
The Nation's Capital hosts top of the table blockbuster as Raiders, Bulldogs look to continue winning ways.
It's extremely rare for a clash between first and second on the table this late into the season to not involve at least one of the Panthers, Storm or Roosters, but in a refreshing change for the average Rugby League watcher it'll be the second placed Canberra Raiders looking to knock the Canterbury Bulldogs off their perch at the top of the ladder on Saturday.
The Raiders have been the surprise packets of the season so far. While pre-season predictions for them to finish among the bottom four or even get the wooden spoon are as ridiculous as they are plentiful, you'd have to search for a pretty long time around Questacon, the Telstra Tower and Kingsley's Chicken to find a Canberra fan who thought they'd start the year 7-2.
Raiders sides under Ricky Stuart have always been willing to get in the mud and grind out a victory, and that hasn't changed (see last Sunday for an example), but what's different about this particular iteration is the fancy-free attitude and flamboyance with which they attack. Their middle can get a roll on against just about anyone and when you combine that with the speed and power they have out wide you get the best attack in the NRL through 9 rounds.
Staring at them from the other side of the field on Saturday will be the brick wall that is the Canterbury Bulldogs. At an average of 14.75 points conceded per game, the Bulldogs have the best defence in the competition by a country mile, with the next best being the Sharks at 18.44. It's exactly the kind of leap the Blue and White faithful were hoping for and expecting going into their third year with Cameron Ciraldo at the helm, a coach who is quickly proving to be even better than was advertised coming out of Penrith.
Despite the Raiders strength being attack and the Dogs' being defence, their respective victories last week were earned largely through the work done on the other side of the ball. The Bulldogs got into a shootout with a frisky Titans team, scoring 6 tries to the Gold Coast's 4. Their right-side attack looked the best it has all year, with Stephen Crichton and Jacob Kiraz toying with Titans defenders all afternoon.
The Raiders looked likely in attack a number of times against the Storm, but the metaphorical bounce of the ball just wasn't going their way more often than not. There was a period late in the first half where everything clicked and they put on two tries in 5 minutes to cut a 14-0 deficit to 14-12, but aside from that it was very much a game of holding on. They did just that, keeping the Storm to their second lowest total for the season and taking full advantage of a half chance that presented itself late in the piece.
It remains to be seen exactly what kind of paths to victory these two sides will try and take when they face off. Just about the only thing that is certain is that whatever happens, it'll be damn entertaining to watch.
Last meeting: Round 22 2024 - Bulldogs 22 Raiders 18
Who to watch: Raiders fullback Kaeo Weekes had a real rough go of it to start season 2025. For a player who poses such a threat with ball in hand, he had little involvement in the Raiders sparkling start to the season before things really went downhill for the 23 year old, dropping what felt like a dozen high balls in consecutive losses to the Sea Eagles and Cowboys that had some calling for the young fella to have a stint in reserve grade to get his confidence back. In a show of faith, Ricky Stuart kept him in the side and has reaped the rewards in the games since. Weekes was heavily involved in the miracle last minute try a few weeks ago to beat the Sharks, while anyone with even the slightest interest in Rugby League has watched his chip'n'chase effort to tie the game against Melbourne several times. The highlight plays are fun, and there will no doubt be more of them, but what really adds another dimension to the Raiders attack is his presence in the backline shape that forces defenders into split second decisions. Weekes is at his best when chiming in to Canberra's right-side shifts, so keep an eye on his matchup with Bronson Xerri, who is having a career year in Blue and White.
For the Bulldogs, Jacob Kiraz has done all he can since returning from injury to push for consideration in the NSW Blues side, and his last start was certainly no exception. Going against an admittedly poor Titans edge, Kiraz put up the video game-esque stat line of 22 runs for 227 metres, 2-line breaks, 2 line break assists, a try assist, 14 tackle breaks, 3 offloads and a hat-trick of tries. His first one was particularly impressive, winning the aerial contest before powering his way over the line by outmuscling the defence on the ground. It's the kind of performance that Kiraz would only need to half replicate every week to earn his way into the conversation for best wingers in the competition if he's not already there, and how he fares against rookie sensation Savelio Tamale will be an interesting little sub-plot in a game filled with them.
Favourite: The Raiders are two-point favourites over the Bulldogs at the time of writing.
My tip: This is the most I've struggled with picking a game all season. I'll no doubt flip back and forth fifty times before kick-off, but I've got to make a pick right now so the home team it is.
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. Matt Nicholson 13. Morgan Smithies 14. Owen Pattie 15. Zac Hosking 16. Josh Papali'i 17. Ata Mariota 18. Manaia Waitere 19. Simi Sasagi 20. Pasami Saulo 21. Trey Mooney 22. Danny Levi
1. Connor Tracey 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Matt Burton 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jacob Preston 13. Jaeman Salmon 14. Kurt Mann 15. Harry Hayes 16. Kurtis Morrin 17. Bailey Hayward 19. Blake Taaffe 20. Blake Wilson 21. Lipoi Hopoi 22. Luke Smith 23. Drew Hutchison
Referees: Adam Gee; Sideline Officials: Michael Wise, Jarrod Cole; Video Referees: Grant Atkins;