Roosters v Raiders preview

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Sydney Roosters v Canberra Raiders Sunday 6:15pm at Allianz Stadium, Moore Park / Gadigal

Surging Roosters set for Litmus Test Against Rampaging Raiders

After the Bulldogs recent heavy defeat, there's a genuine argument to be made that this Round 13 matchup is a clash between the two hottest teams in Rugby League at the moment. The Roosters have won 4 out of their last 5, most recently dismantling a highly fancied Cronulla outfit, while the Raiders fairytale start to the year has continued and sees them in second place on the ladder.

The poor red zone attack that had plagued the Roosters in the early rounds of the competition is a thing of the past. The tri-colours are averaging a whopping 36 points per game since ANZAC day, a turnaround that has unsurprisingly resulted in a lot more wins. Their new look explosive attack was on full display against the Sharks as they scored tries from all over the park.

The Raiders success in 2025 has come off the back a dynamic, explosive attack that opposition sides haven't been able to keep pace with, as evidenced by their 27.83 points per game on the entire season. There have been warranted concerns over their defence however, which makes their last start 16-10 triumph over the Warriors that much more impressive. The Raiders were forced to defend the 6-point lead camped on their own line for much of the last 10 minutes, 3 of them while down to 12 men, and were able to do so courtesy of both their systems and some great individual efforts. 

While Canberra's efforts against the Warriors were good, they were facing what is statistically a bottom-four attacking unit in the competition. The Roosters matchup shapes as a tougher ask, especially after an 80 minutes as gruelling as the one they just had.

In their recent turnaround, the Roosters defence has not improved to nearly the same degree as their attack, that is until last week. The Roosters only gave up 16 points to a full-strength Sharks side that were not without their opportunities, doing a fine job in containing a left edge that has given opposition sides trouble all year. The Raiders have a lot of speed outside the numbers and it's a pretty safe assumption they'll use it to give the Roosters outside backs another test.

Last meeting: Round 26 2024 - Roosters 12 Raiders 14

Who to watch: How could you not be paying extra attention to Mark Nawaqanitawase when watching a Roosters game these days. From the start, the Rugby Union converts skill has been obvious, especially in attack, and that area of his game has gone from strength to strength as highlight reel plays seem to be becoming a weekly occurrence. It's his defence however that has improved out of sight, and for him to make a huge leap on that side of the ball in such a short amount of time emphasises how good of a footy mind he is. The Raiders achilles heel at times this season has been their edge defence, expect the Roosters to go to Marky Mark early and often to test it out.

For the Raiders, young hooker Owen Pattie will get the first opportunity of his career to start on Sunday after Tom Starling was suspended for a late hit. Pattie has shown glimpses of what he's capable of during his limited time off the bench so far, and last week was no exception, the youngster making a line break quite early on in his stint as he often does. It will be interesting to see how long he stays on the field, with Danny Levi named on the bench for his first game of the season, and whether Pattie has the same level of impact starting as he usually does off the bench.

Favourite: The Raiders are very narrow 1-point favourites at the time of writing.

My tip: The Roosters are in such good form at the moment, and I can see this as a game the Raiders drop after such a tough road trip to New Zealand. Roosters by 8.

1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Billy Smith 4. Robert Toia 5. Mark Nawaqanitawase 6. Sandon Smith 7. Hugo Savala 8. Lindsay Collins 20. Benaiah Ioelu 15. Salesi Foketi 11. Angus Crichton 12. Siua Wong 13. Victor Radley 9. Connor Watson 10. Spencer Leniu 16. Blake Steep 17. Egan Butcher 23. Ethan King

1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Savelio Tamale 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 22. Ethan Sanders 8. Corey Horsburgh 14. Danny Levi 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Zac Hosking 13. Morgan Smithies 9. Owen Pattie 15. Simi Sasagi 16. Josh Papali'i 17. Ata Mariota 18. Noah Martin

Referees: Ashley Klein; Sideline Officials: Belinda Sharpe, Chris Sutton; Video Referees: Chris Butler;