Having ambushed the Storm in Melbourne, the Raiders are full of confidence as they welcome the Vodafone Warriors to the national capital.
Ricky Stuart's men will go in as hot favourites but they will be wary of taking the Vodafone Warriors lightly having gone down by a point in round eight when Shaun Johnson got his team home in golden point.
The Vodafone Warriors sat two games ahead of the Green Machine on the ladder on the back of that victory but they have won just once more since then to slide out of finals contention.
The Raiders' run home is a relatively friendly one and a win on Saturday can catapult them into the eight for the first time since round three.
The Rundown
Team news
Raiders: Jordan Rapana has been suspended for two matches so Nick Cotric takes over on the wing in his return from a leg injury. James Schiller is out with an ankle injury, replaced on the other wing by Albert Hopoate. Skipper Elliott Whitehead (knee) also returns after missing the Storm game so Corey Harawira-Naera goes to to the bench.
Vodafone Warriors: A couple of significant changes in the spine with fullback Reece Walsh bumped to the bench and mid-year signing Daejarn Asi preferred at five-eighth ahead of rookie Ronald Volkman, who was rested last week. Chanel Harris-Tavita gets the nod at fullback after starring there against Wests Tigers in round 16, while veteran Dallin Watene-Zelezniak returns on the wing in place of Ed Kosi, after sitting out round 18 with Covid.
Match: Raiders v Warriors
Round 19 -
home Team
Raiders
away Team
Warriors
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Raiders is number 1 Xavier SavageFullback for Warriors is number 1 Chanel Harris-Tavita
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Winger for Raiders is number 2 Nick CotricWinger for Warriors is number 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
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Centre for Raiders is number 3 Matthew TimokoCentre for Warriors is number 3 Jesse Arthars
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Centre for Raiders is number 4 Sebastian KrisCentre for Warriors is number 4 Adam Pompey
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Winger for Raiders is number 5 Albert HopoateWinger for Warriors is number 5 Marcelo Montoya
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Five-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Jack WightonFive-Eighth for Warriors is number 6 Daejarn Asi
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Halfback for Raiders is number 7 Jamal FogartyHalfback for Warriors is number 7 Shaun Johnson
Forwards
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Prop for Raiders is number 8 Josh PapaliiProp for Warriors is number 8 Addin Fonua-Blake
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Hooker for Raiders is number 9 Zac WoolfordHooker for Warriors is number 9 Wayde Egan
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Prop for Raiders is number 10 Joseph TapineProp for Warriors is number 10 Tohu Harris
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2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Hudson Young2nd Row for Warriors is number 11 Euan Aitken
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2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead2nd Row for Warriors is number 17 Jack Murchie
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Lock for Raiders is number 13 Adam ElliottLock for Warriors is number 13 Jazz Tevaga
Interchange
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Interchange for Raiders is number 14 Tom StarlingInterchange for Warriors is number 12 Josh Curran
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Interchange for Raiders is number 15 Ryan SuttonInterchange for Warriors is number 14 Reece Walsh
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Interchange for Raiders is number 16 Emre GulerInterchange for Warriors is number 15 Bunty Afoa
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Interchange for Raiders is number 17 Corey Harawira-NaeraInterchange for Warriors is number 18 Eliesa Katoa
Reserves
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Replacement for Raiders is number 21 Ata MariotaReplacement for Warriors is number 23 Jackson Frei
Match Officials
- Referee: Chris Sutton
- Senior Review Official: Kasey Badger
Last updated:
Key match-up
Joseph Tapine v Addin Fonua-Blake: The one-time New Zealand Test team-mates have been leading from the front in 2022 with their strong running games and were the leading forwards for their sides last week in terms of metres gained. Tapine averages 163 metres across the year and was a key in Canberra's last-up victory over the Storm. While being used off the interchange in the Vodafone Warriors' last two matches, Fonua-Blake has still gained more metres than any of his teammates and is their key figure in the middle of the park.
Stat Attack
The Raiders and Warriors have met 43 times since 1995 with Canberra holding the narrowest of margins with 22 wins to 21. The last three clashes have been decided by one point, 12 points and three points, with the Warriors winning two of those.
