Matchday Details

Sunday, July 27 – 2pm (AEST) – GIO Stadium
📺 Broadcast: Fox League / Kayo
Referee: Wyatt Raymond | Bunker: Grant Atkins

Raiders
1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Jed Stuart 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Simi Sasagi 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papali’i 9. Tom Starling 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Zac Hosking 13. Corey Horsburgh 14. Owen Pattie 15. Noah Martin 16. Morgan Smithies 17. Ata Mariota 18. Manaia Waitere 19. Trey Mooney 20. Joseph Roddy 21. Danny Levi 22. Ethan Sanders

Knights
1. Dane Gagai 2. Dominic Young 3. Fletcher Hunt 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Jackson Hastings 7. Jack Cogger 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Leo Thompson 11. Jermaine McEwen 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Phoenix Crossland 14. Tyson Gamble 15. Mathew Croker 16. Tyson Frizell 17. Jack Hetherington 18. Thomas Cant 19. James Schiller 20. Matthew Arthur 21. Brodie Jones 22. Kyle McCarthy

Match Preview

Sunday’s fixtures begin with the ladder-leading Raiders taking on the 14th-placed Newcastle. The Raiders have just a two-point advantage over the Bulldogs and can afford no slip ups in their quest for their first minor premiership since 1990. Newcastle suffered a heart-breaking loss to the Warriors last Sunday, charging down a desperate field goal attempt only for Leka Halasima to grab the rebound and sprint 40 metres for the match-winning try. That result all but seals the Knights’ fate of not playing finals football this season, as they are now eight points outside the top eight with just seven rounds remaining.

In team news, Seb Kris suffered a concussion in Canberra’s 40-16 win over the Eels last Saturday afternoon and will miss this game. Versatile backrower Simi Sasagi will replace Kris in the starting centre position, allowing Noah Martin to take a place on the bench. As for Newcastle, they also have only the one change, with Thomas Cant dropping off the interchange bench and Jack Hetherington making his way back into the side on the bench. This change feels like Adam O’Brien wants some extra mongrel in his forward pack to combat the likes of Josh Papali’i and Joseph Tapine.

A big positive that Newcastle can take out of this season is that, despite their attacking inconsistency, their foundations on defence are solid, resulting in just 19.8 points per game against. These defensive numbers are actually top four comparable, which makes them competitive most weeks, so Canberra will have zero room for complacency.

This competitive spirit on the back of defensive structures was evident when these teams played earlier in the season in round 7. The Knights couldn’t get the job done but only lost 22-18. Last time they met in Canberra, the Knights found the upset, winning another close grind of a game 16-12. I expect it to be a similar type of battle where the Knights try and arm-wrestle Canberra and try to take advantage of any run of possession they have in green territory.

This brings me to the match’s key battle where I think it will be won and lost. This is of course the battle of the bigs: Jacob Saifiti and Leo Thompson versus Papali’i and Tapine. The Raiders starting front row has 551 games of first grade experience between them. This is more than the entire Raiders backline combined: you could probably throw a few forwards in there as well and still not make up the amount of experience. Thompson is the least experienced of these four, but in his 74 games of first grade he has become a hot commodity, evident by how heavily targeted he is on the transfer market. Strap yourself in, it’s going to be a fierce battle.

Prediction

RLZ Tip: Raiders by 12

See our full Round 21 Predictions (live Wednesday 12pm) here: coming soon

Have your say: Who wins? Drop your tip in the comments or vote in our poll.

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