Matchday Details<\/p>\n
Sunday, July 27 \u2013 2pm (AEST) \u2013 GIO Stadium
\ud83d\udcfa Broadcast: Fox League \/ Kayo
Referee:\u00a0Wyatt Raymond |\u00a0Bunker:\u00a0Grant Atkins<\/p>\n
Raiders Knights Match Preview<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s 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<\/a> to grab the rebound and sprint 40 metres for the match-winning try. That result all but seals the Knights\u2019 fate of not playing finals football this season, as they are now eight points outside the top eight with just seven rounds remaining.<\/p>\n In team news, Seb Kris suffered a concussion in Canberra\u2019s 40-16 win over the Eels last Saturday afternoon and will miss this game. Versatile backrower Simi Sasagi<\/a> will replace Kris in the starting centre position, allowing Noah Martin<\/a> to take a place on the bench. As for Newcastle, they also have only the one change, with Thomas Cant<\/a> dropping off the interchange bench and Jack Hetherington<\/a> making his way back into the side on the bench. This change feels like Adam O\u2019Brien wants some extra mongrel in his forward pack to combat the likes of Josh Papali\u2019i and Joseph Tapine<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n This brings me to the match\u2019s key battle where I think it will be won and lost. This is of course the battle of the bigs: Jacob Saifiti<\/a> and Leo Thompson<\/a> versus Papali\u2019i 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\u2019s going to be a fierce battle.<\/p>\n Prediction<\/p>\n RLZ Tip: Raiders by 12<\/p>\n See our full Round 21 Predictions (live Wednesday 12pm) here: coming soon<\/p>\n Have your say: Who wins? Drop your tip in the comments or vote in our poll<\/a>.<\/p>\n Related Links<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0Kaeo Weekes<\/a>\u00a02. Jed Stuart 3.\u00a0Matthew Timoko<\/a>\u00a04.\u00a0Simi Sasagi<\/a>\u00a05.\u00a0Xavier Savage<\/a>\u00a06.\u00a0Ethan Strange<\/a>\u00a07.\u00a0Jamal Fogarty<\/a>\u00a08. Josh Papali\u2019i 9.\u00a0Tom Starling<\/a>\u00a010.\u00a0Joseph Tapine<\/a>\u00a011.\u00a0Hudson Young<\/a>\u00a012.\u00a0Zac Hosking<\/a>\u00a013.\u00a0Corey Horsburgh<\/a>\u00a014.\u00a0Owen Pattie<\/a>\u00a015.\u00a0Noah Martin<\/a>\u00a016.\u00a0Morgan Smithies<\/a>\u00a017.\u00a0Ata Mariota<\/a>\u00a018.\u00a0Manaia Waitere<\/a>\u00a019.\u00a0Trey Mooney<\/a>\u00a020. Joseph Roddy 21.\u00a0Danny Levi<\/a>\u00a022.\u00a0Ethan Sanders<\/a><\/p>\n
1.\u00a0Dane Gagai<\/a>\u00a02.\u00a0Dominic Young<\/a>\u00a03. Fletcher Hunt 4.\u00a0Bradman Best<\/a>\u00a05.\u00a0Greg Marzhew<\/a>\u00a06.\u00a0Jackson Hastings<\/a>\u00a07.\u00a0Jack Cogger<\/a>\u00a08.\u00a0Jacob Saifiti<\/a>\u00a09.\u00a0Jayden Brailey<\/a>\u00a010.\u00a0Leo Thompson<\/a>\u00a011.\u00a0Jermaine McEwen<\/a>\u00a012.\u00a0Kai Pearce-Paul<\/a>\u00a013.\u00a0Phoenix Crossland<\/a>\u00a014.\u00a0Tyson Gamble<\/a>\u00a015. Mathew Croker 16.\u00a0Tyson Frizell<\/a>\u00a017.\u00a0Jack Hetherington<\/a>\u00a018.\u00a0Thomas Cant<\/a>\u00a019.\u00a0James Schiller<\/a>\u00a020. Matthew Arthur 21.\u00a0Brodie Jones<\/a>\u00a022. Kyle McCarthy<\/p>\n