A second consecutive Friday night blockbuster in front of the Wahs faithful is sure to have Andrew Webster’s men up and about as the Raiders hit town.<\/p>\n
With Jackson Ford and James Fisher-Harris dominating the middle, the Warriors outgunned the Roosters 42-18 to post their first Round 1 victory since 2023.<\/p>\n
The following night it was Ricky’s Raiders also kicking off their year in style with a heart-stopping 29-28 win over Manly courtesy of an Ethan Sanders field goal.<\/p>\n
They got the result in the end but coach Stuart will be keen to avoid the ‘flat spots’ that saw them trail 14-0 after 19 minutes against the Sea Eagles and let a 28-14 lead slip away in the last 10 minutes of the match.<\/p>\n
The composure shown by Sanders in just his fifth NRL game was one of the many positives to come out of the match for Canberra and the 22-year-old will have his mettle tested again by an experienced Warriors outfit stacked with big-game players.<\/p>\n
Team News<\/p>\n
Warriors: Winning form is good form so coach Andrew Webster sticks with the same 19-man squad that got the season off to a flyer against the Roosters. Marata Niukore has been named in No.22 as he looks to return from a calf injury while Alofiana Khan-Pereira is also part of the six-man bench after returning from concussion through NSW Cup last week.<\/p>\n
Raiders: Englishman Morgan Smithies starts at prop in place of Josh Papalii (concussion). Kiwi centre Matt Timoko joins the bench in No.17 after returning from a foot injury via NSW Cup last week. Daine Laurie and Joe Roddy round out the six-man bench.<\/p>\n
Stat Attack<\/p>\n
The Warriors are aiming for a 2-0 start for the first time since 2018.
\nThe Raiders have won their last three games against the Warriors.
\nWarriors forward Leka Halasima has scored seven tries in his last seven games at Go Media Stadium.
\nRaiders five-eighth Ethan Strange has scored six tries in his last five NRL games.
\nWinger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will make his 150th appearance for the Warriors.<\/p>\n