New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nAnd the best part is that you can watch both games back-to-back, with the Panthers vs Raiders blockbuster exclusively live on Fox League and Kayo at 6pm, before the Storm host the Bulldogs right after fulltime in Mudgee. <\/p>\n
Ahead of a blockbuster night of rugby league, foxsports.com.au previews the two big games by looking at some key storylines to follow for each team.<\/p>\n
WILL RICKY\u2019S RAIDERS PROVE THE DOUBTERS WRONG AGAIN?<\/p>\n
There has been a common theme to emerge from the Raiders\u2019 post-match press conferences this season.<\/p>\n
After at least half of Canberra\u2019s league-leading 17 wins, Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has had a dig in one way or another at all those experts and journalists who doubted his young side before a ball was kicked.<\/p>\n
There were a few. The Raiders were tipped to win the wooden spoon as much as any other team and bookies listened, with Canberra at one stage in the off-season, favourites to collect the wooden spoon.<\/p>\n
Even this week when one journalist asked at a pre-game press conference if this Panthers match-up is a chance to \u201clay down a marker\u201d to the rest of the competition, Stuart responded just as you would expect.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t need to lay down a marker mate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re leading the comp.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Raiders have proved the doubters wrong. (Photo by Mark Nolan\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Stuart means no disrespect when he calls out those who didn\u2019t believe. He is just a very proud coach who is extremely protective of his players.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why his players love him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see them more than my kids. I\u2019m with them every day,\u201d Stuart said on the Off The Record podcast when explaining his tight bond with his burgeoning team.<\/p>\n
Journalist Phil Rothfield then asked Stuart if he uses the unflattering pre-season predictions as bulletin board material at Raiders HQ.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think they (experts and journalists) all know the game?\u201d Stuart shot back.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll those people who said we were going to run last, well that\u2019s a joke to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the start of the year, yes we had a look at it. Not one of them came down and had a look at us training, not one of them came down and looked at what we had.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see it as disrespect or I don\u2019t see it as us against the journalists or experts who said but at the end of the day, how much research goes into it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ricky backs Strange for Roos & Blues | 07:36<\/p>\n
The Raiders\u2019 impressive ascent to the top of the table the year after missing the top eight wasn\u2019t picked by anyone. Not even the most green-eyed Canberra fan. <\/p>\n
What about their coach though? No one on this planet bleeds as much green. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think in his wildest dreams Ricky would believe they\u2019d be leading the comp at this stage of the season,\u201d Fox League\u2019s Paul Crawley opined.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, he also is a winner and he knows how to get a team up and knows how to keep them on track. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe loves this club more than anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stuart would never admit out loud he didn\u2019t think his team would be at the top of the table with three rounds to play, but reading between the lines, it\u2019s clear that this 2025 season has exceeded his expectations.<\/p>\n
Ricky Stuart believes in his playing group. (Photo by Mark Kolbe Photography\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of our goals was to finish in the top four. Was that going to be hard? Well I would have loved to make the top eight but we challenged ourselves,\u201d Stuart said.<\/p>\n
Canberra now have their toughest test of the year in front of them on Friday night. A date with the four-peat Panthers in Mudgee of all places.<\/p>\n
Once again, the Raiders are the underdogs. While they\u2019re in this game up to their eyeballs, the consensus are with Penrith.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s just how Ricky likes it, as Fox League\u2019s Dan Ginnane noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is all playing beautifully for Ricky. I think we\u2019re going to get siege mentality Ricky this week,\u201d Ginnane said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re outsiders, he\u2019s going to be into his team, \u2018no one respects us, they\u2019ve stuck us out in Mudgee in the Friday 6pm slot because no one thought we\u2019d be going this well\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s going to pull out all the ploys.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been pumping this game up for two weeks\u2026 He knows how to rev up the engines.\u201d<\/p>\n
“Very DCE, polite but guarded” | 01:33<\/p>\n
\u2018NEVER SEEN THAT\u2019: WHY \u2018ANGRY\u2019 CLEARYS SHOULD HAVE RAIDERS ON HIGH ALERT<\/p>\n
At first, Ivan Cleary was diplomatic as he hinted that Harry Grant was \u201ctoo smart at both ends\u201d before he turned to Nathan, telling him to \u201ctell the truth\u201d when journalists asked his son about the call.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t have to go any further into what the Panthers halfback said or whether Grant\u2019s actions were in the spirit of the game, but the fact Nathan was so open with his frustration after the 22-18 loss to Melbourne spoke volumes to former NRL playmaker turned Fox League broadcaster Braith Anasta.<\/p>\n
To him, it showed \u201chow much Penrith wanted to win that game\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt felt like this hit harder than ever before because nine wins in a row, on a run, they thought they had the game won and it really hurt them,\u201d Anasta said on NRL 360.<\/p>\n
The Panthers should have won the game. They completed a perfect 19 of 19 sets in the first half, had 56 per cent of the ball, two linebreaks to Melbourne\u2019s 0 and 866 run metres to 533 from the Storm.<\/p>\n
The Panthers came up short against the Storm. (Photo by Cameron Spencer\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Momentum turned later in the second half, but even still it was uncharacteristic errors from Dylan Edwards and a wayward tip-on pass from Blaize Talagi that proved Penrith\u2019s undoing.<\/p>\n
The defending premiers didn\u2019t make many mistakes, but the ones they did make were costly and gifted the Storm cheap points that ended up proving the difference.<\/p>\n
After all, as strong as Edwards was with his trademark carries out of his own end, it was a second unforced error from the Panthers fullback that set Grant up to score the winning try in the first place.<\/p>\n
And it was an unnecessary step towards Grant from Moses Leota, again regardless of where you sit in the whole diving debate, which saw Cleary\u2019s likely game-sealing field goal wiped off the board.<\/p>\n
“Win from anywhere” – Shock top 4 call | 04:01<\/p>\n
Wherever Penrith\u2019s frustrations may lie, be it with Grant, its own self-inflicted wounds or a combination of both, the real loser out of this all could be the Raiders.<\/p>\n
At least, that is the opinion of veteran rugby league reporter Andrew Webster, who predicted the Panthers will enter Friday\u2019s game \u201cfired up after what happened last week\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never seen Penrith really complain as much as they did last week,\u201d he said on NRL 360.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t usually play with a chip on their shoulder, Penrith, because they\u2019ve been the four-time defending premiers but after that loss it was very unlike Nathan and Ivan to talk like that, and it\u2019s no disrespect to them, you could see how much it hurt them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s as angry as the Clearys get.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is not as if the Panthers needed any more motivation either, having fallen outside of the top four with last week\u2019s loss and at risk of losing touch with the Warriors entirely if they lose again.<\/p>\n
But the way they fell short against the Storm, in what has become one of the rugby league\u2019s best modern rivalries, means Penrith will be even more locked in and desperate to move past the heartbreak.<\/p>\n
Do Penrith have a chip on their shoulder | 02:17<\/p>\n
WHY GALVIN IS \u2018JUST A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE\u2019 FOR INCONSISTENT DOGS<\/p>\n
Since Lachlan Galvin was injected into the Bulldogs\u2019 starting line-up ahead of Toby Sexton, every loss along the way has been magnified.<\/p>\n
It is the gamble coach Cameron Ciraldo would have known he was making when he made the decision to promote the mid-season recruit, also with the knowledge that after a swift elimination in last year\u2019s finals series the Bulldogs may have needed an extra dimension in attack to go deeper this time around.<\/p>\n
Galvin was meant to provide that and still could, but with every loss on the board \u2014 the latest coming at the hands of the Roosters \u2014 pressure continues to build. <\/p>\n
However, for all the talk about Galvin, it is worth asking whether the Bulldogs would have been winning some of these games they have been dropping as of late even with Sexton in the line-up instead. <\/p>\n
Take last week\u2019s 32-12 defeat to the Roosters, who monstered the Bulldogs up front. <\/p>\n
Naufahu Whyte and Angus Crichton led the way against a Canterbury-Bankstown team that struggled to generate enough momentum to allow Galvin to have much of an impact in the game. <\/p>\n
The errors, penalties, missed tackles and all-round ill-discipline didn\u2019t help either. <\/p>\n
It was a similar story in the wet against the Wests Tigers, where the Bulldogs were too set on trying to go around their opposition regardless of the conditions and failed to lay the kind of platform for a developing playmaker like Galvin to find his rhythm. <\/p>\n
Has Galvin been over-hyped? | 04:00<\/p>\n
Of course, if the Bulldogs don\u2019t clean any of this up before the finals maybe Sexton was the answer as the more experienced of the two especially when you consider he had been doing really well playing nice and direct before he was hooked for Galvin. <\/p>\n
But the broader point is that as much as the young playmaker has dominated headlines ahead of Friday\u2019s game against Melbourne, the Bulldogs need to be perfect across the board and have to challenge the Storm up front to stand any chance of an upset.<\/p>\n
\u201cLachie is just a piece of the puzzle,\u201d former Panthers premiership winner Greg Alexander told foxsports.com.au.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Dogs around Galvin have to play a lot better than what they did. The pack hasn\u2019t been an issue all year but it certainly was last year at the back end of the season there was a lot of press around the Dogs\u2019 pack not being big enough and getting sort of walked over in those end of season games. That\u2019s when it was an issue. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe way they\u2019ve played this year, it hasn\u2019t been a problem but it seemed to have raised its head last week against the Roosters, who did dominate. Now whether it was the size of the pack, whether it was the fact that they made a lot of errors and gave the Roosters possession which means you\u2019re on the back foot, which means defensively it\u2019s hard. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter who you play against, you put yourself under pressure when you don\u2019t control the ball. I\u2019m not willing to say that the Dogs pack can\u2019t match the others because for the big part of the season they have been.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bulldogs looking for bounce back | 00:55<\/p>\n
The Storm may be down a number of key players, headlined by Jahrome Hughes, but you only have to look at last week\u2019s win over the Panthers to prove that even the best of teams struggle against Craig Bellamy-coached sides. <\/p>\n
Sure, there was that one slip-up against Manly but outside of that Melbourne has been largely faultless for the past few months and last Thursday the Storm stuck with a perfect Panthers team until the defending premiers started to make a few errors.<\/p>\n
That was all it took for Melbourne to pounce and while the Bulldogs have their strengths, be it Matt Burton\u2019s long-range kicking game or the added wrinkle of using Stephen Crichton at fullback in attacking plays, at this point of his career Galvin is the kind of player who isn\u2019t quite ready to consistently play off the back-foot.<\/p>\n
Galvin can\u2019t play behind a beaten pack. (Photo by Cameron Spencer\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
That will come with time and while it may mean a premiership is beyond them this year, the Bulldogs were winning games earlier in the season even when the attack wasn\u2019t flowing. <\/p>\n
They built that success on their defence and high-percentage football, something which they will need to go back to against a Storm team that is as clinical as they come.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an extraordinary young player that can play well in those positions that touch the ball the most and still shine behind a side that\u2019s either making a lot of errors or not having the ability to lay a platform,\u201d Alexander said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I think all young players \u2014 especially young players as they come into the game \u2014 need a fair bit of assistance from those around them and if the side\u2019s not playing well, if the side\u2019s making errors and you\u2019re defending a lot and then there\u2019s not much energy left for the go-forward, it\u2019s extremely difficult. <\/p>\n
\u201cThen you want to try and rely on your experienced players to dig you out of the hole.\u201d<\/p>\n
Storm see tough run as a positive | 01:20<\/p>\n
THE \u2018HUGE\u2019 ADVANTAGE STORM CAN LOCK UP THIS WEEK WITH A WIN<\/p>\n
There aren\u2019t many questions hanging over the Storm at this time of the year, especially when you consider they were able to beat a Panthers team \u2014 albeit without Isaah Yeo \u2014 despite having their own growing casualty ward including Jahrome Hughes, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Jack Howarth.<\/p>\n
If anything, this week\u2019s game against the Bulldogs is a chance for Melbourne to take a giant step towards another grand final appearance. <\/p>\n
Why? Well, quite simply, a win this week puts the Storm four points clear of the Bulldogs with a far superior for-and-against and all but locks up a top-two spot.<\/p>\n
Sure, there is also still an outside chance of pushing for the minor premiership too depending how Canberra fares against Penrith.<\/p>\n
But a top-two finish is particularly important because it means home finals in the big games for the Storm in September \u2014 and Melbourne\u2019s record at AAMI Park this season is particularly daunting for opposition teams. <\/p>\n
The Storm have won eight of nine games at the venue, with their only loss coming to the Sea Eagles (18-16), while in those nine games they have averaged 36 points scored and conceded just over 12.<\/p>\n
Blowout wins against the Eels and Tigers certainly skewed that margin but you can\u2019t ignore the way the Storm annihilated both of those teams given it was a reminder of just how dominant they can be at full-strength.<\/p>\n
A guaranteed top-two finish would also give coach Craig Bellamy the luxury to consider resting players. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s huge,\u201d Fox League\u2019s Dan Ginnane said on \u2018NRL 360\u2019. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf they lock up second this week now they can start to plan. Do they stagger their rest? Do they do it all in one go?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It is the biggest Friday night of the season. The four title favourites lock horns, with the Raiders…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":85764,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-85763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85763\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}