Having ambushed the Storm in Melbourne, the Raiders are brimming with confidence as they welcome the enigmatic Warriors to the national capital.
Ricky Stuart’s men will go in as favourites, but will be wary of taking the Warriors lightly after dropping a point in round eight when Shaun Johnson got his side home with the golden point.
The Warriors sat two games ahead of the Green Machine in the standings after that win, but have won just once more since to fall out of Finals contention.
The Raiders’ home run is relatively friendly and a win on Saturday can catapult them into eight for the first time since round three.
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Until next time
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Sportsbet betting preview: Raiders v Warriors
The Rundown
Team news
Raiders: There are no late changes for Canberra, with Nick Cotric taking over from the suspended Jordan Rapana on the wing and Albert Hopoate replacing James Schiller. Skipper Elliott Whitehead (knee) also returns and Corey Harawira-Naera goes to the bench. Ata Mariota is the substitute player.
Warriors: Jack Murchie is a late inclusion in the starting 13, taking the place of Josh Curran who returns to the bench. Reece Walsh will come off the trade, with mid-year signing Daejarn Asi preferred five-eighths ahead of rookie Ronald Volkman. Aaron Pene (illness) left the team in the 24-hour update, with Eliesa Katoa joining the bench and Jackson Frei appearing as a substitute.
key match
Joseph Tapine vs Addin Fonua-Blake: The New Zealand Test teammates have led from the front in 2022 with their strong running games and were their team’s top forwards last week in terms of meters gained. Tapine averages 163 meters on the year and was key in Canberra’s last win over the Storm. Despite being used off the bench in the Warriors’ last two games, Fonua-Blake has still gained more yards than any of his team-mates and is their key figure in the middle of the park.
Statistical attack
The Raiders and Warriors have met 43 times since 1995 with Canberra by the narrowest margin with 22 wins to 21. The last three meetings have been decided by one point, 12 points and three points, with the Warriors they have won two