Josh Mercer previews the Sunday afternoon clash between the Canberra Raiders and the Sydney Roosters.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Canberra Raiders Vs Sydney Roosters
Venue: GIO Stadium
Date: Sunday, June 5 4:05pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Related: NRL Team List Tuesday
Embed from Getty ImagesRaiders: 1. Xavier Savage 2. Nick Cotric 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Matt Frawley 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Corey Horsburgh 9. Zac Woolford 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Adam Elliott 14. Tom Starling 15. Ryan Sutton 16. Corey Harawira-Naera 17. Trey Mooney 18. James Schiller 19. Harry Rushton 20. Adrian Trevilyan 21. Brad Schneider 22. Emre Guler
Jack Wighton and Josh Papalii are both out due to Origin commitments. Matt Frawley moves into five-eighth and Corey Horsburgh into prop. Corey Harawira-Naera comes onto the bench.
Embed from Getty ImagesRoosters: 1. Joseph Manu 2. Billy Smith 3. Paul Momirovski 4. Kevin Naiqama 5. Joseph Suaalii 6. Sam Walker 7. Luke Keary 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Drew Hutchison 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho 11. Angus Crichton 12. Sitili Tupouniua 13. Nat Butcher 14. Connor Watson 15. Fletcher Baker 16. Egan Butcher 17. Terrell May 18. Lachlan Lam 19. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 20. Adam Keighran 21. Tom Carr 22. Ben Marschke
Like the Raiders, James Tedesco, Daniel Tupou and Lindsay Collins are the only ones missing due to Origin duty. Manu moves to fullback, and Billy Smith comes onto the wing and Siosiua Taukeiaho into prop. Joseph Suaalii was named in the NSW’s squad but should take his spot on the wing. He still must pass concussion protocol after the knock he copped off the Sharks.
Referee: Adam Gee
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
The Raiders almost beat the Eels last week, but as Dominic Toreto said, it doesn’t if you win by an inch or a mile, winning’s winning. They did play well and put other teams on notice.
Jamal Fogarty made his debut, and he may be the half that the Raiders have been hoping for. It’s a shame that Jack Wighton has been whisked off to play for NSW in Fogarty’s second game. Although Matt Frawley has been excellent in the games he’s played this season; it isn’t wise to count out the Raiders.
The Rooster’s first half last week was like the old Roosters side of the 2000s, their defence was tough, and they knew how to score tries. The Sharks didn’t know what to do in the first half; they had no answer. Keary and Walker looked dangerous, and Daniel Tupou earned his call to the NSW side with a vintage performance.
If Walker and Keary combine like they did last week, they could run up a big score here, but the Roosters can’t let the Raiders back into the game as they did with the Sharks last week. The Raider’s defence will have to keep an eye on Joey Manu; he has a license to roam at fullback and will be very dangerous.
If the Raiders are to win, their experienced players will need to lay the platform. Joe Tapine had a magnificent game against the Eels last week. If he does play like that again, and the other forwards follow his lead, they can win this game.
Embed from Getty ImagesINTERESTING FACT
The Roosters have only won 7 out of 18 games at GIO for a win percentage of 39.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Roosters by 10
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