Check out the match preview and prediction for the round 20 clash between the Canberra Raiders and the New Zealand Warriors.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Canberra Raiders Vs New Zealand Warriors
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
Date: Friday July 19, 8:00pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Raiders: 1. Kaeo Weekes, 2. Jordan Rapana, 3. Matthew Timoko, 4. Sebastian Kris, 5. Xavier Savage, 6. Ethan Strange, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Josh Papali’i, 9. Tom Starling, 10. Joseph Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Morgan Smithies, 14. Danny Levi, 15. Trey Mooney, 16. Ata Mariota, 17. Zac Hosking, 18. Adam Cook, 19. Albert Hopoate, 20. Simi Sasagi, 21. Zac Woolford, 22. Emre Guler
Warriors: 1. Taine Tuaupiki, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Ali Leiataua, 4. Adam Pompey, 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7. Te Maire Martin, 8. Addin Fonua-Blake, 9. Wayde Egan, 10. Mitchell Barnett, 11. Marata Niukore, 12. Kurt Capewell, 13. Dylan Walker, 14. Freddy Lussick, 15. Jackson Ford, 16. Jazz Tevaga, 17. Leka Halasima, 18. Tom Ale, 20. Bunty Afoa, 21. Edward Kosi, 22. Moala Graham-Taufa, 23. Jacob Laban
Referee: Todd Smith
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
Round 20 of the NRL kicks off, in what feels like the coldest place on the planet during winter, with the Canberra Raiders taking on the New Zealand Warriors in Canberra.
The Raiders will want to take full advantage of the unpleasant conditions at their home ground, with every game from here on in feeling like a must-win battle if they are going to feature in finals football this season. There are some huge inclusions for Canberra this week, naming Jamal Fogarty at halfback, who recovered from a bicep injury sustained all the way back in round 7, and Zac Hosking in the second row, who is returning from a shoulder injury he picked up in round 6. Fogarty was leading the NRL in kick metres and was a huge reason Canberra were making surprise visits up the ladder over the first two months of the competition. The other major inclusions to the Canberra side are centre Sebastian Kris coming back into the starting side for Albert Hopoate, and Hudson Young into the second row after missing last week with an injury.
The Warriors are a team we know can play fantastic football and all have you have to do is look at their line up and wonder how and why they have fallen so far down the ladder compared to last season’s title push. The Warriors have unfortunately lost a couple of key back line players for this match, with ex-Raider Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (Calf) and left winger Marcelo Montoya (Groin) unable to play due to injuries sustained in their loss to the Bulldogs in round 18. Filling the void for these two are Taine Tuaupiki and Ali Leiataua. Tuapiki has featured in five matches so far this season and has been yet another young fullback in the NRL to impress in his brief showings at the top grade. The Warriors forward pack remains unchanged from their last match, with coach Andrew Webster having a luxury of forward talent coming off his bench, including Jackson Ford and Jazz Tevaga.
I feel the Raiders have a slight edge this week due to a number of factors going their way heading into the match. The winter weather is always unpleasant for visiting teams at this time of the season, they welcome back their halfback (Fogarty) while the Warriors are still without theirs (Shaun Johnson), Hosking, Kris, and Young come back in while Nicoll-Klokstad and Montoya drop out causing significant reshuffling positionally and tactically. To put it bluntly, there are no excuses for Canberra not to turn their form around and try and find some momentum for the run home. Lose here and it could deservedly be curtains for Canberra in 2024.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Number Crunch Stats.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
Raiders by 6 points.
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