BY ROB

One of the weirder, more frustrating Raiders campaigns in recent memory is drawing to a close. A season where the Green Machine has never managed to get out of second gear. A Frankenstein’s monster of narrow wins, thumping losses, injuries and suspensions (the most recent of which is an absolute farce).

The Raiders remain partially in control of their destiny for the next two weekends. Games played in the lead-up to Sunday afternoon (Bunnies-Roosters Friday & Panthers-Cowboys Saturday) will be weighing on Green minds. The victor of the Souths/Roosters clash are guaranteed a slot in the finals. If the Cowboys best the Panthers then the Raiders need to beat the Sharks. Should the Cowboys triumph, even by a single point, and Canberra falls short, then the Raiders are finished.

Canberra’s end of season maths problem is linked directly to their woeful attack in 2023. When your biggest winning margin of the season is two converted tries you know you have an issue to deal with. That’s not to say the Raiders haven’t scored points in some games, but the times they did manage to haul in more than 30+ they also let the opposition come for the ride. On the five occasions Canberra broke the 30+ barrier their opponents only scored 1, 4, 7, 10 and 12 less than them. The last time the Raiders passed 40 was the final round of 2022 when they thumped the Tigers 56-10 at Leichhardt.

So the NRL’s “greyest” team meets the flat track bullies of the league. The Sharks have lurked around the median all season, picking off the stragglers by big margins but folding the moment they have to square off with a genuine finals contender.

The Sharks were, by way of fate, Canberra’s first victims this year. If the Raiders can beat them a second time they’ll have the dubious honour of being the team that got the Green Machine up and running before ultimately springboarding them into the finals. If Canberra do win this weekend then they have to play the Sharks week 1 of the finals.

Team list thoughts

The team list unveiled Tuesday afternoon is either a smokescreen of the highest magnitude or a scream for help. The idea that you can take on the Sharks monster forwards pack with a bench consisting of Starling, Mariota, Croker and debutant Hohepa Puru is madness. Given that the Raiders game plan is to win through the middle I don’t know how they intend to do this with just one spare prop and a rookie who can play lock or hooker.

Match-ups

Nick Cotric vs Ronaldo Mulitalo

Cotric played arguably his best game of 2023 in the loss to the Broncos, and this weekend gives him a chance to backup that performance. If he can muster some more tough carries coming out of the Raiders end zone it will be very beneficial for a forward pack low on engines. Mulitalo is a skilled winger, and the Raiders edge defence need to be wary of him either getting outside them or cutting back.

Predictions

One half of me wants to see the Raiders end the season with a rousing win and an invitation to week 1, the other half just wants the insanity to finish. I’d like to give you an honest prediction but this madcap team has been anything but predictable.

Raiders by -20 to +56,000,000

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