BY ROB

The Raiders forces are scattered, their numbers diminished. The remaining men in green have taken refuge in Helm’s Deep, the arrayed forces of 16 other teams pounding on the walls. All seems lost.

Then, when it seems as though the Green Machine will fall into darkness, a faint light appears at the crest of the valley. Fogarty the wise rides into view, Hosking of the Rohirrim at his side. The Viking horn sounds, and they charge down into the valley scattering all before them.

Ok maybe I’m getting a smidge carried away but by Gimli’s beard it’s good to have these two back. The Raiders have struggled in their absence, both through lack of direction and excellent kicking (Bomb Daddy J-Fog) and through a distinct lack of edge resilience (second rower must be one of the worst spots to lose personnel given how precise the skillset is – Hosking ticks every box).

That’s not to say that the return of these two will automatically turn on some sort of good footballing switch, but it might inspire the other 15 players enough to actually get involved with the game and not turn in the dunderhead performances that we’ve been subjected to over the last month.

Normally at this point I’d start writing about how the Raiders should follow a particular game plan but clearly none of the coaching staff knows what a game plan is outside of one-hour/crash-ball “attack”, so here’s what I think will happen. The Raiders will battle the equally big Warriors pack through the middle, then use Fog’s big hangtime bombs to get troops down field in an effort to a) turn the Warriors big guys around and b) put some pressure on the Wahs back five.

Tiring the forwards out is actually the choice option, given how the Raiders are much better at scoring long-range broken field tries than they are when using/setting up/pinning all their hopes on crash-ball plays catching everyone asleep at the tryline. If they can catch defenders napping mid-field they can pop Weekes and Savage into open space and watch the afterburner display.

Changes

Sebastian Kris returns at centre, and I really hope he’s found some mojo in his time away from the NRL side. Fogarty resumes his rightful spot in the #7 jersey, with Adam Cook returning to Cup duties, which should see the lower grade firing on all cylinders. Hosking takes up the final bench spot, ready to relieve Smelly when the tank runs dry. It does mean that the bench is running a bit light for big boppers, with just Mooney and Mariota as relief for Taps and Papa.

The Opposition

Who are the Warriors in 2024? At Magic round they toppled the Panthers, but they’ve also lost twice to the Titans, the second time with a disastrous 66-6 scoreline. They’re certainly not the Wahs of last year, due in part to injuries in key positions, but they can still turn it on now and then. Given how the Raiders have struggled with them in recent years this won’t be an easy game.

Match-ups

Jamal Fogarty vs Te Maire Martin

If there’s one thing trending in the Raiders favour it’s the absence of both CNK and SJ from the Warriors spine. This gives Fog a bit of space to ease back into the groove, as he won’t have to be constantly thinking about how to nullify those two. He can’t be on complete autopilot though, as Martin is an excellent backup for SJ and will still be able to key in strong sweep plays and deft passing.

Josh Papali’i vs Addin Fonua-Blake

Papa continues his excellent statesman form, barreling up the middle even as he starts to slow ever so slightly. If he can pop some offloads to good support it could make big headaches for the Wahs. AFB needs no introduction to Raiders fans, and then Green Machine will need to meet and match his intensity through the middle.

Rookie(ish) Radar

It would appear that Mooney is now officially a made man (in green at least). He’s taken the bench spot from Guler, and looks set to finish the season in first grade with no sign of Horse or Saulo getting back soon. He’ll have his work cut out this week as it will most likely be just himself and Mariota tagging in for Papa and Taps. Let’s see what he can do.

In Conclusion

The Raiders need to right the longship, and the return of Fogarty and Hosking give them a good opportunity to do so. They’re facing a mixed Warriors side that’s missing key creators – now is the time to strike.

Raiders by 12+!

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