BY ROB

If you had asked fans in the preseason what the most tantalising game of round 10 would be you would have received the standard answers. Perhaps the Bunnies and the Broncos. Maybe the Cowboys and the Panthers. How about the Sea-Eagles and the Sharks.

All those answers are wrong.

The Panthers have only just found their groove.

The Broncos are middling after a poor loss to the Premiers in Magic Round.

The Cows are alright, but couldn’t beat a Warriors outfit on the rise.

The Bunnies are adrift.

The Sea-Eagles and Sharks are holding onto 7th and 6th. For now.

Above them all sit the Bulldogs and the Raiders, both of them boasting 7 wins, the Bulldogs in front courtesy of 2 bye points and a nicer differential.

Right now these two teams are the benchmark of the NRL. The Bulldogs, their round 8 blip against the Broncos not withstanding, are the defensive experts in 2025, conceding a miserly 118 points in their first 8 games. The Raiders meanwhile lead the comp in attack, with 258 points to their name (you should now find the nearest wall and steady yourself while this information sinks in).

These two teams are playing a very similar brand of football this year. Both leverage excellent tall kicking halves to place contested catches just inches short of the try line – the Bulldogs deployed this tactic several times in their win over the Titans.

Both sides also excel at mid-range attacking plays. Neither side seems entirely comfortable executing set structured sweeps in the red zone, which ironically makes them so puzzling to opposition defences. A set sweep can be defused (provided you stay with your mark) but the kind of broken-field stuff that the Milk and Berries deploy is almost impossible to predict, and quickly leaves the fullback as the last man capable of making an agonising choice.

This game also features two of the best power packs in the NRL. Pundits constantly bang on about Canberra’s “big” forwards, but this thinking is purely a hangover from yesteryear. Much like the Dogs the Raiders favour a power game upfront, relying less on physical bulk and more on leg drive combined with sheer will force. Stuart and Ciraldo have both prioritised line speed and mobility over heft, along with the underlying endurance that allows those in the middle to keep those traits going all game.

Both squads will field their best 17 for the most part, with Corey Horsburgh (HIA protocol) the only player with a question mark hanging over them.

The Raiders are now 2-0 in their 3 game gauntlet run, which is quite frankly more than I thought they were capable of three weeks ago. Each win seems to add a touch more confidence and belief. While a clean sweep of the Dolphins/Storm/Bulldogs would be quite the feat I wouldn’t be mad if they get beaten by a side that mirrors them in so many ways.

Saturday’s forecast is peak footy conditions – a maximum of 19°, light winds and that warm Autumn sun blinding anyone unfortunate enough to catch a bomb in the south-east corner of the field.

So bring on the blockbuster game of the round, between two teams “who shouldn’t be there” but well and truly are. And commiserations to whoever has to play the loser of this clash.

In Conclusion

Each week I ask if the Raiders can handle this, but now I realise I should be asking “How will they handle this?” The answer – with hot blood and courage.

Raiders by a close fought 4!

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