BY ROB

Fresh off their first bye round of the season the Raiders jump on the team bus and make the shortest trip possible up the Hume Highway, taking on the Tigers in Campbelltown in the Friday night primetime slot.

After 14 rounds of very taxing travel this micro-trip is a most welcome relief. No need to fly up four days early to acclimatise, no jet lag, no rush (with the exception of Horse and Huddo who will jet back from Perth and were probably given Thursday off).

And so begins a period of bounty for the Green Machine. They’ve done an amazing job through those first 14 rounds and now have a run of games against teams struggling in the bottom half of the ladder. As an added bonus they also have another two byes up their sleeve, meaning they can finish the season in bite size chunks.

While these upcoming opponents may struggling they should still be treated with due respect. Teams whose final aspirations are on the fade often loosen up in the back end of the year, throwing caution to the wind and adopting a more experimental-free-form-jazz style of footy, which can cause headaches for finals-bound teams trying to polish their style of play before September comes.

The Tigers currently sit 13th on the ladder with just 5 wins to their name, but thanks to the mid-season logjam they’re just one or two victories away from scraping into the current top 8. To underestimate them would be a mistake.

Personnel wise the Raiders are mostly unchanged, with the exception of Jed Stuart making his debut under Dad’s watchful eye. He’s got his work cut out filling in for Tamale, who himself has been a rookie revelation in 2025. Expect Fogarty to try and exploit Jed’s height on the wing by planting some deft cross-field chips on the try-line.

Papa is a starting prop again after the success of his milestone game, and Sticky clearly seems comfortable with letting his bench (which quite frankly is one of the best in the NRL right now) carry the momentum once the big guns need a spell.

The Raiders need to be wary of a Tigers outfit edging closer to a win. Wests haven’t won since they toppled the Dragons all the way back in May, but their last two games have both been narrow 4 point losses against the Panthers and Cowboys. Smart, disciplined footy will be a top priority for the Milk.

Luai, Bula and Koroisau will be the three that the Raiders need to keep tabs on throughout the game. Luai will be looking to vent after a narrow loss in Origin, while Bula and Koroisau are good matches for their Raiders counterparts. The battle of cunning and guile between Pattie and Koroisau will be very intriguing.

In Conclusion

The Raiders should make hay while the sun shines (or should that be energy for a modern update?) Effective footy across 80 minutes is the mission, let’s see how possible it is.

Time for another blowout!

Do me a favour and like the page on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or share this on social media because love is true and heaven is a Raiders victory. Don’t hesitate to send us feedback (dan@sportress.org) or comment below if you think we are stupid. Or if we’re not.