BY ROB

Last week in round 16 the Raiders held off the Tigers in a spirited second half whilst the Knights upset the ‘Phins apple cart, snagging their second victory in the last three weeks. This match presents a test of expectations for both sides, albeit through very different prisms.

The Knights are part of a pile of teams desperately trying to get up out of the cellar before the Wooden Spoon demon claims their soul and their two recent wins have given them so much needed breathing space. Unfortunately for the Novocastrians they have to play in-form top 8 sides over their next five games, although this gauntlet is broken up by two byes.

The Raiders meanwhile remain unbeaten since their round 10 brain-fade against the Dogs. Their victory over Wests last Friday was 20 minutes of scoring joy sandwiched between two lopsided defensive stints.

With Hudson Young being rested due to a groin issue Noah Martin once again finds himself gracing the Canberra bench, and I personally think he’ll be well suited to this match. Young’s absence sees Sasagi move up to the starting 13 and partnering Hosking in the second row. Sasagi will have his work cut out for him as he squares off against Kai Pearce-Paul.

In fact this game will once again highlight the transactional relationship of these two clubs – Tapine, Starling and Sasagi all started out in the Hunter region. On the Knights side stands James Schiller, who wore green until he signed with the Newcastle club for 2025.

The goal for the Green Machine this Friday should be a solid shutout of the Knights. Canberra had to scramble for every defensive respite last week and Sticky will no doubt be looking for a more competent display of fortitude without the ball.

And now it’s game day and I’m yet to finish this Rumble. It’s getting harder and harder to write about the Raiders in a pre-emptive capacity without rehashing the same talking points. If there’s one area that needs to lift I’d say it’s the back five – with Tamale out they all need to roll up their sleeves for the dirty carries early in sets.

We now approach this game in the knowledge that the Bulldogs can’t inch ahead this round – their two point loss to Penrith means they’re anchored on 28 points with a differential of +96. If the Green Machine fires up tonight they’ll take the top of the table for a whole week.

So tonight turn on the big screen TV, get cosy under a blanket and watch as the Raiders make a tilt at the charge towards the walls of Fortress Destiny.

In Conclusion

The Raiders need to be prepared for all opposing teams now, particularly those like the Knights who can see September fading from the NRL calendar. One week at a time, through hot blood and courage.

Raiders by 20+ because why not!?

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