BY ROB

Round 25 sees the Canberra Raiders facing arguably their toughest challenge of the season: a resurgent Panthers team. This game will be a litmus test for both sides. If the Raiders win it they’ll have one hand on the JJ Giltinan shield. If the Panthers win they’ll have restored their credentials after a costly slip up against the Storm last week.

The Raiders should not feel panicked. Sticky will be reminding them that they bested the Panthers at the back end of last season, the last team to do so before Penrith went on a five game streak to claim their fourth premiership. He’ll also be reminding them that the ‘Riff haven’t exactly been sparkling all season long. If the Raiders can get in their faces and in their heads they’ll have a good chance of disrupting the Panthers very structured style of play.

On paper these teams balance out, so it’s the respective styles of play that will influence the game the most. Penrith love to bombard their opponents with fast structured plays, particularly working on the edges where they can get the likes of Liam Martin running at isolated defenders.

The Raiders conversely play a hybrid of middle corridor strength combined with an off-the-cuff creative attack – wear your opponents down through the middle and then reap the benefits as the defensive line collapses inwards.

One thing Canberra do need to be wary of is Cleary kicking for the sidelines, particularly 40/20s. The Raiders have had issues finding or defending the sideline in recent games and the Panthers maestro will be seeking exploit any weakness. The back three will be tested in the air too.

On the other side of the coin the Panthers will need to contend not just with the massive range-finders (new SUV just dropped) off Fogarty’s boot but also the elevated running game of Strange. The Raiders numero sei proved to be an absolute nightmare for Manly two weeks ago, and one wrong decision in the line is an invitation for him to step past you in the blink of an eye.

From a fan’s perspective we need to remember that an honourable, close loss here is not a disaster. The Raiders are still likely to finish in the top two, with third and fourth place now a break-neck race between the Bulldogs, Warriors and Panthers. The Panthers and Dogs cross paths in round 26. The Broncos and Sharks remain slim-chance outliers.

In Conclusion

We’re at the pointy end of the season now. Are the Raiders on the verge of something historic, or at the start of a longer but hopefully fulfilling journey? Only time will tell.

Raiders by a hard fought 4 points in Mudgee!

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