After ten weeks, the Raiders play their last regular-season game this Friday travelling to Sydney to take on the 2026 dark horses Wests Tigers.
The big news from the loss to the Tigers is the suspension of Simaima Taufa for the next 3 weeks. She contested her charge at the judiciary and got her sentence increased from two weeks to three. Her next game will be the grand final (if we make it) or, more likely, round 1 or 2 in 2027.
The Raiders are lucky in that the Warriors and Bulldogs did their jobs in the last fortnight, so our top-6 spot is locked in (Okay, look, the girls can lose by 100 points, sure, I guess). The best we can finish is 5th, so we travel in week one of the finals to play either the Broncos or the Wests Tigers.
The Wests Tigers have had, in many ways, an opposite season to the Raiders. They have been found wanting against the bigger teams (a 40-12 loss against the Broncos, 48-10 loss against the Roosters, and a 58-0 loss against the Titans) but have taken care of business against teams at their level and below. They are without Faythe Manera, whose standout season has ended with an ACL rupture, Caitlin Turnbull (foot), and Kezie Apps, who picked up a foot injury during the week.
The Raiders will look to target the Tigers’ inexperience at fullback this week with Gallagher and Temara’s kicking game. However, Sarah Togatuki and Shaylee Bent have both had standout seasons, and our forwards will be busy containing these threats.
The battle between Rae McGregor and Zahara Temara will be one to watch – two smart veterans of the game with sharp kicking games. Earlier this year, Temara declared her interest in playing for the Ferns at the World Cup; this game allows selectors to see both of these players competing against each other.
The Raiders will move Hollie-Mae Dodd into lock and welcome back Lili Boyle to the bench. Dodd will be fine returning to the starting side. It will be interesting if Grace Kukutai could get some minutes in that lock role. She has never started, but in her bench stints she has had some great runs and is solid in defence. If her fitness is enough for a full game, it’s another option for Borthwick
Further motivation for the Raiders comes in that this week marks Leianne Tufuga’s 50th game in NRLW, having played for the Roosters, Tigers, and now the Raiders.
Not to sound like a broken record, but the outcome of this game depends on which Raiders team gets on the bus to Sydney. At their best, the Raiders can easily close out this game; at their worst, we get another frustrating Wreview from Rob lamenting what might have been.
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