BY ROB 2020 is, if nothing else, the year of Jack Wighton. A year after he was handed the Clive Churchill medal for an outstanding performance in a losing grand final side he has once again upset the establishment by taking out the Dally M award (the irony of the Sydney based rugby league media … More The Final Piece of the Puzzle
BY ROB 2 years, 2 preliminary finals. The Canberra Raiders haven’t done this well since the halcyon days of the early 1990s. It’s now 26 years since they claimed their third premiership, casually pummeling a hapless Bulldogs side. In the interim the Melbourne Storm joined the league and proceeded to embark on a journey of … More Raiders Rumble! Raiders vs Storm Preliminary Final Preview
BY ROB Twenty of the most tumultuous stop-start rounds of regular season footy have come to a close, leaving eight finalists to duke it out in the first week. Courtesy of a last-gasp Eels effort over the Tigers in round 20 the Raiders find themselves facing the Sharks for the second week running. The Raiders … More Raiders Rumble! Raiders vs Sharks Week 1 Finals Preview
BY ROB This is it, the final round of arguably the most chaotic season since the league split in half all the way back in 1997. It’s a pre-finals matchup that will most likely see these two teams face off two weeks running, given the Raiders fourth place finish is reliant on the Eels totally … More Raiders Rumble! Raiders vs Sharks Round 20 Preview
BY ROB The Raiders took the 2 points over the Warriors all the way back in round 2, which now seems like a different world and a different time. It would be the last game anyone played for nearly two months as the nation hunkered down to weather the onslaught of Coronavirus. Now it’s just … More Raiders Rumble! Raiders vs Warriors Round 19 Preview
BY ROB Thus begins the Raiders short run-up to the finals. Following their gallant but erratic loss to the Roosters, Canberra find themselves in possession of three very winnable games. The Dragons, Warriors, and Sharks all present opportunities for the Milk to mount a case for fourth or to cement an opening final by finishing … More Raiders Rumble! Raiders vs Dragons Round 18 Preview
BY ROB The Raiders were the surprise packet all the way back in round 10 when they sprung an ambush on the chooks at the SCG. Reeling from a host of injuries and carrying some middling form they were long odds to defeat the Tri-colours. But defeat them they did, and apart from the Panthers … More Raiders Rumble! Raiders vs Roosters Round 17 Preview
BY ROB Week in, week out the Raiders find a way to get the job done (the Panthers not withstanding). Despite having one of the more decimated lists in the league they find a way to either grind out a win against a ranked competitor or finally break their points drought against a cellar-dweller. A … More Raiders Rumble! Raiders vs Bulldogs Round 16 Preview
After an unceremonious blip against the Panthers, the Raiders bounced back with something of a blowout win over 2020 sad sacks the Broncos. It wasn’t a perfect performance by any measure, but it showed that when focussed the Green Machine is easily capable of dominating the strugglers this season. The Titans, of all the Queensland … More Raiders Rumble! Raiders vs Titans Round 15 Preview
BY ROB If you think the Raiders are having a tough 2020 season then perhaps spare a thought (or don’t) for this week’s opponents. The Broncos have gone from unlucky to bad and on to outright cursed. In round 14 they find themselves without embattled head coach Seibold (Covid breach), star forward Tevita Pangai Jr … More Raiders Rumble! Raiders v Broncos Round 14 Preview
