The red-hot Raiders will be looking for their sixth straight win when they host Manly at GIO Stadium on Sunday afternoon in Indigenous Round.
Match details
Raiders and Manly team lists
With Zac Woolford out due to concussion, Danny Levi returns from a broken jaw and has been named on the bench with Tom Starling to start at hooker. Nick Cotric has been named on the reserves and will play NSW Cup as he returns from a hamstring injury.
Manly have made a number of changes with Jake Trbojevic, Josh Schuster, Samuela Fainu and Ben Condon all coming into the 17.
Season so far
Raiders 7th | 213 points for | 242 points against | 6 wins & 4 losses | WWWBW
After such a poor start to the year, it’s incredible to see the Raiders are now in the top eight and just two points off the top ranked side.
The Green Machine made it five on the trot with a 26-18 victory over the Eels at home last week, and importantly remain undefeated with Jarrod Croker in the side.
It was one of the club’s best 80-minute efforts of the season, with Jamal Fogarty steering the side around beautifully, while Hudson Young, Matt Timoko and Joe Tapine were superb.
Canberra’s remarkably quick turnaround has put the club in a good position and this game is a great opportunity to continue their charge.
Manly 12th | 191 points for | 227 points against | 4 wins, 1 draw & 5 losses | LLLWW
Manly started the year off well, but they’ve now lost three in a row and have looked pretty ordinary at times.
The Sea Eagles weren’t too bad in their 20-14 loss against the Sharks last week, but were really poor the two weeks prior, comprehensively beaten by the Broncos and Titans.
There has been a lot of focus on the form and fitness of Tom Trbojevic, with the star fullback looking off the pace and unable to really stride out properly.
Daly Cherry-Evans has done his best to lift his side, but he’ll need a bit more help to get Manly back on track.
Last 5 meetings and GIO Stadium history
- 2022 round 24: Raiders 48 – 6 Manly at GIO Stadium, Canberra
- 2022 round 4: Manly 25 – 6 Raiders at Glen Willow Oval, Mudgee
- 2021 round 23: Raiders 18 – 19 Manly at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- 2021 Round 17: Manly 16 – 30 Raiders at 4 Pines Park Park, Sydney
- 2020 Round 6: Raiders 6 – 14 Manly at Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney
Manly has won eight of their last eleven matches against the Raiders, although the Canberra won the last clash comprehensivley.
They met twice last year, with the Sea Eagles winning the first game in comfortable fashion before the Raiders steamrolled Manly by a whopping 42 points late in the season.
Manly also have a good record playing in Canberra, winning seven of their last ten matches at GIO Stadium dating back to 2005.
Key players
Canberra – Hudson Young
Young has been in terrific form for the Raiders of late and was instrumental in last week’s victory over Parramatta, scoring a try, getting three offloads and a vital one on one steal. The 24-year-old just always seems to be the guy coming up with big plays in clutch moments and scoring crucial tries for Canberra. With the NSW State of Origin Game One team to be named on Monday, expect Young to be fired up and push his case even harder.
Manly – Josh Schuster
Given he was replacing beloved Manly champion Kieran Foran at five-eighth, there was plenty of noise around Schuster coming into the season and the 22-year-old hasn’t had the best start to life in the halves. He’s missed a number of games through fitness and injury issues, with his skipper giving him a fair clip about his work rate. We saw glimpses of his talent against Parramatta earlier in the season, and now coming back into the side after three weeks out, Schuster should be desperate to show his teammates what he’s capable of.
Pre-match predictions
Wing extensions: Recently re-signed wingers Jordan Rapana and Albert Hopoate to score a try each. Raiders by 12.
Six Pack: The Raiders pack to roll the Manly forwards, beating them in run metres, post contact metres and offloads for their sixth straight win. Raiders by 6. – Denholm Samaras
Have any predictions of your own? Let us know in the comments below.
Other match details
Gates open 1.30pm
NSW Cup: Canberra Raiders v Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles at 1:50pm
The match will be broadcast live on Fox League and is also available to stream on Kayo. Overseas fans can watch via Watch NRL.
You can listen to the match on Raiders on Mix (Mix106.3 FM), Radio 2CC (1206 AM), ABC Grandstand (666 AM).
Being Indigenous Round, both teams will be wearing specially themed jerseys for the match.