Canberra Raiders

Raiders v Cowboys: Savage into 17; Hess back from injury

Such are the vagaries of the draw that they are meeting for the second time inside the first six weeks, the Cowboys proving far too strong in Townsville in round two.

The Cowboys are coming off a golden point heartbreaker against the Warriors while the Raiders were run ragged by a potent Storm outfit 30-16, the fourth game in a row they have conceded more than 20 points.

Defence is sure to be a key focus for Ricky Stuart this week as the Raiders look to put the clamps on a dangerous Cowboys side capable of producing some scintillating attack on their day.

Raiders v Storm: Ricky keeps the faith; Storm unchanged

The Storm took the honours in both games in 2021 but the Raiders have fond memories of two emotion-charged wins in enemy territory at AAMI Park in round three, 2020 and also the 2019 qualifying final.

Based on last weekend's form it's hard to see the Raiders troubling the Storm, who dismantled the Bulldogs 44-0 a day after the Green Machine stalled in a 25-6 loss to Manly.

DCE masterclass helps Sea Eagles to victory over Raiders

The match was evenly poised at halftime, with the Sea Eagles leading 10-6, but Cherry-Evans took control in the second half and kicked a 20:40, a 40:20 and a late field goal, while also laying on two tries with kicks.

The Raiders paid a high price for errors and penalties near their own line in the first half and while they finished with 24 offloads to Manly's seven, the Green Machine rarely threatened in attack.

Sea Eagles v Raiders: Koula in for Parker; Cotric back on deck

Ricky Stuart's men were 22 points down in the shadows of half-time on Saturday and produced a stunning second-half surge to reel in the Titans and register their second narrow win of the season.

The Sea Eagles were also taken to the wire before opening their 2022 account on the back of a Daly Cherry-Evans field goal.

In round six last year the Sea Eagles headed to Mudgee with a 1-4 record and turrned their season around in a big way with a 36-0 demolition of the Titans.

Raiders mount record comeback against Titans

Canberra trailed 22-0 five minutes before halftime but piled on five unanswered tries to snatch a remarkable win, with five-eighth Jack Wighton leading the way.

It was a complete turnaround from the first half when the Titans were in total control but a try on the stroke of halftime to centre Semi Valemei gave Canberra fans some hope.

Wighton and hooker Tom Starling sparked the comeback, while Valemei and fellow centre Matt Timoko had strong second half performances in both attack and defence.

Cowboys v Raiders: Hess, McLean to start; Starling No.9

The Raiders showed plenty of positive signs against the Sharks, holding their nerve to get home on the back of a late Hudson Young try after going 19-18 behind with seven minutes to play.

Ricky Stuart's men face a long road trip to Townsville but the Cowboys have failed to turn Queensland Country Bank Stadium into a fortress, losing their past five home matches.

One game the Cowboys did manage to win at home in 2021 came in round seven when they charged back from18 points down to beat the Raiders 26-24.

Young's late strike hands Wighton a win in 200th game

Wighton grabbed the opening try of the night and played a key role in the match-winner as the game went to the wire in a pulsating second half.

After dominating possession for the opening eight minutes the Raiders capitalised through Wighton, combining down the left side with Nick Cotric to post the opening four-pointer.

Some of the gloss was taken off the Green Machine's flying start with hooker Josh Hodgson forced from the field inside the first 10 minutes with a knee injury.

Raiders v Sharks: Schneider named halfback; Mulitalo moves to centre

Canberra are without star recruit Jamal Fogarty and skipper Jarrod Croker while the Sharks are in a similar boat with Cam McInnes and Wade Graham sidelined.

The Friday twilight clash will also be the first in the NRL coaching career of new Sharks mentor Craig Fitzgibbon.

The rundown
Team news
Raiders: After debuting in round 11 last year against the Storm, Brad Schneider is back for his second NRL game, taking the halfback role in the absence of Jamal Fogarty (knee).

Raiders edge injury hit Sea Eagles

NSW Origin representative Jack Wighton was the star for Canberra, scoring a try and setting up another as they fought back from 16-0 down to scored three unanswered tries.

However, the big news out of the match was the injuries to Manly's Martin Taupau (back), Haumole Olakau’atu (arm) and Dylan Walker (knee).

Olakau'atu is believed to be the most series of the injuries and will undergo x-rays for a suspected broken arm.

Raiders Survive COVID Setback To Outlast Roosters

The Raiders had to overcome the late withdrawal of halfback Sam Williams after he failed a COVID test before the match and hooker Matt Frawley was ruled out as he was deemed a close contact.

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was thrust into the playmaking role, while rookie Adrian Trevilyan got his chance to start at hooker and showed the class that made him a schoolboy star.