After returning to the winners circle on Monday night at Belmore, the Raiders hit the road again to take on the eighth-placed Parramatta Eels.
We’ve put together a list of five things we can’t wait to see at Pirtek Stadium this Saturday afternoon in Round Six.
What do you think? Is there anything else you want to see this weekend? Head over to our Facebook page and let us know!
Raiders on top of the mountain?
Not since Round Six of 2005 have the Raiders sat in first on the ladder at the end of a round, but that drought could be over if a few results go Canberra’s way this weekend.
A win on Saturday will see the third-placed Raiders move to nine competition points. Should the high-flying Broncos and Storm be knocked off on Friday and Monday respectively, the Green Machine will move one point clear at the top of the competition table.
ISP Top of the Table Clash
Second-placed Mounties have the chance to move to the top of the Intrust Super Premiership ladder this weekend at Pirtek Stadium.
Mounties will head into clash with the ladder-leading Wentworthville Magpies full of confidence after thrashing Illawarra 50-16 last weekend.
Look out for dynamic winger Kato Ottio to play a big role, with the Papua New Guinean flyer being named in the ISP Team of the Week twice already in 2016.
Battle of the halves
Much has been made of the return of halves pairing Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer over the past eight days.
They will come up against two of the most destructive halves in the competition on Saturday, with New Zealand Kiwis international Kieran Foran partnered by Corey Norman, who is enjoying career-best form for the Eels this season.
Rapana and Radradra off to the races
Standing at 187cm, Raiders winger Jordan Rapana towers over most opponents. This weekend, he gives up the height advantage to one of the most popular figures in the game in Semi Radradra.
A mainstay in the Raiders’ metre-eater category in recent weeks, barnstorming winger Rapana will relish the chance to test himself against a winger that has come into calculations for Australian selection.
Bateman’s Back
2015 Raiders Rookie of the Year Luke Bateman returns to the NRL line-up this weekend, with Sia Soliola out through injury.
Bateman’s most recent appearance in the top grade was against the Eels in Round 26 last season. On that day, the Green Machine stole a thrilling 28-24 victory in Golden Point at Pirtek Stadium. Could lightning strike twice this Saturday?
Enemies on Saturday, teammates next year
Whilst technically this is the sixth thing we can't wait to see on Saturday, we had to include it anyway. Junior Paulo will join the Raiders from 2017 onwards, but don't expect to see any signs of friendliness between him and the Raiders on Saturday.
Paulo is a hulking prop who has had a tremendous start to the season with the Eels. At only 22 years of age Paulo continues to improve his game every week, and will be looking to dominate the Raiders pack on Saturday.
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