While the Raiders made the Tigers look toothless in their 46-6 demolition job on Sunday afternoon, tomorrow night they will be out to make the Broncos look like they lack brunt in pursuit of two wins on the trot.
The Raiders are set to run onto the Suncorp Stadium turf with the same 17 that saw them go within a Tiger’s whisker of posting a half-century of points over the visitors in Round 3.
Canberra’s wobbly start to the year was not helped by the absences of captain Jarrod Croker and prop Junior Paulo, meaning the fact that Ricky Stuart has named an unchanged outfit to travel north of the border is a huge plus for the men in green.
It is exactly what’s needed early in the season as the Raiders continue in their quest to recapture the unstoppable form that propelled them to their first preliminary final since 1997 in 2016.
The Green Machine was nothing short of unstoppable against the Tigers on Sunday afternoon, crossing for five second-half tries.
The rampage stands in stark contrast to the Broncos’ two most recent encounters, both of which have seen Brisbane have every ounce of energy zapped out of itself in losing by two points or less against North Queensland and Melbourne.
The two relentless encounters could see the Raiders capitalise on the hosts’ tiring legs tomorrow night, particularly as the barnstorming Dave Taylor is again set to catapult off the bench against his former club.
Croker said the Raiders will have to carry Sunday’s hot form into the clash with Brisbane if they are to rain on the Broncos’ home parade.
“They’re obviously a high-quality side,” Croker said.
“They have been for a long time now. They’re always hard to beat up at Suncorp as well. We’re going to have to be at our best to beat them.”
Last Time
The Broncos secured a 26-18 win at home when the two sides last met, although the Raiders found the white line three times after the half-time break to win the second half 18-8.
The Raiders were not at full strength in last year’s Round 14 clash, with the absences of fullback Jack Wighton and front-rower Shannon Boyd dealing the visitors particularly big blows.
Watch highlights from the last time the Raiders and Broncos met in the video below.
