A grueling trip awaits the Raiders NYC team with the side leaving Canberra early Saturday morning in preparation for their match against the Warriors on Sunday morning.
For the first time this season that Raiders U20's won't be playing before the NRL team, or even the same in city, with the game against the Warriors being held on Sunday morning in Auckland.
The Raiders sit 15th on the ladder - behind the 14th placed Warriors on for and against – with both sides only accruing three wins so far this season.
Despite losing to the Dragons 44-6 last weekend, there was still positives to take from the Raiders performance.
Sebastian Kris impressed in a debut performance that saw him produce five tackle breaks, two line-breaks and carry for the ball for 138 meters.
Head Coach, Brett White, has moved Kris to the centres while Ellis is named on the wing. Captain, Zac Woolford, is named to make his first start since suffering a shoulder injury against the Tigers in round 8.
The Warriors head into the clash after suffering a 74-10 loss at the hands of the in form Panthers. Coincidentally this was the exact same score the Panthers had belted the Raiders the week before. On that same weekend the Warriors were held scoreless as the Dragons ran riot to score a 50 point win.
Both sides are evenly matched on paper, despite their injury and confidence struggles in recent weeks. A win for either side could see them close back in on a top eight position.
Managing the long travel will be key for the Raiders side, as they have an almost full day of travel on Saturday to arrive in Auckland at night.
The Raiders v Warriors NYC game kicks off at 9.00am AEST (11.00am NZ) on Sunday morning at Mt Smart Stadium No 2, Auckland. A match report from the game will be posted on raiders.com.au following the completion of the game.
