The race for a finals spot heats up in the NYC competition on Saturday morning when the 10th placed Raiders take on the 11th placed Warriors at GIO Stadium.
The Raiders appeared to be out of finals contention midway through the year when the team were on a six-match losing streak. However, Brett White’s men have turned the corner in emphatic fashion – winning five of their last six encounters.
The two sides played earlier this season in New Zealand with the Warriors claiming a 20-4 win. However, Raiders NYC captain, Zac Woolford, said this week’s encounter is under different circumstances.
“Last time we played them we were in a bit of a rut, we were struggling for confidence and a bit of form," said Woolford.
"Obviously, three straight wins is really good and it’s the consistency we’ve been looking for all year, so we’re definitely going into this weekend confident in our own ability.
"If we play the style of footy that we want to play, we’ll get the result that we want."
The team enters this weekend’s clash fresh from a week off, and Woolford said the side had a week off to rest in preparation for the final seven rounds of the season. While the rest of the team was resting, Woolford was in camp as he played for NSW in the U20's Origin against Queensland.
“The one thing I would like to take from that (U20's Origin) is the intensity that we trained and played with up there and bring back to the Raiders U20's team,” said Woolford.
“I reckon if we do that, obviously I think it will help the boys out a lot and it will help us a lot in the run in to the finals.”
A win for the Raiders could see the side rise as high as 8th place, but a loss could see them overtaken by the Warriors and drop to 11th.
The match kicks off at 10.40am and is live on Fox Sports Channel 501. Live updates will also be on the Raiders Twitter.
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