The Raiders travel north to face the Cowboys on Saturday. Here are five things to keep in mind for round eight.
Turn the tide
The trip to North Queensland has proven a tough one over the past years for the Raiders as we haven't won in Townsville since 2006.
The Raiders last trip north leaves a stinging memory in the mind with a 20-16 loss in golden point after a Johnathan Thurston field goal attempt hit the crossbar and Gavin Cooper scored a try from the rebound.
The boys will be up for this one and will be aiming to put the hoodoo behind them by grabbing the two points this Saturday.
Battle of the JT's
We all know that when the name JT is mentioned, it is generally in reference to the great Johnathan Thurston.
There are two more JT's in action during this clash with the Raiders Joe Tapine and the Cowboys Jason Taumalolo doing battle in the forward pack.
The two won't directly oppose one another but expect these two to have a big influence as to whether their side gets the win.
Return to where it began
2017 Dally M Rookie of the Year and Raiders youngster Nick Cotric returns to where his debut season started as he made his first NRL appearance in Townsville in round one last season.
Cotric went on to score 16 tries in 2017, a first season to remember as he featured in all 24 games for the Raiders and was a revelation on the wing.
At 19 years of age, expect Cotric to continue his impressive rise to first grade and prove a mainstay in the Canberra line-up for years to come.
The bounce back
The Raiders will be looking for a big performance against the Cowboys this weekend in an attempt to regain their winning form.
With a seven-day turnaround, the Raiders will be eager to use that time to recover after tough game on the Central Coast on Saturday.
Back to back away games cut down the turnaround due to travel but expect the boys to be raring and ready to go come Saturday.
Hingano relishing new role
Five days of footy!
With the traditional ANZAC Day clashes taking place on Wednesday, footy fans are in for a treat this week with five days of NRL action in round eight.
ANZAC Day fell on a Tuesday last year which saw the two clashes put on at the end of the round whereas this season the round will start with the Roosters vs Dragons doing battle.
Rugby League lovers unite as we embark on days and days of NRL action kicking off at 4pm on Wednesday.
