NRL Match Preview: Raiders v Titans

Author: Laurence Kelson
Timestamp: Thu 1 Jul 2021, 02:09 PM

Sam Williams, Jordan Rapana and Ryan Sutton will all celebrate special milestones, while Jarrod Croker is set to return from injury when the Canberra Raiders take on the Gold Coast Titans at GIO Stadium this Saturday at 5:30pm.

Sam Williams will celebrate his 100th NRL game when he runs on the field against the Titans. The Raiders’ halfback has always answered the call when the club needed him to step up during his three stints in Canberra. Williams made his NRL debut with the Raiders in 2011 and has played regularly this season since the departure of George Williams.

Longest time between NRL debut and 100 games

Name	Time	Years
Pat Richards	14 years, 135 days	2000 - 2015
Lote Tuqiri	11 years, 1 day	1999 - 2010
Barry Ward	10 years, 294 days	1990 - 2001
Jordan Rapana	10 years, 268 days	2008 - 2019
Sam Williams	10 years, 112 days	2011 - 2021

Jordan Rapana will play his 150th NRL game this weekend against the club he made his NRL debut for. The exciting winger has been with the Raiders since 2014, and his time at the club has been filled with countless great performances. In 2016 Rapana broke the Raiders’ record for most tries scored in a season with 23, and the Kiwi leads the way this season with eight to his name.

The return of Raiders’ captain Jarrod Croker will be a significant inclusion for the team. Croker’s on-field leadership and ability will be a huge boost to a talented but inexperienced backline.

The Raiders will also welcome back Jack Wighton and Josh Papalii from State of Origin duty.

Both the Raiders and Titans are coming off the back of losses and are sitting outside the top eight. A win for either team will be a big step towards getting back into finals contention.

Round 16 - Round 16 - Saturday 3 Jul

Full Time

Raiders

Titans

Team Lists

Backs

Fullback for Raiders is number 1 Bailey Simonsson

Fullback for Titans is number 1 Alexander Brimson
Winger for Raiders is number 2 Semi Valemei

Winger for Titans is number 2 Phillip Sami
Centre for Raiders is number 3 Jarrod Croker

Centre for Titans is number 3 Brian Kelly
Centre for Raiders is number 4 Sebastian Kris

Centre for Titans is number 4 Patrick Herbert
Winger for Raiders is number 5 Jordan Rapana

Winger for Titans is number 5 Corey Thompson
Five-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Jack Wighton

Five-Eighth for Titans is number 6 Ashley Taylor
Halfback for Raiders is number 7 Sam Williams

Halfback for Titans is number 7 Jamal Fogarty

Forwards

Prop for Raiders is number 8 Josh Papali'i

Prop for Titans is number 8 Jarrod Wallace
Hooker for Raiders is number 9 Josh Hodgson

Hooker for Titans is number 9 Erin Clark
Prop for Raiders is number 10 Dunamis Lui

Prop for Titans is number 10 Tino Fa'asuamaleaui
2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Corey Harawira-Naera

2nd Row for Titans is number 11 Kevin Proctor
2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead

2nd Row for Titans is number 12 David Fifita
Lock for Raiders is number 13 Ryan Sutton

Lock for Titans is number 16 Moeaki Fotuaika

Interchange

Interchange for Raiders is number 14 Tom Starling

Interchange for Titans is number 13 Tyrone Peachey
Interchange for Raiders is number 15 Emre Guler

Interchange for Titans is number 14 Beau Fermor
Interchange for Raiders is number 16 Iosia Soliola

Interchange for Titans is number 15 Sam Lisone
Interchange for Raiders is number 17 Joseph Tapine

Interchange for Titans is number 17 Jaimin Jolliffe

Reserves

Reserve for Raiders is number 18 Matthew Timoko

Reserve for Titans is number 18 Sam Stone

Match Officials

Referee: Matt Cecchin
Touch Judge: Darian Furner
Touch Judge: Todd Smith
Senior Review Official: Steve Chiddy

Last updated: 5/29/2023 4:40:57 AM

Last Time They Met

The Raiders defeated the Titans 20-4 in round four earlier this year. Jordan Rapana, Josh Papalii and Ryan Sutton all scored tries.

Match Highlights: Titans v Raiders

Key Match-Ups

Sam Williams v Jamal Fogarty

In his 100th NRL game, Sam Williams will use his years of experience in the NRL and Super League to guide the Raiders around the park on Saturday.

Williams will need to use his excellent kicking game to keep the Titans under pressure and limit the Titans’ dangerous back three.

Williams will also look to build his on-field chemistry with the rest of the Raiders’ spine as the Raiders continue to build in attack.

Rapana primed for 150th NRL game

Jamal Fogarty will be looking to do the same job for the Titans. The Gold Coast have shown flashes of brilliance this season but have lacked consistency. The challenge for Fogarty is to adjust his game so that the Titans’ can become an 80-minute team.

Ryan Sutton v Tyrone Peachey

Although Ryan Sutton and Tyrone Peachey play the same position, their playing style couldn’t be further apart. Still, both players will be critical in their teams’ road to victory on the weekend,

Ryan Sutton has been a revelation for the Raiders this season. The English lock has averaged 119 run meters per game this season and has made 421 tackles with an impressive 94% tackle efficiency rating.

His effort and aggression in both attack and defence have made him a standout in the Raiders’ forward pack. Ryan Sutton will be looking to make his 50th game as a Raiders one to remember against the team his faced on his NRL debut.

Tyrone Peachey has been one of the Titans best attacking players this season. Peachey has played at hooker, five-eighth, centre and he now finds himself at lock. His ability to play the ball like a half and his footwork to dance through defenders make him a headache in the middle of the field for any opposition. If the Raiders don’t shut him down early, he’ll cause problems all game.

Sebastian Kris v Brian Kelly

Raiders’ newly re-signed centre, Sebastian Kris, has been in outstanding form for the Green Machine this year.

Kris and Savage excited to pen new deals

The young centre has a devastating combination of speed, power, size and skill. At only 22, he has shown the he can be an NRL first grader for years to come. Last week against the Dragons, Kris was playing some great football before a HIA ruled him out for the game,

This week he’ll look to pick up where he left off, and since Jarrod Corker is returning, Kris will move to right centre where he’ll team up with Corey Harawira-Naera and Jordan Rapana in what looks to be a deadly right edge.

Seb Kris Highlights

Kris will be going head to head with Brian Kelly, who is a quality player in his own right. Kelly has averaged over 120 run meters this season and has some serious speed when he gets into top gear.