Canberra Raiders Cup 2022: Round 2 Preview

The Blumers Lawyers Canberra Raiders Cup competitions resume for round two of the 2022 season, headlining a clash between the Queanbeyan Blues and highflyers Tuggeranong Bushrangers in this weekend's match of the round.

Match of the Round: Queanbeyan Blues v Tuggeranong Bushrangers, Seiffert Oval Saturday April 9th

This weekend’s match of the round will feature the Queanbeyan Blues up against the Tuggeranong Bushrangers, with the home side looking to collect their first win of the season this Saturday.

Despite a promising start in their first match of the season against Woden Valley last weekend, the Blues couldn’t hold on, falling to a rejuvenated Rams side.

Off the back of a few injuries, there were some players lining up in non-preferred positions last Saturday. Former Raider Terry Campese started at lock and Charlie Woolford filled in at nine for Josh Mitchell who is playing NSW Cup.

For Woolford, he is expecting a tough challenge this weekend for his side with key players still in doubt needing to pass a fitness test before they can line up on Saturday.

“They come out of the blocks pretty hard, and they are very strong in the middle. So I expect them to come to the middle again this weekend,” Woolford said.

We had a lot of young fellas filling in with a few injuries. They are going to be taking a fitness test on Thursday but the boys on the weekend will be able to do the job again if they don’t come through.”

For the Bushrangers, they will be looking to clone last weekend's performance in hopes of defeating both Queanbeyan sides in a matter of two weeks.

After a big offseason of recruiting, things went perfectly to plan for the Tuggeranong outfit, looking brilliant in attack whilst holding their opponents to just one try.

For winger Jayden Pollard, who himself scored a try on the weekend, it was pleasing to be able to put out a solid all-around performance on the weekend, with their defence being the foundation they are looking to build upon this weekend. 

“We are pretty happy with the fact that we meshed well. We had a lot of focus in the preseason on defence, it will just be about doing the same thing again," Pollard said.

Only conceding six last week was pretty good. It’s just about backing that up this week.”

It is shaping up to be a must watch match, as the perennial winners come up against the form team of the first round.

Yass Magpies v Woden Valley Rams, Walker Park 3pm Saturday 9th April 

Fresh off an upset win over the Queanbeyan Blues last weekend, Woden Valley are looking to continue their run of form against Yass this weekend.

After holding the Blues to just six points which was less than the Queanbeyan outfit scored in any match last year, their impressive defence will be the foundation if another victory is going to go their way on Saturday.

The Rams will also be able to take confidence from their full 80-minute performance, having not led their round one fixture until the 61st minute.

For Yass, all eyes will be on a victory in their first match of the season, fresh off a round one bye.

After a season of 'almost's' in 2021, losing three games by less than six and drawing twice, the Magpies will be looking to prove their 2022 intentions against one of the form teams in the competition.

Goulburn City Bulldogs v Gungahlin Bulls, Workers Arena 3pm Saturday 9th April 

Fresh off a dominant round one win over the Belconnen United Sharks last weekend, Goulburn City Bulldogs will be looking to build on their momentum when they come up against Gungahlin in their first home match of the season.

Goulburn’s forward pack will be looking to continue to be at their bruising best. Round one man of the match Ron Leapai will be looking to lead from the front once again.

The Gungahlin Bulls on the other hand will be looking to bounce back after a heartbreaking loss last weekend, leading by 14 points at halftime before a spirited Warriors comeback handed them their first loss of the season.

They can however take confidence out of their attack, scoring six tries from five different scorers, including a double from centre Kieran Reilly.

With both sides scoring over thirty in their first-round clash, expect a high scoring game with defence likely to be the catalyst for either team to win.   

Belconnen United Sharks v Queanbeyan Kangaroos, NSWRL HQ Bruce 3pm Saturday 9th April 

Fresh off two convincing losses in round one, both the Queanbeyan Kangaroos and the Belconnen United Sharks will be looking to turn their fortunes around when they come up against each other this weekend.

The Sharks struggled to contain the red-hot Bulldogs last weekend, however it was at times their own un-doing as they struggled to complete sets and missed tackles in tough conditions.

Heading into this weekend, they will need to rely on fullback Darcy Leadbitter who played well in a losing effort on debut. They will also need a big performance from their bench forwards if they want to collect the two points.

For the Roos, they will be looking to build off the back of their second-half last weekend, where despite losing the period 10-6, they showed some positive signs.

Kaine Pagura will likely be one of their main draws in attack, with the halfback looking to emulate his ball running ability which resulted in the only Queanbeyan try of the game last Saturday.