The Toyota Forklift Raiders will play host to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at GIO Stadium Canberra in a must-win game if they are to keep their finals hopes alive.
The Raiders will need to win and win big against the Bulldogs this weekend as they continue to eye off a spot in the top eight with the ladder converging every week.
The loss against the Storm last weekend means the Raiders will need to be fierce and furious if they are to secure a finals berth.
With every game as crucial as any other, the final three rounds of the competition will be do or die for the Raiders as they approach September.
It will be the Raiders second last home game for the regular season this year, and will need every ounce of support they can get as they edge closer to the end of the season.
The Bulldogs will also have to lift their game this weekend, coming off a 36-point loss to the Newcastle Knights last round.
Coach Ricky Stuart has made some changes to the team following their loss to the Storm last weekend, with Jarrod Croker returning from injury to play his third last regular season game in his career.
Croker replaces last week’s debutant, Ethan Strange, as Tom Starling and James Schiller come into the side to replace Adrian Trevilyan and Pasami Saulo on the interchange bench.
Bulldogs’ forward Jacob Preston has been suspended for the game this weekend as Corey Waddell takes his spot. Ryan Sutton has returned from a neck injury and will play at lock, moving Luke Thompson to the bench.
The Raiders have won their last seven meetings with the Bulldogs, having not lost to the Bulldogs since 2017.
Match: Raiders v Bulldogs
Round 25 -
home Team
Raiders
away Team
Bulldogs
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Raiders is number 1 Jordan RapanaFullback for Bulldogs is number 1 Jake Averillo
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Winger for Raiders is number 2 Albert HopoateWinger for Bulldogs is number 2 Blake Wilson
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Centre for Raiders is number 3 Jarrod CrokerCentre for Bulldogs is number 3 Jacob Kiraz
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Centre for Raiders is number 4 Matthew TimokoCentre for Bulldogs is number 4 Braidon Burns
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Winger for Raiders is number 5 Nick CotricWinger for Bulldogs is number 5 Josh Addo-Carr
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Five-Eighth for Raiders is number 19 Matt FrawleyFive-Eighth for Bulldogs is number 6 Matt Burton
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Halfback for Raiders is number 7 Jamal FogartyHalfback for Bulldogs is number 7 Toby Sexton
Forwards
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Prop for Raiders is number 10 Joseph TapineProp for Bulldogs is number 10 Liam Knight
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Hooker for Raiders is number 9 Zac WoolfordHooker for Bulldogs is number 9 Reed Mahoney
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Prop for Raiders is number 15 Emre GulerProp for Bulldogs is number 15 Luke Thompson
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2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Hudson Young2nd Row for Bulldogs is number 11 Viliame Kikau
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2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead2nd Row for Bulldogs is number 12 Corey Waddell
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Lock for Raiders is number 13 Corey HorsburghLock for Bulldogs is number 19 Harrison Edwards
Interchange
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Interchange for Raiders is number 8 Josh Papali'iInterchange for Bulldogs is number 8 Max King
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Interchange for Raiders is number 14 Tom StarlingInterchange for Bulldogs is number 14 Kyle Flanagan
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Interchange for Raiders is number 16 James SchillerInterchange for Bulldogs is number 17 Tevita Pangai Junior
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Interchange for Raiders is number 17 Ata MariotaInterchange for Bulldogs is number 21 Jayden Okunbor
Reserves
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Replacement for Raiders is number 18 Trey MooneyReplacement for Bulldogs is number 22 Hayze Perham
Match Officials
- Referee: Gerard Sutton
- Touch Judge: Chris Sutton
- Senior Review Official: Ben Cummins
Last updated:
Last Time They Met
The Green Machine defeated the Bulldogs 34-30 at Magic Round earlier this year.
Key Match-Ups
Albert Hopoate v Josh Addo-Carr
Albert Hopoate has been the go-to winger for Stuart this season, playing all but two games this season due to his consistency and heart for the Raiders.
Across his 19 games this season, Hopoate has scored eight tries along with 61 tackle breaks, with his ability to score when given his chance a valuable asset for the Green Machine in attack.
Opposite him is the ever-experienced Josh Addo-Carr who will play his 163rd game of his NRL career this weekend.
It is Addo-Carr’s second season at the Bulldogs, in which he made his return to the NSW Blues side earlier this year adding to his accolade of two premierships and three State of Origin series wins.
Jarrod Croker v Jacob Kiraz
Jarrod Croker will return from his hamstring injury to play his third last regular season game of his career having announced his retirement on the weekend.
The captain, who will retire at the end of the 2023 season, will have played 15 seasons and over 300 games for the club, along with top try (135) and points (2358) scorer in the club’s history.
The one-club man is the epitome of what it means to be a Raider and will play his last games for the club in search of giving everything towards the team in search of a premiership.
Outside back Jacob Kiraz is a worthy opposition of Croker’s, proving his ability to break the game apart when given his opportunity.
Kiraz has been mainly playing wing for the Bulldogs this season, but in recent weeks has moved to centre allowing him to offload to his winger to spark an attacking chance out of thin air.
Hudson Young v Viliame Kikau
Raiders second-rower Hudson Young will look to assert his dominance over Kikau this weekend in all facets of the game.
Young thrives when he plays in front of the Canberra faithful, having scored eight tries in his past 11 games at GIO Stadium Canberra.
His ability to flip a game on its head is instrumental for Raiders attack and defence, and is a player Stuart will look to utilise to break open his opposition.
After an extended period of the season through injury, Viliame Kikau returned in round 22 and made his presence felt immediately.
In what will be his third game back from injury this weekend, his experience and explosivity cannot be overlooked playing an important role in winning back-to-back premierships for the Penrith Panthers in recent years.
Head to Head
The Raiders and Bulldogs have played 40 games against each other in their history, with the Raiders edging the Bulldogs with 22 wins to 18.
