NRL Match Preview: Raiders v Roosters

Wet weather meant that the Raiders’ round 12 clash against the Warriors was always going to be tough.

But in sink or swim conditions, the Raiders controlled the game well and came away with the 16-10 victory.

Meanwhile, over in Gosford, the Roosters showed their depth with a fashionable 42-16 upset win over the Sharks even with five key players missing due to Origin duties.

Both teams have included their Origin stars in their line-ups, banking on them recovering in time for Sunday’s clash. As a result, Hudson Young is expected to start in the second row for the Raiders, adding some much-needed firepower to the forward pack.

Talking Points

• Danny Levi will come off the bench as a back-up hooker in his first game of the NRL season this week.
• Owen Pattie will start at hooker to cover the loss of Tom Starling who has been handed a one match suspension.
• Xavier Savage has scored 2 tries in 3 games against the Roosters.
• The Roosters have scored the first try in their last nine games.
• Collins, Leniu, Watson, Toia and Crichton are set to back up after Origin for the Roosters’ clash against the Raiders.
• Josh Papalii will equal Raiders’ legend Jason Croker’s club appearance record of 318 games.

Last time they met

Last time these two teams met, the Raiders beat the Roosters 12-14 at Allianz Stadium in Sydney during round 26, 2025.

Key Match-Up

Savelio Tamale vs Daniel Tupou

Making his NRL debut in round one of 2025, Savelio Tamale has been one of the most exciting rookies to watch this year, scoring in six of his 12 appearances for the Raiders.

Round one in Las Vegas against the Warriors was a standout performance for Tamale, who ran for 219 metres and made seven tackle breaks in the match, locking down a permanent spot in the Raiders’ backline on the left wing.

In 2024, Tamale led the NSW Cup in run metres, post-contact metres, tackle breaks and line-breaks.

Now, in the 2025 NRL season, the young gun ranks sixth in run metres (1,988), third in tackles breaks (69), second in line breaks (14) – showing his commitment to putting up numbers in the big leagues.

Shouldered by Seb Kris, Tamale has the strength, speed and footwork to provide support to the centres or gun it down the line and finish himself, already having proven deadly in the corner.

Up in Sydney, long-term Roosters veteran Daniel Tupou has been a consistent threat in the roosters attacking line since 2012, scoring a double just last week against the sharks.

Comparably Tupou has shown to be reliable in defence, recording an 83.3% tackle efficiency so far this season.

The Raiders’ left edge defence will need to be in top form this Sunday when coming up against Roosters’ right winger Mark Nawaqanitawase – who has scored eight tries in 12 games this season.

Even though the Raiders have proven themselves to be a second half team through-and-through; having won five games this season that they were either losing or drawing at half time, the Roosters have played consistent footy over the past month and will be dangerous around this middle part of the season.

Head-to-head

Since 1998, the Raiders have played the Roosters 46 times, winning 17 of them for a 36.9% efficiency rate