Canberra Raiders Cup Round Eight Preview

Round Eight of the Canberra Raiders Cup sees some interesting matchups, headlined by a blockbuster top four clash in this weeks Match of the Round.

West Belconnen Warriors vs Queanbeyan Kangaroos

Raiders Belconnen Sunday 1st June

The West Belconnen Warriors welcome the Queanbeyan Kangaroos to Raiders Belconnen on Sunday afternoon for a blockbuster top four match of the round clash.

West Belconnen enter the matchup currently sitting in second position and remain undefeated to start 2025.

Their latest victory was a comprehensive win over the Bulldogs in Goulburn, however Warrior’s lock Jarrod Lenihan suggested the scoreline flattered his side.

“It was a strong win, but I don’t think the score was fair to Goulburn, Mitch went down in the first half, and they were missing a couple of their big middles that come down from Sydney,” Lenihan said.  

“We did get the job done but it was a bit unfair to them, and we have a lot of improvement still.”

West Belconnen are reluctant to admit they are the team to beat this year, declaring they haven’t achieved anything yet and still need to improve.

“We haven’t really achieved anything yet, we have a good four or five weeks, but we’ve still got a lot of improvement, and we will learn a lot about ourselves this weekend.”

This weekend they face their biggest test, with the Kangaroos bouncing into town and looking to spoil the Warriors undefeated start to the season, with this providing the Warriors an opportunity to see where they sit.

“They’ve won the comp the last two years, and they are the benchmark again along with the Blues, we are really excited to go out there and we will have a good idea of where we are after on Sunday afternoon.”

The Kangaroos currently sit in third and are riding the wave of momentum, with the side only losing their opening game of the season.

Queanbeyan centre Lucas Thomson believes his side’s loss in the opening round of the season provided an early reminder on what they need to compete for the title again this year.  

“I think a round one loss was potentially what we needed because I think you learn more from a loss than a win, it was a good way to see where we were out and we were potentially a little bit underdone and we took a lot of lessons out of that, and we’ve been a lot more clinical since then” Thomson said.   

The Kangaroos secured a dominant victory last start against the Belconnen United Sharks, however the side’s looking to improve their ability to put together a 80-minute performance.

“It was pretty good for 60 minutes, I think it was 50-0 and the last 20 minutes were poor, we threw the ball to the ground, and they scored a couple times late. “

“I think this week will just be focusing on an 80-minute performance.”

Thomson is excited about the opportunity ahead of his side this weekend, stating it will be a challenge against the early competition favorites.

“They are the team to beat at the moment, it’ll be a huge challenge for us on Sunday, in Belconnen, a day before a public holiday with a big crowd against us.”

“They’ve been playing an expansive brand of footy and their spine has been great.”

The Warriors will be looking to claim a big scalp on Sunday afternoon against a quality Kangaroos outfit which shapes an incredible match of the round.

Woden Valley Rams vs Queanbeyan Blues

Phillip Oval Saturday 31st May

The Woden Valley Rams return to their spiritual home in Phillip Oval for an exciting matchup against the Queanbeyan Blues this Saturday.

The Rams season is at crossroads with the side currently sitting in sixth position, with their recent result a four-point loss to the Bulls.

Meanwhile, the Blues were the only team not affected by the washout round, due to their scheduled bye, with the side from Queanbeyan sitting top of the Canberra Raiders Cup table.

The two sides met in last year’s preliminary final, with the Blues running out 20-14 winners.

 Woden Valley will be desperate to overturn the most recent result and get their 2025 campaign back on track, with the Blues looking to extend their lead at the top of the table.

Yass Magpies vs Belconnen United Sharks

Walker Park Saturday 31st May

The Belconnen United Sharks make the trip down the Barton Highway for a matchup against the Yass Magpies.

The Magpies will be looking to secure their first victory of the season, with the side having a fortnight off, through a bye and washout round respectively, to prepare for the Sharks arrival.

While the Sharks season sits in a peculiar position with the side currently fifth on the table and will be looking to maintain contact with the top four. Their latest result was a comprehensive defeat at the hands of the two-time defending premiers.

Both sides will be hunting the side for different reasons, which will set up a mouthwatering contest at Walker Park on Saturday afternoon.

Goulburn City Bulldogs vs Tuggeranong Bushrangers

Workers Arena, Saturday 31st May

The Goulburn City Bulldogs welcome the Tuggeranong Bushrangers to Workers Arena on Saturday afternoon for an intriguing matchup.

The Bulldogs have had an up and down start to the 2025 season, with the side sitting at two wins and three losses which sees them currently sit in seventh.

Tuggeranong has struggled at the beginning of the season as they currently sit without a win in 2025. 

This weekend should result in a very interesting matchup with the ladder positions of the two sides suggesting an even matchup.