NRL Match Preview: Raiders v Rabbitohs

Last Sunday’s home clash against the Roosters featured a battle between two of the NRL’s youngest spines, as a Fogarty-and-Starling-less Canberra side handed the reins to rising talents Owen Pattie and debutant Ethan Sanders – who led a spirited comeback to seal a 26–24 win over Sydney.

A Raiders’ spine containing Ethan Sanders, Ethan Strange, and Owen Pattie featured 23-year-old Kaeo Weekes as its oldest member, as the young guns stepped up in another thrilling come-from-behind win for Canberra.

Meanwhile, over at Accor, the Rabbitohs looked valiant during a hard-fought 30-36 loss to the Warriors led by Latrell Mitchell backing up for the Rabbitohs after Origin.

Against the Warriors, their left edge paved the way for an Alex Johnston hattrick and will pose a huge threat this weekend when Jack Wighton and Cody Walker return from calf injuries.

But the Raiders will show no signs of slowing down this weekend as they look to celebrate Josh Papalii’s record-breaking 319th game as a Raider in style, aided by the return of Starling back from suspension and Fogarty back from injury.

As the Raiders search for their fourth win on the trot and look to retain their spot on the ladder, one thing is clear to fans: it’s a pretty good season to be a cog in the green machine.

Talking Points

• Josh Papalii will become the most capped Raiders’ player of all time this weekend and will start at prop.
• Matt Timoko and Corey Horsburgh will celebrate their 100th NRL matches on Sunday.
• The Raiders have won five of their past six games against the Rabbitohs.
• The Raiders have a 100% win rate against bottom 9 teams this season.
• Rabbitohs second-rower Euan Aitken will play his 200th NRL game.
• Raiders winger Savelio Tamale lead the competition in line breaks this season.

Last time they met:

Last time these two teams met, the Raiders beat the Rabbitohs 32-12 at GIO Stadium in Canberra during round 21, 2024.

Key Match-Up: Jamal Fogarty v Jamie Humphries

It is with a heavy heart that the Raiders will bid farewell to halfback Jamal Fogarty at the end of the season as he puts a close to four years with the club.

The 31-year-old is the oldest member of the Raiders’ backline and is praised for his ability to get the most out his young backline through pinpoint kicks and crucial decision-making which keep the operation humming.

Fogarty currently leads the competition in attacking kicks, having just recorded his 100th against the Warriors two rounds ago and currently holds a 80% conversion rate. He ranks third in the comp in total kicking metres with 5293 metres across 12 games, averaging 441 metres per game.

In attack, Fogarty plays a vital support role for centres Sebastian Kris and Matthew Timoko, tallying 11 try assists this season. He provides a stable presence for five-eighth Ethan Strange who has the speed and footwork to break open a line and can build off the structure Fogarty creates in the backline.

Down in Rabbitohs territory, halfback Jamie Humphreys has been on everyone’s radar this season after a breakout performance in pre-season which saw him beat out English recruit Lewis Dodd to the number seven jersey.

But a round five hamstring injury sustained against the Roosters saw Humphries sidelined for five weeks.

Under the guidance of supercoach Wayne Bennett, the young gun is tipped as a rising star in the halves – setting up a clash between a seasoned veteran and emerging rookie.

This season, he has averaged 409.5 kicking metres – a figure which took a significant hit after Latrell Mitchell returned from injury.

Defensively, he maintains an 90% tackle efficiency, falling just short of Fogarty who clocks in at 92% for the Raiders.

This weekend, Humphries will be paired with a returning Cody Walker in the halves to inject some experience into the Rabbitohs’ spine which will mostly likely set up a few hard and fast plays for their left-edge attacking with Jack Wighton set to return in the centres and Latrell Mitchell to provide running support out of fullback.

Physically, Humphries is a bigger body – standing 183 cm and weighing in at 97kg and will be quicker off the line than Fogarty, but the essential structure and pinpoint kicking game offered by the NRL veteran will give the Raiders’ backline more than enough attacking support to compete.

Head-to-head:

Since 1998, the Raiders have played the Rabbitohs 33 times, winning 19 of them for a 57.6% efficiency rate.