Canberra Raiders Cup: Round Nine Preview

Round Nine of the Blumers Lawyers Canberra Raiders Cup is set to be a cracking round of local footy.

Belconnen United Sharks Vs West Belconnen Warriors

NSWRL HQ Bruce, Saturday 14th June

The third-placed West Belconnen Warriors will travel to NSWRL HQ when they take on the Belconnen United Sharks.

After going down 28-18 against the Yass Magpies, the sixth-placed Sharks will be aiming to bounce back this weekend in a big way and look to leapfrog into the top four.

The Sharks have had an up and down start to the season, with the side unable to enter the rhythm of the season and are looking for consistency this weekend. 

"We started of strong and came away with some scrappy wins, but we know where we need to be better and those one percent efforts, we need to be putting in week in week out and find ourselves back to where we believe we belong," Sharks forward Thomas Watego said. 

The crosstown match up provides Belconnen United with an opportunity to restart their season against their biggest rival, a challenge the team is looking forward to. 

"Nothing better than a derby to restart our season, Belcompton vs Belconnen it should be a great game and at home it’s going to be an exciting matchup. Hopefully we can restart our rise back up to the top four where we belong whether they like it or not."

Watego is aware of the dangers which the Warriors outfit present, however the Sharks have been focusing on the key areas of their game. 

"We haven’t really looked at them, we aren’t too worried about who they have or the strike power in their side we know that they’ve had one loss and one draw but we are more worried about who we have and how we can get the ball to them."

On the other hand, the Warriors sit in third and will also be aiming to bounce back this weekend after going down 14-0 against the Roos in a tough and gritty match.

The loss for the Warriors was their first of the season, however Captain Coach Ryan McQueen isn't too concerned with it providing his team with a clear direction. 

“I think we learnt a lot out of that game, obviously there the benchmark and they have been for the last three years. We learnt a lot around where we need to be better and where we are at overall. It was a good game; I was really happy with the boys." he said. 

Despite currently sitting in sixth position, McQueen is wary of the dangers which the Sharks present, especially their damaging forward pack. 

"I don’t think their record shows exactly how good they are going; they’ve got a very strong forward pack that gets them going forward and it’s up there with one of the best in the comp. I think they are doing a lot better than where they are sitting on the table and whoever turns up on their day in this comp is going to win."

The Warriors will be looking to hold down their position on the ladder, while the Sharks have a big opportunity to enter the top four in what will be a tough matchup at Bruce.

Queanbeyan Kangaroos Vs Gungahlin Bulls

Seears Workwear Oval, Saturday 14th June

The Queanbeyan Kangaroos will host the Gungahlin Bulls at Seears Workwear Oval this weekend.

The Roos sit on top of the ladder for the first time this season after their terrific 14-0 win against the Warriors last round, which cemented their spot on top of the ladder.

Fresh off the bye, the Bulls sit fifth on the ladder with a record of three wins and three losses and will be aiming to sneak into the top four.

The Roos will look to jump onto the Bulls to further cement their spot on top of the ladder for another week, while the Bulls will be looking to charge into round nine and grab their fourth win of the season.

Queanbeyan Blues Vs Yass Magpies

Seiffert Oval, Saturday 14th June

The Yass Magpies will be travelling to Seiffert Oval when they take on the Queanbeyan Blues this weekend.

The Blues will have to bounce back after a disappointing 14-10 loss against the Rams last weekend. The Blues currently sit second on the ladder with five wins and two losses.

Meanwhile, the Magpies swooped in and caused an upset after defeating the Sharks 28-18 in a terrific showing from Yass as they recorded their first win of the season.

Is there another Yass Magpies upset on the cards, or will the Blues prove too strong to handle and bounce back to record their sixth win of the season. 

Goulburn City Bulldogs Vs Woden Valley Rams

Workers Arena, Saturday 14th June

The Goulburn City Bulldogs will host the Woden Valley Rams at Workers Arena this Saturday at 3:00 pm.

The Bulldogs sit seventh on the ladder after going down 32-4 against the Bushrangers last round. The Bulldogs have only scored eight points in their last two games and will be aiming to put some points on the board against the Rams.

Meanwhile, the Rams caused a major upset, beating the Blues in an extremely tough game of football. The Rams sit fourth on the ladder with three wins and two losses and will be looking to leapfrog over the Warriors into third.

Both teams have a point to prove, with the Bulldogs aiming to separate themselves from the bottom of the ladder while the Rams have a massive opportunity to charge into third spot.