NRL Match Preview: Raiders v Eels

In the Raiders' last clash with the Dragons, they scraped home in a gutsy second half, surviving a late Dragons comeback.

Canberra have continued their winning ways as they have won their past seven games and keep themselves two points clear at the top of the ladder.

Meanwhile, the Parramatta Eels fell short against the Penrith Panthers, going down 32-10 in a completely one-sided contest.

The Eels will be aiming to show that they can win games without the likes of Dylan Brown and Mitch Moses and push the Canberra Raiders to their limits.

Both coaches have been forced to make a couple of changes to their teams, with a couple of stars returning for both teams.

Talking Points:

• The Canberra Raiders will be looking to score their eighth consecutive win for the first time since 1995.
• Josh Papalii and Hudson Young both return to the side in their respective positions, with Simi Sasagi and Morgan Smithies moving to the interchange.
• Joash Papalii keeps his spot in the halves with Dylan Brown moving to 18th man and Ryley Smith returns from suspension.
• Jack Williams and J’maine Hopgood move to the front row, with Jordan Samrani coming into the side on the bench.
• Hudson Young has scored four tries in his last three games against the Eels.
• Josh Addo-Carr requires one try for 150 NRL tries.
• Parramatta have only won six times in the 26 games they have played at GIO Stadium Canberra. 

Last time they met

Last time these two teams met, the Raiders beat the Eels 50-12 at TIO Stadium in Darwin during round 6, 2025.

Key Match-up

Xavier Savage V Josh Addo-Carr

The pure speed and athleticism these two superstar wingers have are just too hard to keep up with; they have both played big roles in their teams' performance and have led their backline out of trouble on multiple occasions.

Xavier Savage is a key member of the Raiders' backline, with his speed and ability to finish off tries are unmatched and currently leads the Raiders with the most tries this season and only requires six more to break his personal record of 15.

We have seen this against the Gold Coast Titans back in round 11, where Savage crossed for three spectacular tries, and we could see the same again this week with the Eels conceding most of their tries on the left side.

Savage is not afraid to use his speed and his strength to bust through tired defenders and spot holes in the defence that he can slice through. Savage has already recorded eight line breaks along with 45 tackle breaks this season.

Meanwhile, Josh Addo-Carr has been superb since signing with the Eels in 2025 and just requires one try to record his 150th NRL try. Although he was kept relatively quiet last game, you can't keep the Fox quiet for too long.

The Fox will be aiming to lead the Eels' backline from the front and will be expected to play a big role in keeping the Raiders' right side quiet. It has been one of Addo-Carr’s more quieter seasons, only scoring nine tries, but his impact in attack is what has led his team to the front, racking up 70 tackle-breaks where he is ranked ninth in the league, followed by 16 line-breaks to his name.

The amount of experience and leadership Addo-Carr shows on the field is why he is one of the game's best wingers and will be eager to take the field this Saturday at GIO.

This game proves to be a battle of speed and pure athleticism in the backlines of both teams, and it will be a terrific showing between these two superstar wingers.

Head-to-Head

Since 1982, the Raiders have faced the Eels 68 times, winning 36 of them for a 52.94% efficiency rate.