NRL Match Preview: Raiders v Tigers

With the Raiders currently sitting 13th on the ladder and the Tigers third, the Raiders will be looking to continue building points and gain positions on the ladder.

Off the back of a close win against the Storm last week at home, the Raiders will be looking to make it three back-to-back wins.

Ricky Stuart has made some forced changes to his squad with Noah Martin starting in the second row in place of Hudson Young, who has been suspended for two weeks, and young gun Joe Roddy will replace Josh Papalii on the bench as he will miss 6-8 weeks with a calf injury.

The Raiders have also named Daine Laurie on the bench and is set to make his club debut and become Raider #410.

Meanwhile, the Tigers are coming off the back of a tough 21-20 loss against the Broncos and will be looking for redemption at Leichhardt.

Benji Marshall has made a few changes to his squad, particularly in the backline with Starford To’a named in the centres to make his first NRL appearance of the season and young gun Luke Laulilii will come in for rookie Heamasi Makasini.

Patrick Herbert has also moved to the bench which sees Latu Fainu drop back into the reserves.

Talking points

• Daine Laurie is set to become Raider #410 and make his club debut off the bench.
• The Raiders have won 10 of their last 11 games against the Tigers.
• The Tigers have not defeated the Raiders at Leichhardt Oval since 2010.
• Raiders veteran Josh Papalii is set to miss 6-8 weeks with a calf injury.
• Savelio Tamale has been named on the six-man bench following a strong stint in NSW Cup last weekend.

Last time they met

The Canberra Raiders defeated the West Tigers 24 - 10 in Round 26 last season at GIO Stadium.

It’s pretty cool to represent a different part of the defence force… It’s an honour to be able to represent the colours and design and hopefully do the Navy sector proud out there on Thursday night and put on a good show.

Tom Starling on playing in ANZAC Round #362

Key Matchup: Ethan Strange v Jerome Luai

It will be the battle of the five-eighths at Leichhardt for a key matchup between Jerome Luai and Ethan Strange.

Ethan Strange had a classic ‘Strangey’ style game against the Storm last Friday, scoring one try and picking up a try assist.

Meanwhile, Jerome Luai clocked 45 run metres from ten runs in his second game back from injury. These stats are a little below normal for the experienced five-eighth who may be still finding his groove early in the season.

With that, he will definitely be a threat to the Raiders as he gains momentum, particularly for Ethan Strange, but this won’t be the first time Strange has come up against him.

When these two last faced off in Round 26, 2025, both players were in form with Strange scoring one try, gaining one try assist as the Raiders clinched the minor premiership last season.

While Luai racked up 120 run metres from 17 runs, and amassed 208 kicking metres from seven kicks.

With two powerful running games going head-to-head, these two will be a definite pair to watch on Thursday night in what will be a cracker ANZAC Round opener.