Canberra Raiders Cup: Round 14 Preview

Round 14 of the Canberra Raiders Cup is set to shape up on Saturday and Sunday across the region as we lead into the last few weeks of the regular season.

Tuggeranong Bushrangers v Woden Valley Rams, Saturday 25 July, Greenway Oval, 3:00 pm

It will be a southside clash on Saturday afternoon where the Bushrangers will host the Rams at Greenway Oval in our Match of the Round

The Bushrangers currently sit in sixth position on 10 competition points following their field-goal victory against the Magpies, which according to Hayden Bradley was a tough victory. 

"It's always hard getting the two points out there, so we are pretty happy with that one," Bradley said. 

For the Bushrangers, they have struggled with consistency in season 2026, with the side unable to put together back-to-back wins. 

"Our main focus now is just to keep winning, we haven't put two games together yet and we are going to look to do that this weekend>" 

"We have to back to our consistency, we've had a few injuries, but all the boys are starting to click at the right time."

Tuggeranong stormed home last season to finish in the top four, with this providing the group with an understanding of what is required to feature in the finals action.

"You've got to beat everyone to make the top four anyway, if we can't do that, we probably don't deserve to play finals, our main focus is trying and beat everyone for the rest of the year." 

The previous matchup saw the Rams hand their Southside rivals a heavy defeat, with this fueling the Bushrangers as they return home in front of a big crowd.  

"It is a simple as they were just too good for us, the boys will be up for it that's for sure it's the derby of the South and we are looking forward to it."

For the Rams, they are currently sitting fourth, also on ten competition points following their tough 20-18 defeat against the Kangaroos. 

Backrower Kayne Taws identified that the side provided their opponents with too much of a head start, with the Rams start the focus of this weekend.  

"We've got to start faster; we let them have an eighteen-point lead and that meant we were just chasing points," Taws said. 

The Rams were boosted by the return of Co-Captain Coach Daine Spencer on the weekend and whilst they were pleased with the efforts of Sam Gash, Taws admitted the return of one of their leaders is the boost which can see them cement their top four spot. 

"Tt feels you with confidence but it's not like we didn't have it with the guys there, Daine brings a whole different x factor to the game, as well as his experience and he's the coach as well so it was a big boost for us."

Woden Valley will be desperate to claim the two competition points on Saturday as it will cement their spot inside the top four with six rounds remaining, with Taws stating the focus is solely on themselves rather than their opponents. 

" The focus is on ourselves internally, make sure there not bashing down our front door and we get off the line, protect our inside shoulders, all the little fundamentals we have been practising we just have to get it together."

It's a critical clash for both sides this weekend, with the two points critical to each team's respective finals chances making this a matchup you don't want to miss. 

Belconnen United Sharks v Yass Magpies, Saturday 25 July, NSWRL HQ Bruce, 3:00 pm

The Sharks return home on Saturday to NSWRL HQ Bruce to host the Yass Magpies, as they look to cement their spot inside the top two. 

Belconnen, sit in second on 16 competition points, enter this match in the winner’s circle, for the fourth straight week, after a tight six-point victory against the Goulburn City Bulldogs in Round 13.

Meanwhile, for Yass, they are currently sitting in ninth on six competition points and will be looking to bounce back after a heartbreaking 25-24 loss against the Bushrangers last start. 

The last time these two sides met was back in round four, where the Sharks absolutely dominated to create a 50-22 victory at Walker Park.

Gungahlin Bulls v Queanbeyan Kangaroos, Saturday 25 July, Gungahlin Enclosed Oval, 3:00 pm

The Kangaroos will travel to the northside this weekend as they prepare to face off against the Gungahlin Bulls.

The Bulls currently sit in eighth on six competition points following their 28-20 victory against the Warriors in last weekend’s Match of the Round.

Meanwhile, the Kangaroos continue to be a competition threat, sitting first on eighteen competition points. However, even though the Rams were hot on their tails last weekend, they pulled through with a tight 20-18 victory. 

The last time these two teams faced off was in round four, where both sides' backlines starred in an 18-10 victory to the Kangaroos.

West Belconnen Warriors v Queanbeyan Blues, Sunday 26 July, Raiders Belconnen, 3:00 pm

The Warriors return to Raiders Belconnen to host the Queanbeyan Blues in a Sunday afternoon special.

Following their tough 28-20 result against the Bulls, the Warriors currently sit seventh on eight competition points and will look to provide a solid result at home.

For the Blues, they are coming off a bye, sitting in third on twelve competition points and will look to add to those points to provide a threat to their fellow Queanbeyan rivals in the Roos.

The last time these two sides met, the Blues walked away victors 32-6 at Seffiert Oval while Jamie Mazzarol-Kotz starred with two tries and four conversions scored.

The Bulldogs have the bye for Round 14, and we will welcome them back in Round 15, where they will host their regional rivals, the Magpies, at Workers Arena.