Canberra Raiders Cup: Round 17 Preview

Three Rounds remain the Blumers Lawyers Canberra Raiders Cup as the race for the finals continues to intensify. 

Goulburn City Bulldogs vs Tuggeranong Bushrangers, Workers Arena, Saturday 15 August, 3:00pm 

The Goulburn City Bulldogs return to Workers Arena this weekend as they look to cement their spot inside the top four against the Tuggeranong Bushrangers. 

The Bulldogs enter this weekend after a strong victory against the Rams at home which saw them leapfrog their opponents into fourth spot, with the goal now to ensure they finish the season strongly to feature in finals, Bikaca has been a damaging threat for them in season 2026 with barnstorming outside back scoring four tries in two games at fullback. 

Meanwhile, the Bushrangers will travel to Goulburn looking to recover from a tight two-point loss against the Warriors at home which Captain Coach Darby Medlyn said was a tough game, but where they had a few costly lapses in concentration. 

"It was a pretty close one in the end, it was a tough game, and I think we did well in periods but just a couple of lapses happened late in the second and we couldn't really come back from it," Medlyn said. 

Last week was the reigning Les McIntyre Medalists first game since round one as he returned from a knee injury whilst it's provided him an opportunity with his coaching, the lock is just glad to be back on the field. 

"It's been a pretty frustrating year for me, getting injured in round one and just rehabbing for most of the year but really enjoyed being out there again on the weekend."

"I'd rather be out there but there's some different dynamics that I can work on but really just being back out there with the boys."

Last week's loss leaves the Bushrangers relying on other results to go their way to feature in the finals and whilst they are hoping for a miracle, the goal is continual improvement and enjoyment in the last three games.

"We just want to improve on last week, we have been training really well, and we are still a bit of a chance if some results go our way, but most importantly we just want to really enjoy these last couple of rounds and put some good performances in to finish the year." 

Medlyn and the Bushrangers are aware of the dangers the Goulburn side poses, the home side enter this week's contest with back to back wins and know it'll be a tough test. 

"They are a really gritty side, and they are playing some good footy at the moment, we need to start fast but we really need to work on not having those lapses defensively that let us down, but we are really excited for the test on the weekend." 

The Bushrangers will be looking to shut down the damaging ball running of Tomasi Bikaca and are wary of the dangers the Cornish brothers may cause their side. 

"Tomasi has been really good and the move to fullback is probably not his natural position but he is such a strong ball carrier which is always a threat and those Cornish boys, Nick in the centres and Mitch just kicks really well and turns you around which is really big in this competition."

The previous matchup between these two sides came in round eight, with the Bushrangers overturning a fourteen-point half time deficit to claim the victory. 

Gungahlin Bulls vs Woden Valley Rams, Gungahlin Enclosed Oval, Saturday 15 August, 3:00pm 

The Woden Valley Rams travel to Gungahlin Enclosed to meet the Gungahlin Bulls in an important contest for their season. 

The Gungahlin Bulls will be desperate to overturn the result from last week's heavy defeat at the hands of the Queanbeyan Blues, centre Nofoasa Lemalu has been a shining light for the Bulls this season crossing the stripe on seven occasions. 

Meanwhile, the Rams are looking to bounce back this weekend after a disappointing defeat against the Bulldogs last round which sees them on the outside of the top four, with Sean Maloney and Sam Gash holding the keys to a strong Woden Valley performance. 

The previous matchup between these two sides came back in round eight and it was the Woden Valley Rams who walked away with a comprehensive victory on that occasion. 

West Belconnen Warriors vs Belconnen United Sharks, Raiders Belconnen, Saturday 15 August, 3:00pm 

The West Belconnen Warriors and Belconnen United Sharks are set to do battle in an exciting edition of the Belconnen derby on Saturday afternoon. 

The Warriors enter this round off the back of a tight two-point victory against the Bushrangers away from home and will be looking to Eliott Whitehead and Saxon Innes from strong performances once again. 

Meanwhile, the Sharks enter the round after a heartbreaking defeat against the Queanbeyan Kangaroos at home, with a bounce back important for their top two chances, the left edge was kept relatively quiet last weekend, however when they get going they punish teams scoring 24 tries down that edge this season. 

This a matchup that could produce anything, with this proved in their only matchup this season, which was an 82-point thriller at NSWRL HQ Bruce, which the West Belconnen Warriors won after the final siren. 

Yass Magpies vs Queanbeyan Blues, Walker Park, Saturday 15 August, 3:00pm 

The Yass Magpies welcome the Queanbeyan Blues to Walker Park on Saturday afternoon as they look to overturn their recent run of results. 

Yass enter this weekend fresh of the bye and will be striving to bounce back after a couple of heavy defeats against the Warriors and Kangaroos respectively, Toby Dasey will be important for the home side once again as he currently features inside the top ten try scorers in the competition. 

The Blues attack was scintillating last start posting sixty points against the Gungahlin Bulls at Seiffert Oval, centre Jamie Mazzarol Kotz continued his impressive season with three tries, whilst Connor Williams starred in game 100 scoring a hat-trick of his own. 

If the last few matchups are anything to go by this should be a tight encounter, with the Blues claiming a 24-20 victory in round eight, whilst the last matchup in Yass was decided by ten points.