The Canberra Raiders remain on the road in round eight, travelling to Belmore Sports Ground for a showdown with the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon.
Having well and truly announced themselves to the rest of the competition in recent weeks, Canberra will be aiming for three consecutive wins on Saturday afternoon.
Once again naming an unchanged lineup following their 25-18 victory against the Knights last weekend, the Raiders are reaping in the rewards of having a consistent playing group.
On the other side of the field, the Bulldogs have made a handful of changes as they look to turn the page on their round seven loss to the Eels.
Kalosipani Hopoate returns to the outfit in what will be her 40th NRLW match, joining five-eighth Ashleigh Quinlan in reaching the milestone.
Elsewhere, Pauline Suli-Ruka returns to edge in place of Tamika Jones for her first game since round one.
With the two teams having only met on one previous occasion, both teams are largely unfamiliar with one another.
Talking Points:
- Elise Simpson has scored 12 tries in her past 12 outings.
- Sheridan Gallagher and Chante Temara will make their 40th NRLW appearance.
- Canterbury have won four of their last six games at home.
Last Time They Met:
Canberra defeated the Bulldogs 56-24 in round eight of the 2025 season at Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney.
Key Matchup: Zahara Temara v Tayla Preston
Belmore Sports Ground will play host to scintillating showdown between two of the most complete halfbacks on Saturday afternoon, as Zahara Temara and Tayla Preston come face-to-face.
In her fourth season with the club, Zahara Temara has been at the forefront of the Raiders success in 2026, consistently demonstrating her willingness to grab a game by the scruff of the neck.
Temara boasts six try assists across the opening seven rounds, on top of being equal-fourth for the most line break assists across the competition with eight.
Temara’s boot proves as damaging as her ball playing abilities, leading the competition in 40/20s kicked as well as being the only player to kick a field goal this season.
On Saturday afternoon Temara will be tasked with opposing Bulldogs halfback Tayla Preston, who has inspirationally led the club through their first two seasons.
Sitting just behind Temara for try assists with five across the opening few rounds, Preston poses as a threat to opposition defences right across the field.
Preston has an innate ability to place pressure back on the opposition through her boot, with a whopping 1798 kicking metres, the majority of which are usually on a string.
Fans will be missing out if they aren’t to tune in on Saturday afternoon, as Zahara Temare and Tayla Preston go toe-to-toe in pursuit of the 2026 finals series.
