Round 11 FRIDAY,MAY 17th SUNCORP STADIUM, BRISBANE
Magic Round Kicks Off with Exciting Clashes
Magic Round has arrived, bringing the entire NRL together in Brisbane for eight exciting clashes at Suncorp Stadium. Everyone apart from the Dragons who have the weekend off. Key matchups include the Sea Eagles versus the Broncos on Friday night and the Sharks against the Roosters on Saturday evening.
Raiders Aim to Continue Magic Round Dominance
Coming off a gutsy win over Manly and then a bye, Canberra will be refreshed and ready to continue a Magic Round roll that has seen them beat the Bulldogs twice (2021 and 2023) and also the Sharks (2022).
The Green Machine might welcome back Corey Horsburgh (groin) and Jordan Rapana (knee) from injury for the opening game of the weekend at Suncorp Stadium.
Fresh off the bye and reports that coach Ricky Stuart is set to extend his contract to the end of the decade, the youthful Raiders kick-off Magic Round aiming to maintain their spot in the top 8 and become the second team (after South Sydney) to record four consecutive Magic Round victories.
Canberra will have even more motivation as they celebrate the 30th anniversary of their 1994 premiership against Canterbury. In that memorable game, the Raiders defeated the Bulldogs 36-12 to claim their third (and most recent) title.
Bulldogs Look to Maintain Momentum
On the other side of the fence, the resurgent Bulldogs will be looking to bounce from their narrow loss to Penrith last weekend and return to the top 8. There will be plenty of focus on Matt Burton who has returned to State of Origin conversations in part due to the injury crisis which has hit New South Wales halves hopefuls Nathan Cleary, Mitchell Moses, and Nico Hynes. but also due to his good form thus far in 2024.
The Bulldogs will have gained plenty of confidence from their effort against the Panthers and continue to show strong signs of improvement under Stephen Crichton’s leadership.
The blue and whites have secured victories over the Titans, Roosters, Knights, and Wests Tigers in 2024. They now enter a stretch of games that coach Cameron Ciraldo likely views as very winnable against the Raiders, Dragons, Knights, and Eels.
Key Matchup
With Crichton, Viliame Kikau, Matt Burton, and Reed Mahoney leading the way, the Bulldogs have been competitive in most matches. Their resolve will face a stern test against Ricky Stuart’s no-frills Raiders outfit.
Team Line-ups
Raiders
1. Jordan Rapana 2. Nick Cotric 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Kaeo Weekes 8. Josh Papali’i 9. Danny Levi 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Morgan Smithies, 14. Tom Starling 15. Ata Mariota 16. Trey Mooney 17. Emre Guler , 18. Albert Hopoate 19. Zac Woolford 20. Simi Sasagi 21. Peter Hola 22. Hohepa Puru
Bulldogs
1. Connor Tracey 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Drew Hutchison 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Samuel Hughes 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jaeman Salmon 13. Kurt Mann, 14. Bailey Hayward 15. Josh Curran 16. Kurtis Morrin 17. Jacob Preston , 19. Poasa Faamausili 20. Blake Taaffe 21. Jake Turpin 22. Toby Sexton 23. Blake Wilson.
Referee. Ashley Klein, Touch Judges, Matt Noyen, Chris Sutton, Bunker. Adam Gee
Stats to Watch
The Raiders have won their past eight games against the Bulldogs.
Canterbury have lost all four Magic Round games.
The Raiders have won their past three Magic Round games.
Bulldogs winger Josh Addo-Carr has scored 20 tries in 20 games at Suncorp Stadium.
Raiders winger Nick Cotric has scored five tries in his last seven games at Suncorp Stadium.
Prediction
The Raiders had last week off after their barnstorming defeat of the Sea Eagles the week before. The Bulldogs put in a gutsy performance in losing to the Panthers. It’s indeed an intriguing matchup to kick off the festivities, as the Raiders strive for consistency while the Bulldogs seem to lack the polish needed to overcome stronger opponents.
The question you have to ask yourself, are the Raiders really one of the better teams?
The Dogs will start as favourites ,but I will go with the Raiders with a 7.5 points start @ $1.57
About Broncos vs Sea Eagle
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