NRL , ROUND 9, APRIL 29th, 2023 CANBERRA RAIDERS v REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS
McDonalds Park, Wagga Wagga, NSW
The Raiders haven’t had to wait long for their shot at revenge when they face the Dolphins on Saturday in Wagga Wagga.
The Dolphins stunned Canberra back in Round 2, coming back in the second half to prevail 20-14 on the back of a Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow match-winning try.
Wayne Bennett’s side have continued to impress in their inaugural season, winning five of their eight games to be sitting inside the top eight.
Last week was the most memorable of the lot, with the Dolphins producing the equal-biggest comeback in NRL history, recovering from a 26-0 deficit to run over the top of the Titans 28-26.
Meanwhile, the Raiders are coming off the bye, which is good news for them when you consider the Green Machine have won their last four games after a week’s break.
It was a slow start to the season for Canberra, but an upset win on the road over the Broncos might prove to be the catalyst that turns their fortunes around.
The Raiders followed that triumph by edging the Dragons 20-14 at home and will be searching for their third win on the trot here.
It will be interesting to see how Jack Wighton performs after it was announced he would be moving to the Rabbitohs from next season.
Raiders team:
1. Sebastian Kris 2. Albert Hopoate 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Matthew Timoko 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papali’i 9. Zac Woolford 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Corey Horsburgh 14. Tom Starling 15. Emre Guler 16. Pasami Saulo 17. Corey Harawira-Naera 18. James Schiller 19. Brad Schneider 20. Xavier Savage 21. Trey Mooney 22. Peter Hola
Dolphins team:
1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Euan Aitken 4. Brenko Lee 5. Robert Jennings 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Kenny Bromwich 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Connelly Lemuelu 13. Tom Gilbert 14. Jarrod Wallace 15. Mark Nicholls 16. Ray Stone 17. Herman Ese’ese 18. Kurt Donoghoe 19. Poasa Faamausili 20. Edrick Lee 21. Mason Teague 22. Anthony Milford
This is another historic game for The Dolphins: the first time they’ve played a repeat opponent and their first game in country NSW. It’s only their third game outside of Queensland so far.
They’re also coming off a big comeback win – beating the Gold Coast Titans 28-26 at Lang Park after trailing 26-0. The comeback started with Robert Jennings in the 33rd minute. The Dolphins built on that momentum shift, scoring four second half tries: Mark Nicholls, Jarrod Wallace, Jennings’ second, and Euan Aitken with the match-winner. The 5-3 Dolphins are now embedded in the top eight.
Referee. Peter Gough
It hasn’t been a peaceful bye round for Canberra, with Jack Wighton signing with South Sydney on ANZAC Day. A lot of Raiders fans were angry, with a small portion wanting to see him dumped immediately and replaced by Brad Schneider. Though cooler heads won out and Wighton retains the #6 jersey for now. How will Dolphins fans feel, with Wighton a strong favourite to head to Redcliffe before Souths came into the picture? With his future settled, will Wighton be motivated to make the most of his final months in Canberra?
And how will the Raiders react to losing one of their biggest players? Their “home” record in Wagga isn’t the best either, with one win against Penrith and losses to Newcastle and Melbourne. While this is a “winnable” game for Canberra (and they should be fresh after a week off), those games have been the hardest, often going in too complacent and either being embarrassed or pulling off a tight win with some individual brilliance. How will The Dolphins back up the Titans win? Will they carry that momentum or will they crash from the emotional high? Can the memory of their Round 2 comeback win over Canberra sustain them?
PREDICTION.
Just one change for the Raiders, with Jordan Rapana coming back in. Nick Cotric is out also. While Xavier Savage is available, we can assume Ricky wants to give him more time in NSW Cup after a long lay-off. Kenny Bromwich is back for the Dolphins from a one-game suspension and Herman Ese’ese drops to the bench . The Raiders should in theory win this ,but not by a lot. Wayne Bennett,[soon to be SIR WAYNE] is a clever coach and will get his troops motivated for the Wagga Wagga graveyard. I like so many others love this Dolphins team and I enjoy watching them knock other teams off their perch so I am going Dolphins with a start of 7.5 points. They may not win ,but look for the points start if betting.
Read this too
Comments