The Raiders passed another test with flying colours last week against Parramatta but you can be sure that Sunday's home clash with the struggling Broncos will have a wary Ricky Stuart warning his team to stay on top of their game.
The Raiders' assured performance against the Eels buried any lingering doubt that they're the real deal and they should take loads of confidence into their meeting with the slumping Broncos.
Brisbane have been scrutinised, analysed and criticised, but that comes with the territory when you're losing games in a one-team town, despite having a star-studded roster and the coach you wanted.
Anthony Seibold is doing his best to keep a lid on the simmering frustration but it might soon boil over if they don't start winning.
Match: Raiders v Broncos
Round 6 -
home Team
Raiders
3rd Position
away Team
Broncos
14th Position
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
The Rundown
Team news
Raiders: Canberra will start 1-17, with Jack Murchie and Bailey Simonsson the two men dropped from the squad an hour before kick-off. Injured back-rower Joe Tapine has been replaced on the bench by Junior Collins. Aidan Sezer and Corey Horsburgh were cut from the reserves on Saturday.
Broncos: In changes made an hour before kick-off, Thomas Flegler (No.16) will start at lock with David Fifita dropping back to the bench. James Roberts (No.20) will start on the interchange bench with Gehamat Shibasaki joining Shaun Fenson as the two players omitted 60 minutes before game time.
Match: Raiders v Broncos
Round 6 -
home Team
Raiders
away Team
Broncos
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Raiders is number 1 Charnze Nicoll-KlokstadFullback for Broncos is number 1 Darius Boyd
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Winger for Raiders is number 2 Nick CotricWinger for Broncos is number 2 Corey Oates
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Centre for Raiders is number 3 Jarrod CrokerCentre for Broncos is number 3 Kotoni Staggs
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Centre for Raiders is number 4 Joseph LeiluaCentre for Broncos is number 4 Jack Bird
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Winger for Raiders is number 5 Jordan RapanaWinger for Broncos is number 5 Jamayne Isaako
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Five-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Jack WightonFive-Eighth for Broncos is number 6 Anthony Milford
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Halfback for Raiders is number 7 Sam WilliamsHalfback for Broncos is number 7 Kodi Nikorima
Forwards
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Prop for Raiders is number 8 Josh Papali'iProp for Broncos is number 8 Payne Haas
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Hooker for Raiders is number 9 Josh HodgsonHooker for Broncos is number 9 Andrew McCullough
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Prop for Raiders is number 10 Dunamis LuiProp for Broncos is number 10 Joe Ofahengaue
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2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 John Bateman2nd Row for Broncos is number 11 Alex Glenn
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2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead2nd Row for Broncos is number 12 Matt Gillett
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Lock for Raiders is number 13 Ryan SuttonLock for Broncos is number 16 Thomas Flegler
Interchange
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Interchange for Raiders is number 14 Siliva HaviliInterchange for Broncos is number 13 David Fifita
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Interchange for Raiders is number 15 Hudson YoungInterchange for Broncos is number 15 Jaydn Su'a
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Interchange for Raiders is number 16 Iosia SoliolaInterchange for Broncos is number 17 Patrick Carrigan
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Interchange for Raiders is number 17 JJ CollinsInterchange for Broncos is number 20 James Roberts
Match Officials
- Referee: Matt Cecchin
- Touch Judge: Nick Morel
- Senior Review Official: Jared Maxwell
Last updated:
Key match-up
The obvious area is the halves battle, with the Broncos needing Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima to out-play Jack Wighton and Sam Williams. But it's through the middle where the Raiders are still strong and someone for Brisbane is going to have to take it upon himself to shut down powerful prop Josh Papalii.
For the Raiders to win
Papalii needs to maintain his outstanding form and Stuart will be counting on his English backrowers to continue their good work in the middle and on the fringes. If they defend as well as they did last week, the Raiders should have too much confidence and skill in attack for the Broncos to handle.
For the Broncos to win
There are a few areas the Broncos need to fix and it all starts with their under-siege halves Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima. No-one questions their respective talents, but the Broncos need them to take charge when the game is on the line. Both need big games to silence their growing legion of critics.
Brett Kimmorley says
The Raiders are flying. The mobile Englishmen are creating a great style of play for Ricky Stuart. They’ve got everything across the park. Jack Wighton hasn’t had to do a lot, that has helped him to settle in to five-eighth. The Broncos leak a lot of metres, they’ve got no game management and they look out of sorts. They need a game management halfback. They look a little unhappy at the moment. Raiders by 12
Raiders Stat Attack
The talk around Jack Wighton's much-publicised move to five-eighth has died down as the Raiders continue to impress, but Ricky Stuart would love to see him cut down the mistakes. Wighton leads the NRL in errors (8) and negative plays (12). By holding Parra to nil on Sunday the Raiders are conceding an NRL-low average of 8.8 points per game.
Broncos Stat Attack
Andrew McCullogh has made the most tackles in the NRL (239) but Matt Gillett (17) and Jack Bird (15) are ranked one and two for ineffective tackles. As a team the Broncos have a league-high 113 ineffective tackles.
And another thing ...
Those who questioned Ricky Stuart's desire for four Englishmen on his playing roster aren't saying much now. The Raiders have won four of five - their only loss was to Melbourne - and the UK quartet has been instrumental in Canberra's flying start to the season. John Bateman and Josh Hodgson are early Dally M contenders, while Ryan Sutton gets better each week and Elliott Whitehead has been typically consistent.
