NRL Match Preview: Raiders v Tigers
The Raiders will be out to maintain their dominant record over the Wests Tigers when the two clubs face off at GIO Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Canberra have won the past four matches between the two sides and a combined score line of 206-34 in the process.
The Raiders went down 40-31 to the Penrith Panthers in round 21 and find themselves without a win over the past three matches.
Round 21 saw the Tigers grab a 25-16 win against the Newcastle Knights to keep their slim finals hopes alive with four rounds remaining.
Canberra have named an unchanged line-up for the clash while the Tigers have lost Corey Thompson for the season with Malakai Watene-Zelezniak replacing him on the wing.
The Tigers have also had a reshuffle with Luke Garner to start in the second row seeing Elijah Taylor shift to lock and Matt Eisenhuth to the bench. Robbie Rochow's inclusion on the bench sees Jacob Liddle relegated to the reserves.
Last time: It was under two months ago that these two sides last met with the Raiders running away comprehensive 48-12 winners over Wests at Campbelltown Stadium in round 15.
The game was in the balance at half time with the Raiders leading 14-12 before Canberra ran in 34 unanswered points in the second half to romp to victory.
Key Matchups
Nick Cotric v Moses Mbye
Nick Cotric will start just his fourth NRL game at fullback this weekend with the 19-year-old proving a threat at the back with the Raiders scoring 95 points over his three games at fullback this season.
Moses Mbye was highly spoken about when he moved mid-season from the Bulldogs to the Tigers but the fullback hasn't lived up to expectations scoring just the one try from his five games in Tigers colours and no try assists.
It's a battle of the live-wires at the back and expect one of these two to have a big one and win this game for their club.
Josh Papalii v Elijah Taylor
Josh Papalii has been instrumental since his move to the middle providing an extra attacking spark against the bigger bodies but also holding strong in his defensive role.
Elijah Taylor has been somewhat of a Mr Versatile for the Tigers filling in at hooker more often than not and playing on an edge last weekend and will be more accustom to the lock forward role this weekend.
A battle of the internationals is sure to liven up the middle of the park with these two workhorses looking to lead their packs.
Joey Leilua v Kevin Naiqama
If you were looking to find the form attacking centre in the competition, it would be hard to look past Joey Leilua.
Despite losing the last three matches, over that time Leilua has racked up six tries, 24 tackle breaks, seven line breaks and three offloads to spark his side.
Over that same period of time, Kevin Naiqama has only had six tackle busts, one offload and one line break which will see the Fijian international in for a big afternoon trying to contain the Samoan.
Quote of the week: "I'd rather not score three tries and win rather than score three tries than lose. We are very disappointed but have to keep looking forward for the rest of the season," – Joey Leilua
Head to head: These two sides have faced off on 34 occasions with the Tigers holding the upper hand with 18 wins to the Raiders 16 victories.
