The Canberra Raiders will host the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at GIO Stadium this Sunday afternoon in a top four clash as both teams race to the finals.
Here are five things to look forward to:
Deaf Australia
The Canberra Raiders and Major Sponsor Huawei share a proud history in partnerships helping raise awareness and funds for a variety of worthwhile causes and charities.
This year the Raiders and Huawei will be supporting Deaf Australia in their round 23 clash at GIO Stadium.
This will be the first for years to come with the multi-year campaign to continue with Deaf Australia helping to raise money and shine a light on the great cause.
The Raiders boys will be donning a special jersey for the Sunday afternoon match which features the Deaf Australia logo and the entire Auslan Alphabet. To raise money for the great cause, each jersey will be auctioned off via www.allbids.com.au with all the proceeds going to Deaf Australia.
Top four clash
This weekend will be yet another top four clash for the Raiders with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles moving into fourth position after their round 22 win against the Wests Tigers.
The Raiders have had a tough couple of weeks up against the top four teams. The boys in green went down to the second-place Sydney Roosters in round 21 by just four points, then defeated the top of the table Melbourne Storm in a thrilling comeback.
Manly are in superb form winning four of their last five matches including their round 19 win against the Melbourne Storm from a Daly Cherry-Evans field goal in extra time.
This game is arguably the game of the round, and no doubt will be a tight race to the finish with both teams scrambling to cement their place in the top four.
Backing up
The Canberra boys will be going into this round 23 game against Manly in high spirits after their win against ladder leaders in Melbourne.
They should take full confidence from their win, playing much of the opening 30 minutes with only 12 men and trailing at half time 18 – 4. The Raiders are proving to be a force to be reckoned with scoring 22 unanswered points to come back and defeat the Melbourne side.
After a gutsy, but tough win against the Storm, and a narrow loss to the Sydney Roosters the week before, the Raiders have a mammoth task ahead backing up to take on Manly this Sunday.
The travelling Manly side are not only in fine form, but also chasing a place in the top four as they continue to climb the 2019 season ladder.
The Green Machine will be hoping to cement their place in the top four, and a win on Sunday will all but do that. With the Raiders boys hoping to take advantage of a Canberra game in front of a roaring and packed GIO Stadium, this is set to be a huge game for the boys in green.
Aidan Sezer 150 milestone
This weekend Aidan Sezer will celebrate his 150th game in the NRL when the Raiders take the field against the Manly Sea Eagles.
Sezer debuted in the NRL in 2012 for the Gold Coast Titans, ironically, against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
He joined the Canberra Raiders at the start of the 2016 season and has become an integral part of the Raider's side.
In the 2019 season, the halves pairing between Sezer and Jack Wighton has been a crucial component in the Raider's success, with the success hopefully continuing this weekend and into the Raider's finals campaign.
You can expect to see Sezer controlling the direction of the game this Sunday through his precision kicking with his teammates relying on his ability with the boot in high pressure situations.
Triple header
It’s a Super Sunday triple header at GIO Stadium this weekend. It doesn’t get much better, the Jersey Flegg will kick off at 11:45am against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, while the Canterbury Cup Mounties will take on Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles at 1:40pm ahead of the main game at 4:05pm.
The Jersey Flegg competition has been incredibly tight this season with the Raiders sitting in sixth position on the ladder equal on 22 points with the fifth-place Knights and the seventh-place Panthers.
The close competition has seen 10 draws this season with the Raiders involved in two of them unable to determine a winner.
With just two rounds remaining it is vital for the Raiders to defeat bottom of the ladder Manly Sea Eagles with such a tight race to the finals series.
In the Canterbury Cup the Mounties will take on the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles with the Mounties also sitting sixth place and the Sea Eagles at the bottom of the ladder.
There’s only eight points between the Rabbitohs in first position and eighth sitting Magpies in the sprint to the finals, so this competition will come down to the wire much like the Jersey Flegg.
If the weather prevails, it has the potential to be one of the best afternoons of footy at GIO, a triple header and a top four clash. What’s not to love.
