The Canberra Raiders will travel to the Gold Coast to face the New Zealand Warriors with both sides playing in an unfamiliar territory. However here are six things we are excited to see in round two!
Halves Combo
Jack Wighton and George Williams have only played one game together, but they looked like they have formed a dangerous partnership.
Wighton had two tries within the first 15 minutes of play and kicked a first half 40/20 as he continued his form which saw him pick up the Clive Churchill Medal in last year’s Grand Final.
Williams was also very impressive in his NRL debut, he took the ball to the line and was very solid in defence with a sizeable 29 tackles on the night.
The pair will be looking to keep the ball rolling moving forward this week, Wighton will look to steer the ship again as he controlled most of the kicking game, while Williams will look to terrorise the Warriors line with his strong ball running ability.
Keeping the Ball Rolling
The Raiders are looking for a fast start again in 2020 as they kicked start their campaign with an 18-point triumph against the Titans and will be looking to keep the foot on the pedal.
In an impressive sign, the Green Machine managed to register three first half tries as well as keep their opposition to a single try.
The Raiders won five of their first six last year which laid the platform for them to succeed, they are already one from one and looked good in last week’s victory.
Green Brick Wall
Defence wins premierships and the Raiders certainly were close last year on the back of their improved defence.
The Green Machine kept three teams scoreless last year and started off 2020 with the same mentality, keeping the Titans to a converted try.
Josh Hodgson registered 40 tackles last week picking up where he left off from in 2019, while Joseph Tapine had 38 tackles playing in the middle.
RTS v CNK
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was once mentored by Roger Tuivasa-Sheck at the Warriors, but now these two meet as two of the game’s most dangerous fullbacks.
Stuck behind Tuivasa-Sheck at the Warriors, Nicoll-Klokstad was a revelation at the Raiders in 2019 and looked to pick up where he left off last week, only to be taken off for a failed HIA.
Tuivasa-Sheck has been one of the best fullbacks the NRL has ever seen and his metres from the back helps start any attacking set on the front foot.
The battle of the back will go a long way in deciding the outcome of this match, with both players having the ability to run huge metres to lay a platform for attacking sets to start.
Forward Pack
The forward pack was in fine form last week against the Titans and will be looking to emulate a similar situation on the Gold Coast.
Dunamis Lui and Josh Papalii set the foundation early, while Emre Guler and Sia Soliola packed plenty of punch off the bench. Guler found himself with his first NRL try and also set up another for Elliot Whitehead.
Tapine and Whitehead were a handful on either edge and Horsburgh locked down the hatches in the middle third of the park.
With plenty of yardage coming from the forwards, it will be an enticing battle with a big Warriors pack.
Happy Hunting Ground
With COVID-19 lingering and a ban of any unnecessary mass gatherings of over 500 people, the game against the Warriors has been moved to CBUS Super Stadium on the Gold Coast.
The Raiders will have good memories playing on the Gold Coast from last year, where Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, John Bateman, Ryan Sutton and Corey Horsburgh all made their Raiders debuts in a 21-0 victory over the Titans.
