Canberra Raiders Cup 2021: Round Nine Preview

The Belconnen derby will feature as the Match of the Round when the West Belconnen Warriors host their fierce rivals the Belconnen United Sharks.

Match of the Round: West Belconnen Warriors v Belconnen United Sharks, 3pm Sunday 20th June at Raiders Belconnen.

Raiders Belconnen will host one of the matches of the season with the two rival Belconnen sides set to battle it out this Sunday.

The Sharks, who have completely turned their season around, will look to make it four straight wins this weekend and potentially jump into the top four.

West Belconnen currently sit fourth on the competition ladder. They were narrowly beaten 24-22 last week to the Tuggeranong Bushrangers.

Warriors’ coach Matt Gafa reflected on last round’s disappointing performance and what he can expect from his troops is this weekend’s local derby.

“Heading into the Tuggeranong [match], we were hoping for another good performance from what we had shown from the previous two weeks butthe guys just didn’t have the right attitude for the game,” Gafa said.

“It’s definitely going to be a big day [this weekend]. A bit of rivalry and there’s a few guys that have played for either side so hopefully we get a clear day, a big crowd on Sunday. I think it’s going to be a great game.”

Belconnen United forward Shaun Fensom spoke about their recent form and how they can continue that heading into this weekend’s fiery clash.

“We started off really slow, we’ve got a very young group. We had a mid-season meeting and set some goals and now we’re starting to reach those,” Fensom said.

“We’re just having a bit more accountability with each other at training and the games are starting to provide some results for us.

“It’s a very important game for us [this weekend], especially being a local derby. I think whoever completes and controls that field position the longest will come away with the two points.”

Woden Valley Rams v Queanbeyan Blues, 3pm Saturday 19th June at Phillip Oval.

Woden Valley will host the Queanbeyan Blues in front of their home fans at Phillip Oval this Saturday, in what will be a must-win for the Rams if they want to make a late run for finals contention.

The Rams, who currently sit last on the competition ladder, will need to put together an 80-minute performance to upset one of the premiership favourites in the Blues.

The Queanbeyan side will be extra-refreshed after a bye round followed by the long weekend after suffering back-to-back losses from Gungahlin and West Belconnen.

The Blues will look to bounce back this weekend as they prepare for a tough month of competition heading into finals football.

Queanbeyan Kangaroos v Yass Magpies, 3pm Saturday 19th June at Seears Workwear Oval.

The Kangaroos will host the Yass Magpies this weekend in what will be a pivotal game for both sides as they both currently sit one point shy of one another on the competition ladder.

The Kangaroos recorded their biggest win of the season last round when they knocked off the undefeated Gungahlin Bulls 60-14, with winger Steven Numambo claiming four tries in their incredible victory.

Queanbeyan will look to carry their form into this weekend’s clash with the Magpies, who  were defeated 34-18 in round eight to their Goulburn rivals at home.

Yass will look to steal a game from the red-hot Queanbeyan outfit this weekend to ensure they don’t fall behind from the rest of the ladder.

Goulburn City Bulldogs v Tuggeranong Bushrangers, 3pm Sunday 20th June at Workers Arena.

Goulburn will host the Tuggeranong Bushrangers this Sunday at their beloved Workers Arena as the Bulldogs look to take advantage of the ladder and stay in their top three position.

The Bulldogs will look to make it three consecutive victories this weekend when they face a tough Tuggeranong side in-front of their home fans

The Bushrangers upset the West Belconnen Warriors 24-22 last round to carry some confidence into this weekend’s clash.

A double to both Jordan Martin and Jayden Pollard solidified the two points for the Bushrangers as they travel to Goulburn to continue their run of underdog wins.