Canberra Raiders Cup 2022: Round 10 Preview

The second half of the Canberra Raiders Cup season kicks off this weekend, with the West Belconnen Warriors and the Gungahlin Bulls to headline a blockbuster weekend of fixtures.

West Belconnen Warriors v Gungahlin Bulls, Raiders Belconnen 3pm Saturday 25th June

This weekend’s match of the round will feature the West Belconnen Warriors, who will host the Gungahlin Bulls at Raiders Belconnen on Saturday afternoon.

After a brilliant start to the season that included a come from behind win against the Bulls in round one, the Warriors fell to their first loss of the season last weekend.

This now pushes West Belconnen down to second on the ladder, falling behind the Tuggeranong Bushrangers.

Only one point is the difference between them and fourth place, meaning a win this weekend could be crucial if they want to stay in the hunt for the minor premiership.

Warriors winger Brandon Withers is confident that their loss to the Queanbeyan blues was a wake up call and they will look to move forward come this weekend.

“It was pretty disappointing but there was a lot to take out of it, many positive things,” Withers said.

“We need to work on our defence, a few scrappy tries. We have put that behind us now and are just focusing on the Bulls.”

For the Gungahlin Bulls, it has been a tough start to the year, with last year’s minor premiers only avoiding last place on point differential.

This doesn’t completely tell the tale of their season, with Gungahlin losing by four points or less on four separate occasions.

Bulls backrower Lucas Thomson is confident that his team can turn their fortunes around, believing that it is just a matter of time before fortunes fall their way.

“We know it is coming close now so we just need to keep getting at it. Keep looking forward and hopefully it will come soon,” Thomson said.

“They say winning is a habit but losing can be as well sometimes, and that is just what we have to get out of and break the mould.”

Queanbeyan Kangaroos v Tuggeranong Bushrangers, Seears Workwear Oval 3pm Saturday 25th June

The Tuggeranong Bushrangers will be looking to continue their hot streak of form this weekend, aiming to cement their place at the top of the ladder when they come up against the Queanbeyan Kangaroos.

Currently sitting on a six-game win streak, it has been the Bushrangers defence that has seen them leapfrog a dominate West Belconnen team to the top of the ladder.

They come up against a Kangaroos outfit who are desperate for a victory to keep in touch with a rampant top four.

Currently sitting in seventh place with two wins from their eight fixtures, a rejuvenated Roos side will need to bounce back after a tough 38-18 loss to the Bulldogs last weekend.

After losing 40-6 in the opening game of the season to the Bushrangers, the Roos will be keen to turn the tables in front of their passionate home fans.

Queanbeyan Blues v Woden Valley Rams, Seiffert Oval 3pm Saturday 25th June

The Queanbeyan Blues will aim to continue their incredible form when they come up against the Woden Valley Rams in an exciting top four clash.

After proving their status as one of the competition heavyweights despite a slow start to the season, the Blues proved their credentials by handing West Belconnen their first loss of the season in a brutal display.

The Queanbeyan side have been able to score 40 or more points in each of their last five fixtures, leaving them as comfortably the most inform attacking side in the league.

They will need to continue this form when they come up against a rested Woden Valley side who have not played since the 4th of June following the long weekend and a bye.

Woden got the better of the red-hot Blues side all the way back in round one, where they came away with a gritty 16-6 victory at home.

Tight wins have been a key pillar of the Rams season, with the team being one of only two sides to have defeated the Blues in 2022.

Their round one victory is the lowest total that Queanbeyan have been kept to all season, with the visitors aiming to repeat this result on Saturday afternoon.

Goulburn City Bulldogs vs Belconnen United Sharks, Workers Arena 3pm Sunday 26th June

Fresh off breaking a four-game losing streak, the Goulburn City Bulldogs will be aiming to maintain pressure on the top four when they come up against the Belconnen United Sharks on Sunday afternoon.

Goulburn star forward Ron Leapai had an outstanding individual performance last weekend, bagging two tries and proving a handful on the right edge.

They will be looking to make it two wins from two against the Sharks this weekend, comfortably winning 38-14 in round one.

The Sharks looked the best they had all year, collecting a big 32-8 win over the Yass Magpies away from home last weekend.

New recruits Zac Patch and Jake Hawkins were impressive in their debut matches last Saturday, with another massive effort needed from the pair if they want to continue their winning ways.

This will be an important match for both sides as they're keen to stay in touch with the dominant top four sides.