Canberra Raiders Cup 2022: Round 14 Preview
The Canberra Raiders Cup edges closer to finals football, headlined by a top four clash between the West Belconnen Warriors and Woden Valley Rams in this weekend's match of the round.
West Belconnen Warriors v Woden Valley Rams, Raiders Belconnen, 3pm Sunday 24 July
The Warriors will continue their run toward a minor premiership, when they return home against a third-placed Rams side this Sunday.
The Warriors continue to do just enough to close out their games, winning seven of their matches by a margin of ten points or less.
Woden are in a similar boat, showing plenty of consistency throughout their 2022 campaign.
Although the Rams experienced quite a scare last weekend against Tuggeranong, going down 16-nil in the early stages to lose 30-16 at fulltime.
The positive for Woden is they haven't conceded back to back losses all year, highlighting their resiliency.
The side will be without some key personnel this weekend but they will be keen to turn the tide on their 36-20 loss to the Warriors back in round five.
West Belconnen will look to put in a full 80-minute performance in-front of their home fans this weekend on their club's Ladies Day.
Tuggeranong Bushrangers v Yass Magpies, Greenway Oval, 3pm Saturday 23 July
The Bushrangers will look to cement their position in the top four this weekend when they host the Magpies this Saturday.
Tuggeranong were quick to forget their three game losing streak, putting together an important 30-16 victory over the Woden Valley Rams last weekend.
This win was huge in the grand scheme of things, keeping a three point cushion on Goulburn to hold their fourth position on the competition ladder.
The Magpies still sit all alone on the bottom of the ladder, currently in the midst of an eight game losing streak.
Yass were close to Goulburn on the weekend, cutting the deficit to six points in the final ten minutes before conceding a late try to go down 36-22 at home.
The Magpies will have nothing to lose this weekend and will look to put in an 80-minute performance to upset the Bushies.
Gungahlin Bulls v Belconnen United Sharks, Gungahlin Enclosed Oval, 3pm Saturday 23 July
The Sharks finals hopes are on the line when they take on a hungry Bulls side this Saturday afternoon.
The Sharks have had quite a consistent back end of the year, winning three of their last five to try and close the gap on the fourth spot on the competition ladder.
They put in one of their best performances all year against the first-placed West Belconnen but it wasn't enough, going down 22-18 at home on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Bulls had a tough day at the office against one of the premiership favourites in the Queanbeyan Blues, going down 50-24 at Seiffert Oval last weekend.
That performance sums up what has been a difficult year for last year's minor premiers, only managing to sneak two wins this season.
However, the Bulls will enjoy returning home and look to snag the two points before a bye round next weekend.
Queanbeyan Kangaroos v Queanbeyan Blues, Seears Workwear Oval, 3pm Saturday 23 July
The Queanbeyan derby returns this weekend where the Roos will look for revenge over their cross-town rivals in-front of their home fans.
It was a demolition last time these teams met at Seiffert Oval, where the Blues ran away with a massive 64-10 win.
The Blues haven't looked back, winning their past eight straight and this is definitely not the game they will want to drop.
Meanwhile, the Roos have had a rollercoaster of a season, not scoring their first win until round six.
The addition of former Raider Sam Williams has had an incredible impact on the side.
Sadly, their finals hopes were put to bed in their heartbreaking 34-30 loss to Woden only a fortnight ago.
But if there's a game the Roos are going to get up for, it's to avenge their Queanbeyan neighbours at home this Saturday.
