Canberra Raiders Cup 2023: Round One Preview

The Blumers Lawyers Canberra Raiders Cup competition kicks off this Saturday, as all teams will look to begin their season with an important win.

Gungahlin Bulls vs Belconnen Sharks, Gungahlin Enclosed Oval 3pm Saturday 15th April

The first match of the round of the season will see the Gungahlin Bulls take on the Belconnen Sharks in a match that will be crucial for both teams to return to finals glory.

The Bulls will look to relinquish their form of last season having knocked off top four sides Woden and Tuggeranong in the final rounds of the season.

Former McIntyre Medallist, Bobby Roberts who joined the Bulls over the off season stated that they are confident in their preparations going into their round one clash.

“Yeah so it was a bit of struggle for the year but they finished really strong, knocking over two of the top teams in the back end. Its all about moving forward, and a few new combinations there so we’ll just get into work and see how it all goes,” Roberts said.

Taking on the Belconnen Sharks who have introduced their new captain-coach, Zac Patch, will look to take it to the Bulls with more strike power and desire as they look to go one step further making finals this year.

“We just missed out finals last year, so I know it feels like a real long time but we are excited, we’ve recruited well, trained really hard and just can’t wait to rip in,” Patch said.

Although they have added some new recruits to the side, the core members of the group stay the same in the hope of building from last season.

“Our leadership group is still the same… that’s our expectation that we play the way we did last year and that’s out platform and we go up from there,” Patch said.

In their last meeting, the Sharks defeated the Bulls 44-28 in round 14 last season.

Tuggeranong Bushrangers vs Queanbeyan Blues, Greenway Oval 2pm Saturday 15th April

With both sides making finals last year, the Tuggeranong Bushrangers will look to take it to grand-finalists Queanbeyan Blues on Saturday afternoon.

Going out in round one of the finals last year, the Bushies will look to fight back against the Blues who knocked them out in the 2022 minor semi-final last season.

The Bushies start the season with a relatively similar team to last, with a new halves pairing that will look to give the team plenty to build off after making finals last year.

After losing to the West Belconnen Warriors in the grand final, the Blues have the confidence that they can bounce back and go one step further in achieving the major premiership.

Both teams who had impressive season records last year, will look to play out a hard-fought game desperate to claim the first two points on offer.

Yass Magpies vs Woden Valley Rams, Walker Park 3pm Saturday 15th April

After having an impressive season last year, the Woden Valley Rams will look to put last season’s finals campaign behind them as they take on the Yass Magpies on Saturday.

The Rams lost their last three games of the season, going down to the Bulls in their final regular season match and then losing to the Warriors and Blues consecutively in the major semi and preliminary final respectively.

They will be disappointed to go out the way they did, but they will look to put that behind them as the Magpies will be playing in front of their home crowd in the first game of the season.

Having taken out the wooden spoon in 2022 with just two wins to their name, the Magpies have recruited new head coach Adam Kyle to lead the side and replenish their form of old.

With plenty of recruits to rejuvenise the squad, the team will look to gel together to create for some key combinations across their spine.

Goulburn City Bulldogs vs Queanbeyan Kangaroos, Workers Arena 3pm Saturday 15th April

The Goulburn City Bulldogs take on the Queanbeyan Kangaroos on Saturday in a game that both teams will be desperate to win.

Both sides have improved over the off season, after finishing in the bottom half of the ladder last year.

Coming back to their hometown, the key signings of Mitch and Tyler Cornish make up a revitalised Bulldogs outfit with Country representative Dillon Rota and new head coach, Shane McCallum.

Former Raider Sam Williams will take over as captain-coach of the Kangaroos outfit after being an instrumental figure in their late season surge.

Joined by Sia Soliola, the partnership will provide a wealth of experience and composure to the team as they look to make finals this year.

The Kangaroos defeated the Bulldogs 54-18 in the last time they met back in the final round of the season last year, giving them an edge against their opponent going into their opener.