Canberra Raiders Cup 2023: Round Two Preview

Round two of the Blumers Lawyers Canberra Raiders Cup Competition kicks off this Saturday with all teams looking to make improvements after dusting off the round one cobwebs.

Woden Valley Rams vs Queanbeyan Kangaroos, Phillip Oval 3pm Saturday 22nd April.

The Woden Valley Rams will play at home for the first time this season when they take on the Queanbeyan Kangaroos in a matchup that will be sure to entertain after both sides secured a win in round one to kick off their season.

The Rams will look to continue their strong round one form heading into Saturday’s fixture but will need to stay locked in for the entire 80 minutes of footy and not get too complacent.

Rams' Josh Fattore stated his side were confident heading into halftime last week after leading 32-12, but were shocked when Yass fought back and nearly took the win away from them.

“Overall we took a lot of positives but also took a lot of lessons from it too, especially being up 32-12 at halftime. We were very confident but then Yass gave us a bit of a shock and we just held on in the end thank god,” Fattore said.

With the Queanbeyan Kangaroos proving to be a side full of grit and heart, Fattore acknowledges it will be a tough clash on Saturday and that they will need to fix up their defence to secure the win.

“We are expecting a good game definitely. They’re always super tough and always hard, so we will have to turn up, make sure we bring our game and work on those little things that we may have left out at Yass,” Fattore said.

“Especially with our defence, that was an area that we identified that we definitely need to improve on. So hopefully come game day we will get that figured out and turn it on.”

Queanbeyan hit the road once again this week in a difficult clash taking on the Rams in Woden as they look to secure back-to-back wins away from home.

After being knocked out of the finals last season by the Rams, Queanbeyan will be sure to come out firing on Saturday with captain-coach Sam Williams admitting his side needs to improve to have any chance of winning.

“It would be wonderful to start the season with a couple of wins but it’s probably one of the harder road trips going to Woden to play them on their home turf, so we’ve got to be a lot better if we think we are going to go there and win,” Williams said.

“They’re an extremely well-balanced side and we have to go to a new level if we think we are going to win that game.”

The last time the two sides met the Rams were victorious, wining 34-30 in round 12 last season.

Gungahlin Bulls vs West Belconnen Warriors, Gungahlin Enclosed Oval 3pm Saturday 22nd April.

After having the bye in round one, competition heavyweights the West Belconnen Warriors will be looking to kickstart their season with a win over the Bulls who were defeated 34-16 last weekend.

After winning the competition last season, the Warriors will be hoping to continue their strong form in 2023 when they take on the Bulls away from home.

All eyes will be on Gungahlin’s number 7 Bobby Roberts, who takes on his former club West Belconnen for the first time since his departure at the end of last year.

The Bulls have started of their season in a similar fashion to 2022 and will need to secure a win this week if they want to break this trend.

Queanbeyan Blues vs Yass Magpies, Seiffert Oval 3pm Saturday 22nd April.

The Blues will be hosting the Magpies on Saturday where both sides will be looking to redeem themselves after being defeated in round one last weekend.

The Magpies will be aiming to improve off their last season efforts after finishing at the bottom of the table in 2022.

Despite their round one loss, Yass were very impressive after nearly coming back from a 20-point deficit against the Rams where the game ended 38-36.

The side will be confident heading into their clash against the Blues but will need to tighten up their defence if they want to get the win away from home.

The Blues were a top four side last season and have the experience to defeat Yass but need to ensure they do not underestimate this new and improved 2023 outfit.

Goulburn City Bulldogs vs Tuggeranong Bushrangers, Workers Arena 3pm Saturday 22nd April.

The Bulldogs will look to put last weeks defeat behind them when they take on the Bushies at home for round two.

The Bulldogs will hope to redeem themselves in front of their home crowd this week after losing 36-20 last week to the Kangaroos.

In round one, Tuggeranong proved they’re still a dangerous side that teams need to keep on their radar after a confident 38-12 victory over the Blues.

After finishing the 2022 season in third position, the Bushies will be confident this week when they travel to Goulburn to take on the Bulldogs who finished in the bottom three last season.

The Bulldogs have not defeated the Bushies since round nine 2021 and will need to improve both their attack and defence to have any chance of being victorious over the weekend.