Timoko backs rising Raiders ahead of Dolphins reunion

After sitting down to face the facts on a lacklustre start to the season, Raiders centre Matt Timoko believes his side has what it takes to make it three straight against the Dolphins on Saturday.

Ricky Stuart's side required an "honest" sit-down after training to address their rocky start to the year – with just one win from their opening five games – but now find themselves heading to Wagga Wagga fresh from the bye and with momentum on their side after consecutive 20-14 wins over the Broncos and Dragons.

“We kind of had to regroup and had a player rebuttal to say some hard honest truths and I think that’s really helped us out in the long run,” Timoko told NRL.com after the Green Machine's last start victory.

“We spoke about how good teams always back up their performances.

"We had a few tough weeks there where we let games go so backing up our win in Brisbane was really positive. We're keeping each other accountable each and every session and it's starting to pay off in the games.

“I know we were a bit down on ourselves when we lost to the Dolphins up in Redcliffe, so we’ll be hoping to get one back against them.”

While injuries and suspension have forced several changes to the Raiders’ left edge, Timoko has been somewhat of a pillar on the right edge after a breakout season in 2022 where he was on the cusp of selection in the Kiwis World Cup squad.

The Auckland-born centre has wasted no time picking up where he left off, averaging over 150 metres per game as well as totalling 29 tackle busts in 2023 so far.

“I think I’m just building off what I was trying to achieve at the back of last year,” he said.

“A big thing for us is putting the team first and doing things that are going to benefit others and I think that’s something I still need to work on. At the same time, I’m happy with where my game’s going at the moment.

“I feel like we’re still building individually and as a right edge. We’ve still got a few combinations we could fix up but I think when we’re all performing together, that’s what brings out the best in us.

“Euan Aitken and Brenko Lee are going well for the Dolphins. They’re two pretty strong carriers of the ball, a bit like our outside backs, so it’s going to be a tough match-up when coming up against them.”

It was Seb Kris who found a home on Canberra's left edge last year but a pre-season injury to fullback Xavier Savage saw the 23-year-old handed the No. 1 jersey for the first seven rounds of the season. 

While Harley Smith-Shields was handed the first opportunity in the vacant No. 4 jersey, a new look back-line featuring veteran Jarrod Croker has led to a Green Machine attacking revival in recent weeks.

"Obviously Xav (Savage) was a big part of our spine last year so when he went down it was a big blow to our side," Timoko said.

"But Sebby (Kris) is doing a really great job there and is establishing himself as someone that could be the fullback long-term.

"It also really helped to have Jarrod come in, he’s a veteran of the game and having that cool head out there on the field just helps us out a lot.

"It’s a bit surreal playing with Jarrod," he said.

"When I first came here I always wanted to play alongside him. Now I’m getting the chance to again it’s unreal so I’m just trying to relish all the moments I can with him because obviously he’s a club legend and he’s a legend of the game too."