Canberra Raiders Cup: Round 9 Preview
It's Derby Round in the Blumers Lawyers Canberra Raiders Cup this weekend, as teams will look to put their best foot forward as they face off against their backyard rivals.
Tuggeranong Bushrangers v Woden Valley Rams, 3:00 pm, Saturday 17 June at Greenway Oval
The Bushrangers host the Rams in this weekend’s match of the round as both teams eye-off a spot in the top four.
Tuggeranong comes into the clash following a tough 44-10 defeat to the first-placed Kangaroos.
The Bushrangers welcome Zac Saddler who returns from playing overseas in France after helping his team win the Elite One Championship. Saddler will be looking to help push his side into the top four.
“It’s all locked up on eight or ten points. We got to really keep the wins coming and if you lose a couple, you could be in a bit of trouble,” said Saddler.
“I’ll just slot back into what they’ve been doing. I’ve been watching most of the games and they’ve been doing really good.”
The Rams will be heading into this game well-prepared following a bye last weekend.
Brad Prior spoke about the importance of this time in the season when it comes to finals aspirations.
“It’s the start of the back end of the season now and we can hopefully start putting a few wins together and look towards the final series,” said Prior.
“Hopefully we can start stringing them [wins] together and start rolling.”
This match of the round will be a hard-fought affair as both sides will be desperate to come out on top.
Belconnen United Sharks v West Belconnen Warriors, 3:00 pm, Saturday 17 June at NSWRL HQ Bruce
This will be a crucial game as both sides sit equal on eight competition points, after both winning four games this season.
The Warriors are coming off a disappointing defeat to the Blues, falling 20-18 in last year's Grand Final rematch.
Meanwhile, the Sharks will enter this matchup confident after a strong 42-14 win over the Magpies at home last weekend.
Both sides are currently positioned within the top four, but a loss this weekend will likely see that change.
The Sharks will look to Jack Beagley in attack as he currently sits third in the competition in total points.
Queanbeyan Blues v Queanbeyan Kangaroos, 3:00 pm, Saturday 17 June at Seiffert Oval
The Blues will have a tough task this weekend as they look to end the Kangaroos' undefeated season this Saturday.
The Blues are coming off a thrilling 20-18 win against the Warriors, breaking a four-match losing streak.
The Blues have shown glimpses of the team they can be and will look to put it all together as they try to remain in touch with the top four.
The Kangaroos come into this match following a strong 42-10 win over the Bushrangers.
Harry Quinlan has been the Roos' main weapon in attack, topping the try-scoring leaderboard with 10 tries on the year.
Goulburn City Bulldogs v Yass Magpies, 3:00 pm, Saturday 17 June at Workers Arena
The Magpies will travel to Goulburn to take on the second-place Bulldogs this Saturday.
The Bulldogs come into this week after taking down the Bulls in a 52-10 win.
Goulburn will try to utilise their strong attack led by Ron Leapai, to separate themselves on the ladder.
The Magpies will be looking to bounce back after going down 42-14 to the Sharks.
Yass has had a tough season so far, struggling to capitalise in close games.
Despite Yass sitting eight on the ladder, the Bulldogs will look to have a strong performance in front of their home crowd.
