Canberra Raiders Cup: Round Three Wrap

Round three of the Canberra Raiders Cup saw Woden put on a clinic in the Match of the Round, along with three tight battles around the grounds. 

Woden Valley Ram 58 defeat Goulburn City Bulldogs 18

The Rams put on a clinic in front of a home crowd on Sunday against the Bulldogs in a one-sided affair.

Despite Goulburn hitting the score board first, the Rams flipped the switch and went onto score 11 consecutive tries, including a hat-trick from halfback Brendan Jimenez who has made the code switch from Rugby Union to League look easy. 

After two dominant wins, the Rams have put a target on their heads as the team to beat this year. 

While the Bulldogs will want to put the last two weeks behind them, as they look to join the winners circle when they face the also winless Bushrangers in round four. 

West Belconnen Warriors 14 defeat Tuggeranong Bushrangers 10

A four-point nail biter saw the West Belconnen Warriors secure the win against the Tuggeranong Bushrangers to kick start their 2024 campaign.  

West Belconnen were itching to get on the field for their first game of the season and showed up with enthusiasm as they edged last year's grand finalists in a tight battle.

Last year's runners up, the Tuggeranong Bushrangers, have had a disappointing start to their season, as they are yet to bag any competition points after two games. 

The Bushrangers look ahead to their next matchup against the Goulburn City Bulldogs, another side that is desperate to record their first win of the year. 

While the Warriors look to back up a strong opening performance when they face the Gungahlin Bulls in their first home game of the season on Sunday.

Queanbeyan Blues 34 defeat the Belconnen United Sharks 28

A back-and-forth affair between the Blues and Sharks ended in heartbreak for the Belconnen United faithful as Queanbeyan clinched victory in the dying minutes at NSWRL HQ. 

The Queanbeyan Blues have proven themselves as one of the teams to beat this year, as they drew with the 2023 premiers in their first game and followed up with a win against last years preliminary finalists. 

Despite their strong performance with the ball in hand, the Sharks struggled to contain the newfound strike that the Blues boast in attack, conceding 34 points to their 28.

The Blues will go into their next game full of confidence following their strong performances against competition heavy weights in consecutive weeks.

While Belconnen United have the week off with the bye, providing the opportunity to work on the areas of improvement from their disappointing loss. 

Gungahlin Bulls 36 defeat Yass Magpies 22

The Gungahlin Bulls have bounced back from their round two loss, ambushing the Yass Magpies at Walker Park.

Although Yass started hot by scoring within the first minute, the Bulls went on to out muscle the Magpies and gained a healthy lead which they held onto for the rest of the game.  

Yass halfback Charlie Woodfood was the standout for his team, scoring the first try and had success with the boot. 

The Magpies will want to rebound in a big way, as they face an inform Queanbeyan Blues side this weekend.

While the Gungahlin Bulls will be determined to secure back-to-back wins when they face the West Belconnen Warriors.