2017 Rd 19 Canberra Raiders Holden Cup preview
Canberra Raiders V St George Illawarra Dragons
Friday July 14 5:35pm, Canberra Stadium
The Holden Cup Canberra Raiders recorded a strong, 36-14, win over top four outfit, the North Queensland Cowboys in Round 17 at Canberra Stadium.
The Cowboys were first to score, but tries to Kalani Going and Daniel Kier in the space of two minutes, gave the Raiders a 12-4 lead at the 16th minute. The young Raiders just grew stronger as the match progressed. In the 23rd minute, Zac Masters simply charged over the line through the middle of the ruck. And then with two minutes to half time, Jack Murchie made a great break and passed inside to Harry Van Dartel, who made a diagonal run to try line to avoid the Cowboys' defence. It gave the home team a 24-4 lead at the interval.
It was heavier going in the second half - and despite the attacking threat of the Cowboys' Kayln Ponga, the Raiders' defence held. A try to new recruit Erin Clark in the 64th minute saw the Raiders extend their lead. Two Cowboys tries in the space of three minutes - to Jake Clifford and Ponga - were cause for concern, reducing the gap to 30-14 with 11 minutes remaining. But Canberra's defence repelled the dangerous Cowboys attack for the rest of the match - and a try to winger Komiti Tuilagi four minutes from full time sealed it for the Green Machine. Erin Clark was named man of the match.
The win has seen Canberra climb to 11th on the competition ladder. However, the Raiders are now just two competition points away from the top eight - and four points away from the fifth placed Cowboys.
The Raiders face another big challenge this Friday night when they meet the second placed St George Illawarra Dragons. The Dragons have a 12-4 record in 2017, compared with 7-9 for the Raiders.
The Dragons were defeated narrowly by the Gold Coast Titans, 26-24, in their last start - breaking a four game winning streak. The Titans led 20-6 at half time, but the Dragons mounted a second half comeback, with Zac Lomax recording a double. They have recently recorded two point wins over the Bulldogs and the Eels, along with a big victory over the Wests Tigers. The Raiders, in contrast, are on a WLLLW form line.
The Dragons average 28 points (4.9 tries) scored per match, compared with 25 points (4.5 tries) per match for the Raiders. The Dragons rank seventh in the competition in defence, conceding 4.8 tries per match. Canberra rank in the bottom four in defence, conceding just over five tries per match. Those statistics are not too different really and are slightly at odds with the Dragons' position on the ladder. However, the Dragons have won four matches by two points and six by six points or less so far this season. The Raiders have a good record at home (6-2), but the Dragons perform as well on the road (6-2) as at home.
The Raiders have made minimal changes to their squad for this match. Canberra Raiders forward, Zac Masters moves from lock to starting prop, swapping with Daniel Keir. Kye Madden comes into the top 17 on the bench, with Sato Keita-Opo dropping out of the squad.
For the Dragons, rep stars Jai Field and Reuben Garrick are named in the back line, but another, Zac Lomax, is out. Field has played just one match in this grade all season. Stuart Mason moves to prop, with TJ Uele going back to the bench. Trent Peoples comes into the second row for Mason. Josh Dowel comes into the top 17 on the bench.
Our tip: The Dragons have some hightly rated representative players in their ranks - the likes of Jai Field and Reuben Garrick. And there's no doubt the Raiders will need to closely mark the Dragons' halves Tristin Sailor (12 tries, 11 try assists) and Jackson Willis (eight tries, 15 try assists). For those wondering... Tristin Sailor is Wendell Sailor's son.
But this Raiders team also has a fair share of representative players - like Jack Murchie, Emre Guler and Sebastian Kris. Kalani Going would have represented the Kiwis this year, alongside Fabien Paletua-Kiri, but for injury. The addition of Paul Roache and Erin Clark in play making roles has also made a big difference for the Raiders in recent weeks.
It should be a great contest. It's hard to go past the Dragons, but I said that last week when assessing the Cowboys' team as well. Don't be surprised if the Raiders prove too good on the day.
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