Canberra Raiders V Penrith Panthers
Canberra Stadium
Sunday May 18, 2:00pm
Tickets: Click here
TV and radio coverage: Fox Sports live
ABC radio
The Canberra Raiders spent a week telling anyone who would listen that they had learned a lot from their Round 8 thumping at the hands of Manly. So without those lessons Raiders fans would hate to think what the score could have been in the Round 9 shellacking at the hands of the Warriors. Two weeks in a row, the opposition put on more than 50 points. It was only the second time it has happened in Raiders history. It was the worst defeat to the Warriors in Raiders history.
The Raiders defence has big, big problems, with other teams having worked out how to get around the compressed defensive line... or go through the middle. After some promising signs in the first month or so of the competition, the Raiders are back to the form of 2013.
Canberra come home to take on the Penrith Panthers in Round 10. Of the 66 matches between the two clubs, the Raiders have won 32, the Panthers 32, with two draws. At Canberra Stadium, Penrith have won just seven matches of the 23 clashes played since it became Canberra's home ground in 1990. In the last 10 matches between the clubs, the Raiders have had four wins. The last meeting produced a 12-6 loss at Penrith, just weeks ago in Round 5, in the middle of a deluge. The current form line for the Raiders is an ugly LLWLL; for the Panthers it is a WLWLW record.
Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has made a number of changes to his team line up. Jack Wighton moves back to centre, a position that should suit him much better at this stage of his development. Matt Allwood drops out of the side. Bill Tupou has been relegated after a string of poor performances, and Mosese Pangai comes in for his Raiders debut on the wing.
In the halves, it's "Back to the Future" - the failed halves combination of Campese and McCrone. It's not a good sign for those fans hoping that the coach would genuinely be "building for the future". Young half Mitch Cornish, has at least, been named on an extended bench, so Raiders fans still have some hope he too may make his debut.
Josh Papalii and David Shillington return to the Raiders starting side, with Jarrad Kennedy named alongside Papalii in the second row. Joel Edwards drops back to the bench, along with Dane Tilse and Paul Vaughan. Shannon Boyd, Kyle O’Donnell and Sami Sauiluma are also on the extended bench.
With a 21 man squad named, there is no doubt a lot of potential for late changes for Canberra.
For the Panthers, James Segeyaro will start as hooker after Kevin Kingston was ruled out for another week with a foot problem. Nigel Plum was concussed in the Panthers win against Newcastle, so is unavailable. Tim Grant returns on the bench after recovering from a calf strain.
The Panthers are $1.65 favourites for the match, the Raiders are paying $2.25.
Our tip: Panthers 13+ It is sixth versus 14th on the competition ladder. The form of both teams points to a big win for the Panthers. Let's hope the Raiders rebound and prove the form lines wrong.
Canberra Raiders
1. Anthony Milford 2. Reece Robinson 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Jack Wighton 5. Mosese Pangai 6. Terry Campese 7. Josh McCrone 8. David Shillington 9. Glen Buttriss 10. Brett White 11. Josh Papalii 12. Jarrad Kennedy 13. Shaun Fensom
14. Matt McIlwrick 15. Joel Edwards 16. Paul Vaughan 17. Dane Tilse 18. Mitch Cornish 19. Shannon Boyd 20. Kyle O'Donnell 21. Sami Sauiluma
Penrith Panthers
1. Matt Moylan 2. Josh Mansour 3. Dean Whare 4. Jamal Idris 5. David Simmons 6. Jamie Soward 7. Peter Wallace 8. Sam McKendry 9. James Segeyaro 10. Brent Kite 11. Sika Manu 12. Tyrone Peachey 13. Adam Docker
14. Matt Robinson 15. Jeremy Latimore 16. Isaah Yeo 17. Tim Grant
Officials
Referees: Gavin Badger, Grant Atkins
Touch Judges: Dan Eastwood, Peter Gough
Video Referees: Bernard Sutton, Ben Galea
Official Match Hashtags: #NRLCANPEN #NRL #WeareRaiders
The Greenhouse Hashtags: #COYR2014 #WearGreen2014 #GreenNation #GreenMachine
