What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

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greeneyed
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by greeneyed »

I guess the issue is which players are best on the edge and which player is best in the middle. Interesting to hear Bateman say today he wants to start at lock.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Green eyed Mick »

He'll make a quality Greg Bird style lock IMO.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Green eyed Mick »

LimeGreenMachine wrote: January 10, 2019, 4:53 pm 3 goes into 3.

Tapine , Whitehead and J.Bateman will fill the backrow roles.
100%. Papa wore the #13 in 2018 but his game won't change one bit if he wears the number 8 or 10 and Papa making the shift is easily his best chance at getting back into the Kangaroo side.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by LimeGreenMachine »

Green eyed Mick wrote:He'll make a quality Greg Bird style lock IMO.
Agree. This was my thought too. Similar style player.

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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by greeneyed »

We'll be compiling a consensus starting 13 from all the team lists submitted so far after we assess the contenders at lock. That will be the basis for the final installment of The Contenders... the bench. So if you haven't put in your team list yet, do it now.

Remember, this is your list for the strongest possible line up... irrespective of injuries.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Ilanraiders »

Irrespective of injuries, my strongest team would be
1. Wighton
2. Cotric
3. Croker
4. Leilua
5. Rapana
6. Sezer
7. Williams
8. Papa
9. Hodgson
10. Soliola
11. Tapine
12. Whitehead
13. J Bateman
14. Sutton
15. Havili
16. L Bateman
17. Lui
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Raider_Boy »

1. Edwards (or signing)
2. Cotric
3. Croker
4. BJ
5. Oldfield (rapa)
6. Jacki boi
7. Sezer
8. Sia
9. Hodgo
10. Pap.
11.smokin joe
12 Elliott
13. Bateman
14. Havilli
15. Guler
16. Bateman
17. Horsborough/lui
Last edited by Raider_Boy on January 10, 2019, 9:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Raider_Boy »

Ps. I hope Matty Lyons goes well. He’s a very talented kid who could be anything If he stays injury free.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Lui_Bon »

In that case,

1. Wighton
2. Cotric
3. Croker
4. BJ
5. Oldfield (Edwards, Rapa)
6. Sezer
7. Williams
8. Sia
9. Hodgson
10. Papalli
11. Tapine
12. Whitehead
13. J. Bateman
14. Havilli
15. Guler (Edwards, or Abbey)
16. Lui
17. Sutton
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by greeneyed »

You have Oldfield in preference to Rapana in your strongest possible team, irrespective of injuries?
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by LimeGreenMachine »

1. Wighton
2. Cotric
3. Croker
4. Joey
5. Rapana
6. Williams
7. Sezer
8. Sia
9. Hodgo
10. Paps
11. Whitehead
12. Tapine
13. J Bateman

14. Havili
15. Sutton
16. Guler
17. Murchie

What I would like to see is Wighton at 5/8 , due to lack of depth we need to buy a back for it to happen.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by dubby »

Lui gets a bad rap, unnecessarily IMO. Perhaps understandable giving his first season here was quite poor.

He'll go ok.

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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Dusty »

Dusty wrote:Our best 17 (barring recruitment)

1. Jack Wighton
2. Nic Cotric
3. Jarrod Croker (c)
4. BJ Leilua
5. Jordan Rapana
6. Aiden Sezer
7. Sam Williams
8. Ryan Sutton
9. Josh Hodgson (c)
10. Josh Papalii
11. Joseph Tapine
12. Elliot Whitehead
13. John Bateman

14. Sivila Havili
15. Sia Soliola
16. Emre Guler
17. Dumanis Lui


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I’d be happy to see Horsburgh or Murchie get a crack in there too. I’ve heard that Horsburgh has a fair few clubs chasing him. I hope he doesn’t end up another TPJ...


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2020: 1. Nicol-Klokstad 2. Cotric 3. Croker (c) 4 Leilua 5. Scott 6. Wighton 7. G. Williams 8. Papalii 9. Hodgson (c) 10. Sutton 11. J. Bateman 12. Whitehead 13. Tapine ----
14. Simmonson 15. Soliola 16. Guler 17. Horsburgh
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by edwahu »

Dusty wrote: January 11, 2019, 6:49 am
Dusty wrote:Our best 17 (barring recruitment)

1. Jack Wighton
2. Nic Cotric
3. Jarrod Croker (c)
4. BJ Leilua
5. Jordan Rapana
6. Aiden Sezer
7. Sam Williams
8. Ryan Sutton
9. Josh Hodgson (c)
10. Josh Papalii
11. Joseph Tapine
12. Elliot Whitehead
13. John Bateman

14. Sivila Havili
15. Sia Soliola
16. Emre Guler
17. Dumanis Lui


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I’d be happy to see Horsburgh or Murchie get a crack in there too. I’ve heard that Horsburgh has a fair few clubs chasing him. I hope he doesn’t end up another TPJ...


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He should be locked up long term already.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Dusty »

edwahu wrote:
Dusty wrote: January 11, 2019, 6:49 am
Dusty wrote:Our best 17 (barring recruitment)

1. Jack Wighton
2. Nic Cotric
3. Jarrod Croker (c)
4. BJ Leilua
5. Jordan Rapana
6. Aiden Sezer
7. Sam Williams
8. Ryan Sutton
9. Josh Hodgson (c)
10. Josh Papalii
11. Joseph Tapine
12. Elliot Whitehead
13. John Bateman

14. Sivila Havili
15. Sia Soliola
16. Emre Guler
17. Dumanis Lui


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I’d be happy to see Horsburgh or Murchie get a crack in there too. I’ve heard that Horsburgh has a fair few clubs chasing him. I hope he doesn’t end up another TPJ...


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He should be locked up long term already.
According to the Contracted Players thread he is contracted until the end of 2019


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2020: 1. Nicol-Klokstad 2. Cotric 3. Croker (c) 4 Leilua 5. Scott 6. Wighton 7. G. Williams 8. Papalii 9. Hodgson (c) 10. Sutton 11. J. Bateman 12. Whitehead 13. Tapine ----
14. Simmonson 15. Soliola 16. Guler 17. Horsburgh
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Seiffert82 »

I'm looking forward to seeing Horsburgh in green. Hopefully a good long term addition.

The makeup of the team depends on whether we sign another quality fullback to shift Wighton to 5/8. It could completely change our backline and it impacts on our defensive structure. Williams needs assistance in defending in the halves. John Bateman would be perfect for that role and he'll get quite a lot of traffic sent that way.

Ideally I'd prefer to see Papalii stay in the second row with Elliott. It won't happen, but he creates havoc for the opposition on that edge. Tapine can move to the middle, with his nice footwork and aggression.

Other than that, I'd most likely start Lui over Soliola. It is important to have some experience in the forwards off the bench.

It'll be interesting.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Matt »

I would still prefer the bigger body of Tapine in the middle with our Poms on the flanks.
However, given Bateman has now said he wants to play in the middle, then Im happy to try it.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Timbo »

The thing I really love about our backrow, apart from all three of them being absolute guns, is that they'll all play massive minutes. There's no need for a dedicated bench backrower as long as Sia or Havili can jump in for a few minutes when we're spelling the big three.

However, my concern is when Tapine inevitably spends his annual 5-8 weeks in football jail what will that rotation look like and how will it effect the way our pack operates?
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by zim »

I can't see Horsburgh starting the year in first grade. He wasn't even in Mounties top grade to start last year and it was quite a number of matches once there before he was starting for them, even dropping back to the bench for a few games towards the end of the year. Seems like they are managing him a bit while he gets used to playing against men week on week. Super talent though. Looked great in the 20s origin.

By mid year we could definitely see him on the bench due to form or injury.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by zim »

Timbo wrote: January 11, 2019, 9:18 am The thing I really love about our backrow, apart from all three of them being absolute guns, is that they'll all play massive minutes. There's no need for a dedicated bench backrower as long as Sia or Havili can jump in for a few minutes when we're spelling the big three.

However, my concern is when Tapine inevitably spends his annual 5-8 weeks in football jail what will that rotation look like and how will it effect the way our pack operates?
Sia maybe switches to the 2nd row, Lui to the starting side and Horsburgh or Murchie to the bench? Or J Bateman to the 2nd row and Sutton to start at lock?
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by edwahu »

zim wrote: January 11, 2019, 9:32 am I can't see Horsburgh starting the year in first grade. He wasn't even in Mounties top grade to start last year and it was quite a number of matches once there before he was starting for them, even dropping back to the bench for a few games towards the end of the year. Seems like they are managing him a bit while he gets used to playing against men week on week. Super talent though. Looked great in the 20s origin.

By mid year we could definitely see him on the bench due to form or injury.
He started in the finals though.

Let's hope they don't manage him into the hands of another club.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by zim »

edwahu wrote: January 11, 2019, 9:49 am
zim wrote: January 11, 2019, 9:32 am I can't see Horsburgh starting the year in first grade. He wasn't even in Mounties top grade to start last year and it was quite a number of matches once there before he was starting for them, even dropping back to the bench for a few games towards the end of the year. Seems like they are managing him a bit while he gets used to playing against men week on week. Super talent though. Looked great in the 20s origin.

By mid year we could definitely see him on the bench due to form or injury.
He started in the finals though.

Let's hope they don't manage him into the hands of another club.
Sutton 2 years
Lui 3 years
Guler 3 years
Havili 2 years
Soliola 2 years

I'd say if he's not happy to spend some time in reserve grade for parts of this year and possibly next, or if we're not ok with dropping guys like Lui or Havili, he'll move on.

Could really depend on how we start the year. If we are losing and changes don't come to give guys like him a chance then I'd say he's definitely off.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Woodgers »

I wouldn't play J Bateman in the middle to start the season. He might want to play there but I think a lot of people completely underestimate the gulf in standard between NRL and ESL. That first month there are plenty of games in humid conditions as well which will add that layer of difficulty for him. I think like most players that transition to the NRL he's going to find the pace of the game and workload a big test. I know he's good but you need to be a gun of Sam Burgess proportions to just walk into the middle of an NRL field and not be found out and we need a good start this year.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by edwahu »

zim wrote: January 11, 2019, 10:03 am
edwahu wrote: January 11, 2019, 9:49 am
zim wrote: January 11, 2019, 9:32 am I can't see Horsburgh starting the year in first grade. He wasn't even in Mounties top grade to start last year and it was quite a number of matches once there before he was starting for them, even dropping back to the bench for a few games towards the end of the year. Seems like they are managing him a bit while he gets used to playing against men week on week. Super talent though. Looked great in the 20s origin.

By mid year we could definitely see him on the bench due to form or injury.
He started in the finals though.

Let's hope they don't manage him into the hands of another club.
Sutton 2 years
Lui 3 years
Guler 3 years
Havili 2 years
Soliola 2 years

I'd say if he's not happy to spend some time in reserve grade for parts of this year and possibly next, or if we're not ok with dropping guys like Lui or Havili, he'll move on.

Could really depend on how we start the year. If we are losing and changes don't come to give guys like him a chance then I'd say he's definitely off.
Talent wise he is better than Guler, Lui, Havilli and probably Sutton. I'd shift anyone of that list out of the side except Sia if it meant keeping him long term.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by zim »

I wouldn't want to lose Guler, but practically we've got him for 3 years so you could always "rest him" for a period and give Horsburgh his shot while we are negotiating. Drop Havili back to "work on his fitness" and "get more game time", and so forth.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by greeneyed »

The Greenhouse has traditionally run a series of polls in the off season to determine the fans' view of the strongest possible top 17... irrespective of injuries. However, this year we're doing something a little different.

We're assessing the contenders for each position... and we hope you'll tell us what you think.

As well, we're inviting you to list your strongest possible team right here in this thread. Remember, this is a squad irrespective of injuries. Think of it this way: it is the team you want firing in the finals! Feel free to update your team as the squad is added to and the trials proceed.

The contenders - Lock

Image

Elliott Whitehead
Joseph Tapine
John Bateman
Josh Papalii
Sia Soliola
Dunamis Lui
Luke Bateman
Corey Horsburgh


The Raiders squad is strongest in the back row, so there are plenty of options for lock. We've covered a lot of the contenders for lock already, when discussing the possibilities for prop and the second row.

The incumbent lock is Josh Papalii, who came back from being dropped to Mounties to win the Meninga Medal - after switching from the edge to the middle. He played 15 of his 22 games at the base of the scrum - and he might well have been the best option for lock in 2019, except for the Raiders' lack of depth at prop and the recruitment to date. Most Raiders fans are expecting he'll make the move up front this season.

If Papalii does make that move, it still leaves three top line contenders, internationals all, for the back row - Elliott Whitehead, Joe Tapine and new recruit John Bateman.

Elliott Whitehead has officially played five of his 74 games for the Raiders. The first time he shifted to lock was in Round 22 of 2017 against the Sharks at Cronulla - a positional change that was held secret until the last possible moment. He played out of his skin in the middle, making big inroads against the vaunted Sharks' forwards - and it was his best performance of the year. He made 169 metres from 17 runs, one offload and 29 tackles. However, he couldn't quite sustain that level of involvement in his subsequent games at lock. I really think he's best on the edge.

Five of Joe Tapine's 83 NRL matches have been played at lock - but he's also played many games off the bench as a utility forward. He played all his matches in 2018 in the second row. Some Raiders fans believe he's shown his best form on the edge - and that's where he can best take advantage of his relative strength, his attacking game. However, some fans would like to see a "big body" like Tapine in the middle.

John Bateman has played 17 of his 181 matches for Bradford, Wigan and England at lock. He has mostly played in the second row... but he's quite versatile and says he'd like to start at "back row, loose forward" or lock in 2019 with the Raiders. That might be the first signal from the Raiders camp about the intentions of coach Ricky Stuart. Given Bateman's versatility - and given that Whitehead and Tapine are probably best on the edge - might we see Bateman line up in the No. 13 jersey in Round 1 this year?



There's lots of depth beyond those players at lock. Sia Soliola, Dunamis Lui and Luke Bateman can all cover the role. Soliola and Lui might be most likely to take a spot up front this year. Luke Bateman has played 14 of his 71 games in the starting team at lock, but he's never been really able to nail down a starting position. He's mostly been a bench specialist - and he may well be under challenge for that role in 2019.

There is a very exciting lock prospect coming through the grades... Corey Horsburgh. Horsburgh was a Redcliffe Dolphins and North Queensland Cowboys junior, and joined the Raiders last season. He started the year in Mounties Jersey Flegg before being promoted the NSW Premiership team. He's represented Queensland in Under 20s Origin the past two years. He's a bit fiery, like most red heads, has a great work rate, and really tears in, in both attack and defence. He's aged 21, stands at 188cms and weighs in at 100kgs. 2019 might be a bit early, but I'd love to see him get an opportunity in firsts.

So what are your views? Who should have the starting lock position? In the next installment, we'll look at options for the bench.

Elliott Whitehead's 2018 and statistics
Joe Tapine's 2018 and statistics
Josh Papalii's 2018 and statistics
Sia Soliola's 2018 and statistics
Dunamis Lui's 2018 and statistics
Luke Bateman's 2018 and statistics
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by -PJ- »

#11 Bateman
#12 Tapine
# 13 Whitehead.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by dubby »

-PJ- wrote:#11 Bateman
#12 Tapine
# 13 Whitehead.
I think you've nailed it, Bruce.

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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by -PJ- »

dubby wrote: January 11, 2019, 5:18 pm
-PJ- wrote:#11 Bateman
#12 Tapine
# 13 Whitehead.
I think you've nailed it, Bruce.

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What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by greeneyed »

The Greenhouse has traditionally run a series of polls in the off season to determine the fans' view of the strongest possible top 17... irrespective of injuries. However, this year we're doing something a little different.

We're assessing the contenders for each position... and we hope you'll tell us what you think.

As well, we're inviting you to list your strongest possible team right here in this thread. Remember, this is a squad irrespective of injuries. Think of it this way: it is the team you want firing in the finals! Feel free to update your team as the squad is added to and the trials proceed.

The contenders - Bench

Image

Siliva Havili
Ata Hingano
Ryan Sutton
Dunamis Lui
Emre Guler
Luke Bateman
Jack Murchie
Corey Horsburgh
Royce Hunt
JJ Collins


The interchange line up in modern rugby league generally includes one hooker/utility and three forwards - and at least a couple of middle forwards. Ideally the utility can cover a couple of spine positions... but some coaches do risk putting four forwards on the bench.

Today, we're looking at the Raiders options for the bench - and in doing so, we'll reveal the consensus so far amongst the readers of The Greenhouse for the starting forward pack. We've tallied every top 17 team list put forward - and there's little doubt about what the consensus is. We'll reveal specific positions later... but for the purposes of today's edition of The Contenders, we'll take it as given that John Bateman, Josh Hodgson, Josh Papalii, Sia Soliola, Joe Tapine and Elliott Whitehead will line up in the starting team. So who are the main options for the bench?

The most likely contender for hooker/utility is Siliva Havili. He filled in admirably for an injured Josh Hodgson in the first 14 rounds last season. In 2018, he ranked equal third for total try involvements and fifth for total points scored amongst the Raiders forwards. In addition, he was equal fourth for line breaks and third for tackle breaks amongst the forwards. In defence, his tackle efficiency rate (91 per cent) was in the top three players at the Raiders. He was also top five for total tackles made at the club, while missing an average of just one per match. He had just four try causes, and was a very tidy player in terms of errors and penalties conceded.

Josh Hodgson is now an 80 minute player. He played for 46 minutes in his comeback game against the Tigers in 2018, but played every minute of every subsequent match. Havili mostly played off the bench in the second half of last season, but he was predominantly used as a back rower - and insurance in the event of a Hodgson injury. His ability to play both hooker and back row means he'll almost certainly wear the No. 14.

Ata Hingano was the main player who came off the bench in the first half of 2018 when Havili needed a spell at dummy half. But while he can play at hooker, he really is best suited to the halves. He'll also miss much of the first half of the season with a shoulder injury. Unless there are injuries or suspension, I think he'll find it difficult to force his way into the top 17 this year.

So what of the other three spots?

Ryan Sutton has been recruited by the Raiders from English club, the Wigan Warriors. He's aged just 23, but already has 113 first class matches to his credit. He debuted in 2014 for Wigan, playing 71 games off the bench. He's also played 25 games as a starting prop, 10 at lock and the balance in the second row. In 2018, he averaged 96 metres gained per match, 7 metres per carry, and 28 tackes per match. For a prop, he scored a healthy six tries. Some pundits have Sutton starting for Canberra, though the readers of The Greenhouse don't see it that way. But he hasn't been recruited to play for Mounties, either. He's a certainty for one interchange prop position.

Dunamis Lui played just seven games for the Raiders in 2017, before suffering a season ending ACL injury in the clash with the Sea Eagles at Brookvale in Round 13. Lui's misfortune came at the worst possible time, because he had just started to find his groove in firsts. The 2018 season was a real contrast for the 28 year old journeyman. He made a full recovery from his knee injury, playing in all 24 games, with 12 as starting prop. By no means is Lui amongst the top props in the NRL. But he always works hard and gives it everything he's got. And he probably finished ahead of Junior Paulo and Shannon Boyd in terms of contribution to the Raiders' season. He'll be right in the mix for a bench prop spot in the coming season.

Emre Guler is the other player who'll be challenging for a bench prop spot. Guler, aged just 20, made his NRL debut in the Round 23 victory over the Sydney Roosters last year, and went on to play the final three matches of the season - all off the bench. The Junior Kangaroos and Blues representative looked right at home in first grade.

He averaged 75 running metres from around 10 runs and 17 tackles per match. His running metres per carry (7.8) ranked second lowest at the club, but his average metres gained were not far off players like Elliott Whitehead and Sia Soliola who spent much more time on the field. They exceeded that of fellow benchies Luke Bateman, Charlie Gubb and Liam Knight. His tackle efficiency rate (89 per cent) was not too bad, similar to the rates posted by Sia Soliola and Dunamis Lui. He posted no errors, no try causes and no line break causes. He is another exciting prospect, and I'd love to see him getting plenty of matches in the top 17.

Luke Bateman is another option, and he makes the most of his talent through good old fashioned hard work. He plays in the middle, but he's probably more a back rower. He'll need to lift if he's to keep a spot in the top 17, given the depth in the back row and the challenges that will be coming from young players, like Guler, Jack Murchie and Corey Horsburgh.

Royce Hunt didn't play a single NRL game in 2018. He has one NRL appearance, but had about five minutes of game time in his 2017 debut for Canberra. JJ Collins is a new recruit from the Newcastle Knights on a two year deal. He's young, just 22, and has only played 15 NRL matches. He made his debut with the Tigers in 2016, before switching to the Knights in 2018. He played just two games for Newcastle last year. I suspect Hunt and Collins will spend most of their time in 2019 with Mounties.

So what are your views? Who should take the four spots on the bench? In the next installment, we'll reveal the consensus strongest line up for 2019... so far.

Siliva Havili's 2018 and statistics
Ata Hingano's 2018 and statistics
Dunamis Lui's 2018 and statistics
Emre Guler's 2018 and statistics
Luke Bateman's 2018 and statistics
Jack Murchie's 2018 and statistics
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Green eyed Mick
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Green eyed Mick »

4 forwards on the bench.

Havili, Lui, Guler and Sutton but wouldn't be surprised if Bateman or even Horsburgh nabbed a spot.
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Sid
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Sid »

I think our strongest possible bench would be Hodgson, Paplii, Whitehead and Tapine
but that wouldn't help the starting lineup.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by greeneyed »

Stuart's future on the line

Ricky Stuart looks to be one coach who will be feeling the heat if his Raiders don't get off to a solid start in 2019. They have a draw that should allow them to be up around the top end of the ladder after five weeks, playing four teams which finished below them in 2018. Their big test will be at home to the Storm in the second round. If they can start with a win over the Titans and upset the Storm at home, they will carry plenty of confidence into games against the Knights, Cowboys and Eels.

ESPN's Canberra Raiders best 17

1. Nick Cotric, 2. Brad Abbey, 3. Jarrod Croker, 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Sia Soliola, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. Ryan Sutton, 11. Elliott Whitehead, 12. Joe Tapine, 13. Josh Papalii, Bench: 14. Siliva Havili, 15. Brad Abbey, 16. Dunamis Lui, 17. John Bateman.

Read more: http://www.espn.com.au/nrl/story/_/id/2 ... tarts-face
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by edwahu »

greeneyed wrote: January 14, 2019, 5:21 pm Stuart's future on the line

Ricky Stuart looks to be one coach who will be feeling the heat if his Raiders don't get off to a solid start in 2019. They have a draw that should allow them to be up around the top end of the ladder after five weeks, playing four teams which finished below them in 2018. Their big test will be at home to the Storm in the second round. If they can start with a win over the Titans and upset the Storm at home, they will carry plenty of confidence into games against the Knights, Cowboys and Eels.

ESPN's Canberra Raiders best 17

1. Nick Cotric, 2. Brad Abbey, 3. Jarrod Croker, 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Sia Soliola, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. Ryan Sutton, 11. Elliott Whitehead, 12. Joe Tapine, 13. Josh Papalii, Bench: 14. Siliva Havili, 15. Brad Abbey, 16. Dunamis Lui, 17. John Bateman.

Read more: http://www.espn.com.au/nrl/story/_/id/2 ... tarts-face
2 Abbeys. Top quality journalism.
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Re: What's your strongest possible Canberra Raiders 2019 line up?

Post by Matt »

Bench:
Havili
Sutton
Guler
Lui
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