2020 Rd 3 V Dragons: Teams and Previews

[greeneyed]

2020 Rd 3 V Dragons: Teams and Previews



SEASON SUSPENDED
Match not proceeding as planned

Canberra Raiders V St George Illawarra Dragons
Thursday March 26 8:05pm
Canberra Stadium
TV coverage: Nine, Fox League Channel 502
Radio: ABC, Mix 106.3

The Raiders have won their opening two matches of the season and now return home for a meeting with the St George Illawarra Dragons in Round 3. John Bateman and Hudson Young continue to be sidelined, while Sia Soliola was put on report in the match against the Warriors for a high tackle, so he may be unavailable. Tell us your team here and see how you go in comparison to the official squad when announced. We will include the official line ups in the first post of this thread as soon as they're available.

OFFICIAL SQUADS

Canberra Raiders

TBA

Injury/Suspension
Hudson Young, Suspension (Round 6)
John Bateman, Shoulder (Round 7-8)
Luke Bateman, Knee (Round 8)
Sebastian Kris, Extended sick leave

St George Illawarra Dragons

TBA

Officials

TBA

Match Hashtags: #NRL #WeareRaiders #BleedGreen #NRLRaidersDragons

The Greenhouse Hashtags: #WearGreen2020 #FromAllAngles



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[Ilanraiders]

Same team but Sutton in for horse if he’s unfit

[zim]

Same team. Sutton in for Soliola if it's more than a fine.

[Seiffert82]

Same team with Sutton in for Lui. Just because.

[BadnMean]

Same team with Sutton in for Lui. Just because.

I'd be ok with that. We know Lui's ceiling. It's ok. Sutton might also be just ok, or might be Good. Doubt it will happen though.

[Seiffert82]

Same team with Sutton in for Lui. Just because.

I'd be ok with that. We know Lui's ceiling. It's ok. Sutton might also be just ok, or might be Good. Doubt it will happen though.

Yeah, Sutton showed me he can bend the line a bit. Has a few handling issues, like Lui, but probably has a bit more improvement left in him.

[Northern Raider]

Bateman to the edge. Taps to lock. Horse to bench.

[greeneyed]

Siliva Havili apparently picked up a hamstring injury, in doubt.

[Old School Green]

Siliva Havili apparently picked up a hamstring injury, in doubt.

Looked fine and happy on plane clutching his stolen toilet paper!
I saw it written in the story on nrl.com but nowhere else was it mentioned. Hope he plays his punch from the bench is exceptional

[-TW-]

Siliva Havili apparently picked up a hamstring injury, in doubt.

Didn't he do that last week

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[greeneyed]

Soliola will probably get charged by the MRC. Sutton comes in for him.

[BadnMean]

Siliva Havili apparently picked up a hamstring injury, in doubt.

Didn't he do that last week

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He was grabbing at it after the end of the trial v Bulldogs.

I dare say they'll try to manage it until Bateman and Young are online if at all possible.

[RedRaider]

Winning form is good form, so I would stick with the same combination unless Sia is suspended or Havili's hammy forces his withdrawal.

Sutton and Starling on 'stand by' for those two.

[The Nickman]

Same team with Sutton in for Lui. Just because.

I’m with Seiff on this one. I was Lui’s biggest advocate the last few seasons, but I just don’t have him in my best 17 anymore.

Sorry Dunamis :’(

[Raider47]

1. CNK
2. Simonsson
3. Croker
4. Scott
5. Cotric
6. Wighton
7. Williams
8. Papalii
9. Hodgson
10. Horsburgh
11. Tapine
12. Whitehead
13. Sutton

14. Havili
15. Guler
16. Soliola
17. Oldfield

18. Lui
19. Williams
20. Murchie
21. HSS

I expect Soliola to be suspended though, so Lui in for him. But he needs to find some form. Havili also in doubt, so have Murchie coming in to the team.

[RTW]

I think Stuart gambled on the one trial match this year knowing that we had a weaker opponents to start the season. If we end up 3 and 3 and are up to full match fitness then it is has paid off.

I think regardless of injury or suspension he needs to find a spot for Sutton. With the lower grades suspended squad management could prove vital.

Who Sutton comes in for will depend on who needs to go out.
Sia if suspended
Havili if injured
Liu if the other two are good to go.

I would also be looking at getting Murchie some time over the next couple of weeks.


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[Raider47]

Also be interesting what happens when Bateman is back. You'd think 2 of Lui, Sutton and Havili are sitting out and based on form it'd be harsh to leave out Havili. Plus then we have Young coming back soon too.

Agreed RTW, squad management is going to be very interesting with the absence of any Mounties games.

[Pilz]

The squad management thing is interesting. There is also a possible offsetting effect in that there being no Mounties games also changes the selection dynamic. No one from outside the current 17 can demonstrate good form or put any runs on the board.

For the sake of the exercise let's say that Simonsson isn't in the best form at the moment, but doesn't stink. With no competitive pressure from a Mounties outside back, the status quo is likely to remain in place longer than it might normally.

[RedRaider]

Sticky once had a selection rotation policy in place to ensure a squad of players got FG game time. If the competition goes ahead, we may see that in practice again.

Thinking outside the square and with every Club in the same 'no lower grade competition' boat - the NRL could allow 8 on the interchange bench this season and once a player has had their go, they cannot return to the field in that game. This would give opportunity for some game time to 21 players each week. I don't think they will do this but it is a way to give more players some match practice. This is a season of exception and some short term measures may be needed.

[Seiffert82]

The forwards will definitely need to be rotated you would think.

[greeneyed]

Canberra Raiders forward Sia Soliola escapes suspension, faces fine for high shot

Raiders forward Sia Soliola has escaped a suspension despite being charged with a grade-one careless high tackle. He will be fined $1700 if he submits an early guilty plea of $2250 if he unsuccessfully challenges the charge.

Read more: https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/03/22/rou ... high-shot/

[gerg]

He's very lucky there, didn't miss him. TBH though it wouldn't surprise if it was a payback shot. I think it was Blair that put one on Simmonson's chin earlier, which resulted in Simmonson dropping the ball.

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[greeneyed]

Canberra Raiders want to honour Josh Papalii in 200th NRL game

It's been one of the great NRL metamorphoses. Josh Papalii is now set to play his 200th game for the Canberra Raiders.

"We made a really big effort. For Papa to reach that 200-mark and what he's done for himself and the club that's going to be a big emphasis for us this coming week. Two hundred games is massive, that's awesome. I'm pretty pumped for that. It's pretty cool," Sia Soliola said.

Read more: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/ ... /?cs=14239

[-PJ-]

Luv Papa.

[Ilanraiders]

What a champion!!!

[greeneyed]

Building trust will shake off Green Machine rust: Canberra Raiders winger Nick Cotric

For Canberra winger Nick Cotric it’s a matter of trust.

"It’s just trust, I just trust Scotty on my inside," Cotric said."What he does I just follow him pretty much. It’s my job to follow the centre in and he is making the right decisions and therefore that’s made me make the right decision too. And George Williams too, I’ve got to give him credit, his defence.

Read more: https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/03/23/bui ... st-cotric/

[zim]

The right side is actually responding better in defense than the left. A few times they got caught short or out of position and just handled it really well, and only after 2 games together.
When Bateman comes back I assume even more so. It's a far cry from where we've been in past years.

The left has a tendency at the moment to over commit and Simonsson is still getting caught on his heels. Really just looking for things to fix though. Both sides doing their job.

[Seiffert82]

Yeah, Simonsson is currently the weak link in the backline in that regard. I thought Tapine did quite well with Williams in the last game.

In saying that, we have been up against the Titans and Warriors. Hardly a massive test.

[gerg]

Yeah, great to see both edges working as a unit and really scrambling well. Croker was a bit patchy in rd 1 - jammed in too often IMO - but was much better on the w/e.

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[Raidersteve]

Silver lining Bateman and fingers crossed Rapana back for round 3.

[GMGT]

Silver lining Bateman and fingers crossed Rapana back for round 3.

Literally just came to this thread to say almost exactly that.. freaky stuff

[Sid]

some guy in China ate some soup last year, so now I can't watch Raiders play tonight

#batterflyeffect

[-TW-]

some guy in China ate some soup last year, so now I can't watch Raiders play tonight

#batterflyeffect

Didn't you know it was the US as part of the military games in Wuhan

/Tinfoil

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[Thomas Raider]

So sad we couldn`t see us beat the Dragons again,i love being a Raiders supporter in Wollongong when we beat them

[gerg]

Yes this 'non-game' is one that hurts a little to miss. We've beaten this Dragons team in so many different ways it isn't funny, but really it is.

There was one year there at Canberra stadium I was up the top ready to head for the bus. We had been putrid/disgusting and deserved nothing and there was this totally ecstatic Dragons supporter next to me, nearly in tears of joy. He wasn't giving it to me at all, he was just so happy to break the hoodoo, especially at Canberra stadium. I even shook his hand congratulating his team for a well deserved victory because the way we were playing we were no chance.

Raiders hit back with a try in the last few minutes, his mood changed to a "no, no, no ... please don't **** this up Dragons" - similar to what we've all done for our own side. Then, right on the siren we pluck a try out of absolutely nothing.

I leapt into the air, as I have a tendency to do and after landing quickly turned and old mate was already heading for the gate.
I think this was the game that Soward stormed off the field without shaking hands with anyone - which made it all the sweeter.

We've really had their supporter base clutching for their chests with how we've savaged them the last 20 years and in these tough times for Dragons fans - with their anti-McGregor sentiment - another heartbreaking defeat would have been pretty cool.


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