Raiders v Broncos Preview
Canberra Stadium - Sunday 2pm
IT’S getting very close to crunch time for the Raiders in 2008 and sadly for them injury and suspension has once again decided to make life difficult.
After losing 30-12 to Parramatta last weekend the Raiders have now slipped to 12th place on the NRL ladder and must beat the Broncos without Adrian Purtell (ankle injury) and Scott Logan (suspended) if they are to stay in touch with the finals zone.
While no player wishes injury on another player they’ll be hoping the five Broncos Origin reps suffer enough bumps and bruises to keep them out of Sunday’s game or at least limit their effectiveness.
With Purtell out, Terry Campese moves from five-eighth to centre and the versatile Alan Tongue moves from hooker to five-eighth. His place at dummy-half will be taken by Glen Buttriss. Troy Thompson will start for Logan while Ryan Hinchcliffe, Michael Weyman, Ben Jones, Brett Kelly and Justin Carney have all been named on a seven-man bench.
In a further change David Milne and Bronx Goodwin have switched positions, with Milne now fullback and Goodwin on the wing.
The Broncos come into this match after losing 28-10 to St George Illawarra, but that loss came without their stars.
They have slipped to 6th on the table and are aware a loss here could see them slip out of the top eight.
Barring Origin mishaps Karmichael Hunt returns to fullback, meaning Josh Hoffman makes way; Darius Boyd comes in at centre in Nick Emmett’s place; Peter Wallace returns to halfback, sending Michael Ennis to hooker and PJ Marsh to the bench; Ben Hannant returns at prop pushing David Taylor to the pine; Sam Thaiday returns at back row pushing Ashton Sims to the bench. Greg Eastwood, Shane Perry and Isaak Ah Mau have been left out.
Watch out Raiders: It’s time to play disciplined football or face the wrath of referee Jason Robinson and with it the extra defence poor discipline ensures.
The Raiders are infringing much more often than their opponents (Canberra have conceded 80 penalties in 11 games while the Broncos just 68 in 12 games), and if that continues the Broncos will eat them alive.
Playing the game at home is a help here; Raiders’ fans need to get out in numbers and put as much pressure on Robinson as they can to hopefully get into his subconscious. But rather than rely on that, the home side needs to ensure they play within the rules.
Watch out Broncos: The Raiders’ attack may not have been at its best throughout the opening half of the season but Todd Carney will be excited by the fact the Broncos are the worst team in the NRL when it comes to making effective tackles.
With 467 missed tackles and 262 ineffective tackles the Broncos are effective on just 81.8 per cent of occasions, allowing for plenty of opportunities for the opposition to take advantage.
The Raiders will see this as an invitation to continue their “chance-your-arm” strategy – and if things start to stick, they could be on a winner.
Where it will be won: It should come down to who wants it more and who is prepared to stay solid in defence.
Considering it’s a day game there will be plenty of chances to let the ball “sing” and at the end of the day the team that scrambles best will win the match.
The Broncos have come up with 31 try-saves this season compared to the Raiders’ 15 so maybe that could be the telling stat. Desperation in defence can sometimes be the one percenter that gets a team home.
The History: Played 33; Raiders 13, Broncos 19, drawn 1. The Broncos have won six of the past eight between the clubs but the last time the two teams met at Canberra Stadium (2006) the Raiders triumphed 30-18. Overall at the venue the results are split seven each with one draw.
Conclusion: Unless Origin rips the heart out of the Broncos’ side it’s hard to go against them here. Sure the match is in Canberra but the Raiders are still horribly under-strength due to injuries. They are certainly not out of it and the knowledge that a win is desperately needed to stay in touch with the finals might just be the extra kick they need. If you need one, don’t be afraid to tip an upset.
Match officials: Referee – Jason Robinson; Sideline Officials – Mohamad Fajajo & Steve Carrall; Video ref – Graeme West.
Televised: Fox Sports 2 – Live 2pm
* Statistics: NRL Stats.
Source:
http://www.nrl.com
Round 14: Canberra Raiders vs Brisbane Broncos
Linear Mode
