Wests Tigers will look to build on a last start win and strong record over Canberra when they meet the men from the nation’s capital this Monday night.
After ending an unwanted run of five straight losses with a convincing 34-16 victory over the Melbourne Storm last week at Leichhardt Oval, Wests Tigers will make the trek to Canberra for what will no doubt be a cold and chilly Monday night game, with plenty of confidence. Robbie Farah’s timely return was a huge boost for Jason Taylor’s side, who looked threatening every time they worked the ball down either side of the field, and they’ll certainly be looking to carry that form into this week’s clash with the Raiders.
Canberra were disappointing in the second half last week against an out-of-sorts Cowboys side — squandering a big first-half lead to eventually go down 32-24 in Townsville.
Ricky Staurt’s men know that Monday’s game is a must-win match if they have any hopes of competing in the finals this year, and it certainly won’t be an easy task with Josh Hodgson, Sio Soliola, Luke Bateman and Edrick Lee all sitting on the sidelines.
There is seemingly a home ground advantage for the Raiders, with Monday’s match expected to be played in sub-zero snowy conditions, but that hasn’t quite proven to be the case both this year and in years gone by. Canberra have won just two of their nine games played at home this season, while Wests Tigers have won five of their past six meetings between the two in Canberra and more than 50% of their overall encounters.
It’s shaping as an intriguing clash on Monday night football, with two sides desperate not to let inconsistency dog them in the final rounds of the 2015 season.
Read on for a full preview including all the key details, team news, analysis and more.
Saturday footy returns to Campbelltown on August 15 when we take on the Knights!
Match Details
Date — Monday, August 10, 2015
Time — 7:00pm AEST
Venue — GIO Stadium, Canberra
Match Officials
On-Field Referees — Jared Maxwell and Henry Perenara
Touch Judges — Belinda Sleeman and Peter Gough
Video Referees — Steve Chiddy and Luke Phillips
TV, Live Stream and Radio Information
TV — Live via Fox Sports 1 (subscription required)
Live Stream — NRL Digital Pass (subscription required)
Radio — FM 104.9 Triple M (Sydney and Brisbane), ABC Grandstand (ACT)
Confirmed Squads
Canberra Raiders |
|
Wests Tigers |
Jack Wighton |
1 |
James Tedesco |
Sisa Waqa |
2 |
David Nofoaluma |
Jarrod Croker (capt.) |
3 |
Kevin Naiqama |
Joey Leilua |
4 |
Tim Simona |
Jordan Rapana |
5 |
Pat Richards |
Blake Austin |
6 |
Mitchell Moses |
Sam Williams |
7 |
Luke Brooks |
Frank Paul-Nuuausala |
8 |
Aaron Woods |
Glen Buttriss |
9 |
Robbie Farah (capt.) |
David Shillington |
10 |
Keith Galloway |
Josh Papalii |
11 |
Curtis Sironen |
Jarrad Kennedy |
12 |
Dene Halatau |
Shaun Fensom |
13 |
Sauaso Sue |
Kurt Baptiste |
14 |
Kyle Lovett |
Mitchell Barnett |
15 |
Jack Buchanan |
Paul Vaughan |
16 |
Ava Seumanufagai |
Shannon Boyd |
17 |
Brenden Santi |
|
18 |
Manaia Cherrington |
Ricky Stuart |
Coach |
Jason Taylor |
2015 Recent Results
Wests Tigers
R16 — Penrith Panthers 35 def. Wests Tigers 12
R17 — Parramatta Eels 28 def. Wests Tigers 16
R19 — Brisbane Broncos 42 def. Wests Tigers 16
R20 — Sydney Roosters 33 def. Wests Tigers 8
R21 — Wests Tigers 34 def. Melbourne Storm 16
Canberra Raiders
R16 — New Zealand Warriors 30 def. Canberra Raiders 8
R18 — Canberra Raiders 36 def. Newcastle Knights 22
R19 — Cronulla Sharks 21 def. Canberra Raiders 20
R20 — Canberra Raiders 34 def. Penrith Panthers 24
R21 — North Queensland Cowboys 32 def. Canberra Raiders 24
Numbers to Know
· 5 — Wins by Wests Tigers in their past six games against Canberra in Canberra
· 453 — Points conceded by the Raiders this year (4th most in the competition)
· 79 — Completion percentage from the Raiders this year (best in competition)
· 76 — Goals from Jarred Croker this year at 84% success rate (best in competition)
· 999 — Career goals from Pat Richards (46 so far this season)
