09 :: R23 Sat :: Raiders 24 Dragons 12 @ Canberra

[Timmah]

​

Live FOX Sports 2, 7:30pm​

1. Josh Dugan
2. Daniel Vidot 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Joel Monaghan 5. Phil Graham
6. Terry Campese 7. Josh McCrone
8. Dane Tilse 9. Alan Tongue (c) 10. Scott Logan
11. Joel Thompson 12. Bronson Harrison
13. Josh Miller​

Interchange: 14. Tom Learoyd-Lahrs 15. Travis Waddell 16. Troy Thompson 17. Joe Picker
Reserves: 18. Trevor Thurling​

1. Darius Boyd
2. Brett Morris 3. Beau Scott 4. Matt Cooper 5. Wendell Sailor
6. Jamie Soward 7. Ben Hornby (c)
8. Justin Poore 9. Nathan Fien 10. Michael Weyman
11. Dean Young 12. Ben Creagh
13. Neville Costigan​

Interchange: 14. Dan Hunt 15. Jeremy Smith 16. Chase Stanley 17. Jarrod Saffy
Reserves: 18. Jason Nightingale 19. Jon Green​

Referees
Ben Cummins & Brett Suttor
Sideline Officials: Daniel Eastwood & Luke Potter
Video Referee: Sean Hampstead​

Toyota Cup Round 23
Raiders v Dragons @ Canberra, Saturday 3:15pm

Curtain Raiser - Schoolboy International
Australia v Great Britain @ Canberra, Saturday 5:15pm​

QLD Cup Round 21
Souths Logan (CAN) v Mackay (NQL) @ Davies Park, Sunday 2:00pm​

NSW Cup Round 20 (Split Round)
Auckland (NZW) v Shellharbour (STG) @ Mt Smart #2, Sat 22 Aug 11:00am​

 

[Jono1987]

Really looking forward to travelling down with the army to cheer our boys on and to hopefully win our first match down there since 2000. I think we will.

Saints 1-12.

 

[DragonPunk]

Wooo first time going down to Canberra! Hopefully we can win and break our voodoo down there.

 

[STG-Dragon]

This is a real big game for the Dragons and a real test, we really need to win down there as we haven't played well against the Raiders for ages. Go you Dragons!

 

[Timmah]

You guys ready to deal with skeepe? :lol:

 

[Jason Maher]

You guys ready to deal with skeepe? :lol:

Well I've already given him a serve after he stated straight out that we won't win (I'm scratching my head trying to think what he could be basing that prediction on, certainly it isn't the relative form of the two teams). If I were skeepe, I'd be watching replays of the donkeys game, as it will be much more enjoyable then what he'll be viewing on Saturday night. ;-)

 

[mongoose]

Well I've already given him a serve after he stated straight out that we won't win (I'm scratching my head trying to think what he could be basing that prediction on, certainly it isn't the relative form of the two teams). If I were skeepe, I'd be watching replays of the donkeys game, as it will be much more enjoyable then what he'll be viewing on Saturday night. ;-)

Form won't mean too much in this game. We're at home. Tom Learoyd Larhs will be back. We have been a bogey team for the dragons for years.
I wouldn't be so confident...

 

[skeepe]

Form has never meant anything is this match, at least not this century. Even in the years the Dragons made the preliminary final and the Raiders struggled, they still left Canberra with their tail between their legs.

 

[Jason Maher]

Well good luck to you Raiders fans, but the Dragons put in a well below par performance against the Panthers and will be out to make amends. We never beat Melbourne unless they have half their team out either - only we just did last week. When will it sink in that the past means nothing for this year's Dragons team?

To be honest, I have nothing against Canberra apart from their involvement in the whole Superjoke schemozzle, and they have a good young team that will challenge in future years (providing you can hold on to your young players this time). But if the Dragons turn up to play on Saturday, the Green Machine doesn't stand a chance.

 

[Covellius Maximus]

Past years are irrelevant. Even if the Dragons did make the preliminary final a few times, they still traditionally started the season terribly. In 2005, the Dragons came 2nd in the minor and the Raiders came 14th, but the Raiders won the Round 4 match easily by 20 points. But the Dragons were 0W,4L at the time, which pretty much makes that argument irrelevant.

This is totally different, as the Dragons come into this game in great form and having won 7 straight matches, while the Raiders are planning Mad Monday. I'd still be confident of Dragons 13+ even if its close for about 60 minutes.

 

[Godz Illa]

I usually don't mind Canberra. Have kind of a soft spot for some of their players... Campo, TLL, Harrison, Dugan. I was supporting the Raiders on Saturday night, really getting behind them - but they were so brainless, so frustrating, that by fulltime I had turned on them. I'd like to see them punished

 

[Gaba]

:lol:

 

[Firey_Dragon]

I usually don't mind Canberra. Have kind of a soft spot for some of their players... Campo, TLL, Harrison, Dugan. I was supporting the Raiders on Saturday night, really getting behind them - but they were so brainless, so frustrating, that by fulltime I had turned on them. I'd like to see them punished

I didn't mind the Raiders last year, but this year I've really enjoyed seeing them get smashed week after week for some reason. It might have something to do with the commentators constantly talking up how brilliant Campese was, even if he did nothing in a game at the start of the season. I would like to see them smashed again this weekend, but this is a danger game for us, they're never easy beats at home and you never know which side will show up for them. I can see this game going one of two ways, we lose to them narrowly or we beat them by 20-30... I hope it's the latter.

 

[jpaciocco91]

We might win this by 1-12

 

[skeepe]

Poore, Scott and Prior all looking at missing this one through suspension. That'll help.

 

[Jason Maher]

Poore is easy enough to cover with Hunt. Prior has been out a fair bit in recent times, so we should be able to cover him. Scott is the one that worries me. He is an absolute defensive gun, and is Soward's body gurad. Goes alright with the ball as well.

 

[jondy]

If the raiders win it will have nothing to do with players being suspended ,their backups have performed brilliantly when needed this year. If the raiders are good enough to win I feel they would have been good enough to win anyway with Poore ,Prior and Scott playing. The players that come in will see it as a great chance to put their claims in for a permanent berth in the side and the dragons are going to lose zilch in these suspensions

 

[skeepe]

Just as a bit of trivia, in 2008 the Dragons had won 7 in a row coming into a clash with the Raiders, were widely expected to beat them and lost.

In 2009, the Dragons have won 7 in a row coming into a clash with the Raiders and are widely expected to beat them...

 

[sting]

meh, a bit of a nothing game really.

i'd like us to win and break the hoodoo, but won't be terribly concerned if we don't

 

[Firey_Dragon]

Just as a bit of trivia, in 2008 the Dragons had won 7 in a row coming into a clash with the Raiders, were widely expected to beat them and lost.

In 2009, the Dragons have won 7 in a row coming into a clash with the Raiders and are widely expected to beat them...

We're a sh*teload better than we were in 2008, and you guys are a sh*teload worse. I'm not saying I'm confident about this game, because I'm not given we'll probably have 4 of our stars on the sidelines. However previous trends go right out the window this year with this team, we are far better drilled than any other dragons team in the last decade or two.