The Canberra Raiders Cup competitions are back this weekend, with four blockbuster first grade clashes highlighting the first round of action.
Match of the Round: Belconnen United Sharks v Goulburn City Bulldogs, NSWRL HQ Bruce Saturday April 2nd
This weekend’s match of the round will feature the Belconnen United Sharks and the Goulburn City Bulldogs, with both sides looking to get their season rolling with a big win on Saturday afternoon.
After a tough 2021 where Belconnen couldn’t quite find consistency before the competition shut down, 2022 shapes up to be a massive year for the club.
The NRL experienced Shaun Fensom will line up alongside an abundance of talent, including Monaro Colts representative players Tevita Aroha-Tuinauvai and Sonny Tupuola, both of whom will be looking to translate their rep form into the first-grade competition.
According to first grade captain Matt Woolnough it has been a promising off season for Belconnen, culminating in a big final few weeks before the season kicks off.
“We have made a few progressions, added a couple of final touches to our preparations. We are looking good with the ball; it has been pretty impressive actually over the last few weeks,” Woolnough said.
“It has been building really nicely coming up to the first round.”
After a fifth-place finish in 2021 the Goulburn City Bulldogs are looking to go one better this season, with their eyes firmly set on a finals push in 2022.
The side have had some major turn over heading into their new campaign, losing the likes of Jesse Martin and Isaac Walker to other clubs.
The pair have however been replaced with both young guns and returning veterans, all of which will be big additions to the club.
Assistant coach Adam McLaurie has been pleased with the pre-season so far, and despite the player turnover is confident in the squad that he has assembled heading into round one this weekend.
“We have had a good off season. We have had some ex-players and some juniors come back this year after a couple of years off, which has really boosted the ranks for us,” he said.
More:
https://www.raiders.com.au/news/2022/04/01/canberra-raiders-cup-2022-round-1-preview/
Topic: Canberra Raiders Cup 2022: Round 1 Preview
