Raiders V Tigers Back Row Battle

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Round 4 Head to Head: Back row battle

Blake Ferguson moving to fullback may be the talking point for many people this week, but Joel Thompson’s start in the back-row alongside Bronson Harrison and Josh Papalii is likely to have just as much of an impact on the result this Monday night.

After a good start to 2012, they face a back row full of internationals from the Tigers, as Adam Blair, Gareth Ellis and Chris Heighington look to atone for a slow start to 2012.

But who will come out on top, and leave their opposition edges in tatters?

Raiders- Scouting Report

The Raiders back-row has started 2012 in good form, despite only grabbing the one win.

Bronson Harrison has rediscovered his offload, producing 6 in the last two games, while Josh Papalii continues to bust tackles and put on big hits.

Joel Thompson has been spectacular in his stints in the back-row off the bench so far in 2012, and while his starting spot comes after Shaun Fensom’s injury, it is definitely not undeserved. His time in the centres means he has good footwork and speed, and Thompson’s line running also is extremely dangerous, particularly running off Josh McCrone this year..

With former Tiger Harrison coming up against the man that replaced him, Gareth Ellis, he will be in for a big game. He has a particularly good record personally against the Tigers, averaging a touch about 3 offloads a game, and 3 tackle breaks.

With Papalii likely to operate in the middle of the park, with Thompson on the right and Harrison on the left, the Raiders will be very dangerous across the field.

Dream Team Scoop: Harrison has got off to a big start this year, averaging 34 points per game at a handy $203,500. His offload is a big scorer most weeks, and with a good history of it against the Tigers, should be a solid contributor this week. A slow first week meant Thompson dropped in price after Round 3, but scores of 49 and 31 since mean he could be a great bench option. Papalii also dropped in price following the Roosters loss, but a score of 47 with plenty for tackles and tackle busts means he is a good fringe option.

Tigers - Scouting Report

An area that has long been a strength of the Tigers is their back-row. The addition of Adam Blair this year bolstered their pack even more, but the results haven’t been seen just yet.

Blair has been strong without being a stand out, while Chris Heighington has been his consistent self, and Gareth Ellis has struggled through injury.

In saying that, always beware of the wounded Tiger. Benji Marshall and Tim Moltzen love using their back rowers as decoy and lead runners in their backline plays, and just like they did against they did against the Sea Eagles, and this will be a key part of their attack.

At the same time, Ellis isn’t adverse to a big hit , and neither is Heighington.

These players will be looking to step up for the Tigers this weekend, after they had a disappointing start to 2012.

Dream Team Scoop: They may all be internationals, but the Tigers back-row have been disappointing DT wise. Blair scored a try in Round 2, which boosted his score, but apart from that he hasn’t been returning big numbers. An injury to Ellis limited his contribution, but he won’t change in price until after this week, and with lower numbers would be a cheaper option in a few weeks. Heighington will be a consistent scorer, and after dropping in price this week, could be a cheap pick up in a few weeks.

Source: Raiders