Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers

[Archie]

Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers

Canberra Stadium, Sunday 2pm (AEST)
Last meeting: Tigers 34-24 at Campbelltown Stadium (rd 3, 2011)
Stats: Head-to-head
Referees: Ashley Klein, Gerard Sutton
TV: Live, FoxSports 2
TAB Sportsbet: Raiders $1.80, Tigers $2.00
FootyTab: Tigers +2.5

Greg Prichard writes: The Raiders have been the biggest disappointment so far this season. They opened with a slashing win at home over the Sharks, but have since lost six in a row. They have had some issues with injuries, and veteran halfback Matt Orford has struggled with his form, but they should still be doing much better than that. Orford has missed the last two rounds through injury, but returns for this game. Josh Dugan showed glimpses of his best when he returned from injury at fullback last weekend, but the Raiders need their forwards to start firing before they can hope to win.

The Tigers have been up and down this season. They have had significant injury problems, but that hasn't always been an excuse. Last weekend, against the Broncos, they conceded soft tries and lost the forward battle. After trailing by 19 points at halftime, the Tigers fought back to be just seven points down, but Broncos captain Darren Lockyer finished them off with an individual try. The Raiders will surely be desperate, so if the Tigers hope to beat them on the road they are going to have to produce a very committed performance.

RAIDERS: Josh Dugan, Blake Ferguson, Jarrod Croker, Joel Thompson, Daniel Vidot, Josh McCrone, Matt Orford, Dane Tilse, Glen Buttriss, David Shillington, Trevor Thurling, Bronson Harrison, Shaun Fensom. Interchange: Alan Tongue (capt), Josh Miller, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, Brett White.

WESTS TIGERS: Wade McKinnon, Mitch Brown, Blake Ayshford, Tim Moltzen, Matt Utai, Benji Marshall, Robert Lui, Andrew Fifita, Robbie Farah (capt), Keith Galloway, Simon Dwyer, Liam Fulton, Chris Heighington. Interchange: Beau Ryan, Alan Schirnack, Bryce Gibbs, Aaron Woods. Referees: Ashley Klein, Gerard Sutton.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald