Match day guide and preview for the Raiders 2022 NRL round 14 game against the Broncos.

Match details

Who: Brisbane Broncos vs Canberra Raiders

When: Saturday 11 June 7.35pm

Where: Suncorp Stadium Brisbane

Weather: min 6 max 19, chance of rain 5%

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Head-to-head record: Played 53. Raiders 22 wins. Broncos 30 wins. 1 draw.

Raiders and Broncos team lists

Canberra stars Jack Wighton and Josh Papalii are both expected to back up from Wednesday’s State of Origin. Papalii should be fresh after only playing 22 minutes for Queensland, while Wighton should come back to his club full of confidence after starring for the Blues in Game One. Their returns see Matt Frawley and Trey Mooney drop out of the 17. Corey Harawira-Naera returns from COVID isolation on the bench, while James Schiller will start on the wing for the suspended Jordan Rapana.

Kurt Capewell was not included in the initial squad, with the club resting him after Origin. Kotoni Staggs and Selwyn Cobbo have both been withdrawn from the team, with former Raider Brenko Lee and Jordan Pereira replacing them. Payne Haas was in doubt with a shoulder injury but has been named to take his place. Patrick Carrigan will play after his outstanding debut for Queensland. Skipper and star halfback Adam Reynolds returns and will partner Ezra Mam in the halves.

Season so far

Raiders 11^th | 232 points for | 267 points against | 6 wins & 7 losses | WLWWW

The Raiders’ season looked all but over a few weeks ago, but they’ve won four of their last five to reignite their finals hopes.

Three of those wins have come against top 8 sides in the Sharks, Rabbitohs and Roosters, while the one loss was a close-match against fifth-placed Parramatta.

Canberra simply couldn’t play an 80-minute game early in the season, but they’ve certainly done that recently, with their defensive resolve improving considerably.

The early season struggles have put the Raiders in a real fight for a finals spot, but their recent wins have shown they’re capable of making it.

Broncos 4^th | 268 points for | 205 points against | 8 wins & 4 losses | WWWWW

The Broncos have been one of the most improved teams this season and are riding high on a six match win streak.

Reynolds has made a big different to the side, while some of their young forwards have taken the next step.

While their attack has looked lethal in recent weeks, scoring over 30 points in their last four matches, it’s defensively where they have improved the most.

After conceding 31.2 points per game in 2020 and 29 points per game in 2021, Brisbane have shown far more effort in defence this year, conceding just 17.1 points per game this season.

Last 5 meetings and Suncorp Stadium history

• 2021 round 14: Raiders 38 – 16 at GIO Stadium
• 2020 round 14: Raiders 36 – Broncos 8 at GIO Stadium
• 2019 round 6: Raiders 26 – Broncos 22 at GIO Stadium
• 2018 round 16: Broncos 26 – Raiders 22 at Suncorp Stadium
• 2017 round 16: Raiders 20 – Broncos 30 at GIO Stadium

The Raiders have won the last three straight against the Broncos, including back-to-back floggings in the last two years.

The combined score line in the last two matches is 74 – 24 in favour of Canberra, but they’ll come up against a vastly improved Broncos side on Saturday.

Canberra have had a difficult time playing the Broncos at Suncorp, losing the last five straight, with the last win coming all the way back in 2010.

Canberra haven’t been too far off in the last two clashes at Suncorp, with Brisbane winning by four points in 2018 and one point in 2017.

Player spotlight

Joseph Tapine

Tapine has been simply outstanding for the Raiders this season and emerged as one of the best front rowers in the NRL.

The 28-year-old was one of the few shining lights for the Raiders during their early season troubles but has gone to another level recent weeks.

With Papalii missing against the Roosters last week, Tapine stepped up big time with 209 run metres (including 97 post contact), five tackle breaks and three offloads along with some great shots in defence.

His ability to stand in tackles with three blokes hanging off him is remarkable and he now sits first in the NRL for total post contact metres and is the highest ranking forward for total metres run.

The Raiders are coming up against some quality forwards for the Broncos, so they’ll need the Kiwi international to continue his blistering form.

Patrick Carrigan

With so much noise around Haas and Reynolds at the Broncos, Carrigan’s quality has gone somewhat unnoticed this season. But that is set to change after his brilliant debut performance for Queensland on Wednesday night.

Coming on after a incredibly fast opening 16 minutes, Carrigan made an immediate impact for the Maroons with a big shot on Wighton and numerous strong carries.

He ended the game having played 64 minutes with 183 run metres, 34 tackles and plenty of praise.

Broncos’ fans wouldn’t have been that surprised to see their star lock play so well given his outstanding form at club level in recent weeks.

The 24-year-old is coming off an ACL injury last season which makes his rise this year even more impressive.

He might be a little bit sore after his Origin efforts, but Carrigan is still as important as anyone heading into this great middle forward battle.

Pre match predictions

Brilliant back up: Wighton to back up brilliantly from his Origin effort with a try and a try assist. Raiders by 6

Top prop: Joe Tapine to assert himself as one of the NRL’s best front rowers by outrunning Payne Haas. Raiders by 2. – Denholm Samaras

Other match details

The match will be broadcast live on and Fox League channel 502 at 4pm. It is also available to stream on Kayo. Overseas fans can watch via Watch NRL.

You can listen to the match on Raiders on Mix (Mix106.3 FM), Radio 2CC (1206 AM) and ABC Grandstand (666 ABC AM).

Have any pre match predictions of your own? Let us know in the comments below.