Fresh off a heart-breaking one-point loss to the Cowboys, the Canberra Raiders now take on the Dolphins in their first NRL match at Redcliffe.
Match details
- Who: Dolphins vs Canberra Raiders
- When: Saturday 11 March 5.30pm AEDT
- Where: Kayo Stadium, Redcliffe
- Weather: min 22 max 27, chance of rain 95%, 22 to 27mm
- The match is sold out
Raiders and Dolphins team lists
Canberra have made just the one change with Albert Hopoate coming onto the wing in place of the suspended Jordan Rapana. Veteran front rower Josh Papalii is still out due to a calf injury.
The Dolphins have also made just the one change, naming Mason Teague to make his NRL debut with Ray Stone out due to bone bruising in his knee.
Round one recap
Raiders 10th | 18 points for | 19 points against | 0 wins & 1 loss
After a poor start, Canberra showed plenty of grit and determination against the Cowboys, but ultimately came away with nothing to show for the effort.
The Raiders were forced to do an extraordinary amount of defending in the opening half and did well to head into the break trailing 18-6 given just how dominant North Queensland were. Canberra was much better in the second half and willed themselves back into the contest to tie it at 18-18, but a Chad Townsend field goal resigned the Raiders to a round one defeat.
There was plenty to take out of the game for Canberra, with the club showing a ton of heart to stay in the contest when it looked like getting ugly. They also had to overcome a couple of crucial HIAs in the second half which certainly didn’t help. The bench was brilliant for the Raiders, with Tom Starling, Emre Guler and Corey Horsburgh all having a huge impact on the game.
On the negative side, the club failed to play consistently for 80 minutes once again and the attack seemed quite clunky in the red zone. However, it is only round one, so you should expect those areas to improve as the season goes on.
Overall there was plenty to like about Canberra’s round one performance, but there is also room for improvement.
Dolphins 3rd | 28 points for | 18 points against | 1 win & 0 losses
The Dolphins were the feel good story of round one, with the new club claiming a historic win over the Roosters in their first NRL match.
Many were expecting the side based in Redcliffe to get thumped, but you can never count out a Wayne Bennett coached side in a big game.
With the match delicately poised, Felise Kaufusi turned the game on its head with three huge hits that swung momentum to the Dolphins. His hit on former teammate Brandon Smith was the moment of the match and showed the importance of the veterans in this young Dolphins side.
The test is now for the Dolphins to back up that incredible round one performance, but Bennett should have them firing for their first match at Redcliffe.
Pre match prediction
Big Red-cliffe Rampage: Corey ‘Big Red’ Horsburgh to run for over 125 metres and score a try in Redcliffe.
Have any predictions of your own? Let us know in the comments below.
Other match details
Gates open at 4pm (AEDT). Tickets are sold out.
The match will be broadcast live on Fox League channel 502 and 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
