Fresh off a big win over Parramatta, the Raiders will be looking to make it back-to-back victories when they host the winless Titans at GIO Stadium on Sunday evening.
Match details
- Who: Canberra Raiders vs Gold Coast Titans
- When: Sunday 14 April, 6:15pm AEDT
- Where: GIO Stadium, Canberra
- Weather: min 6, max 22
- Click here for tickets.
- Head-to-head record (2007-now): Played 30. Raiders 17 wins. Titans 13 wins.
Team lists
| RAIDERS | TITANS | |
| Chevy Stewart | 1 | Jayden Campbell |
| James Schiller | 2 | 5 | Jojo Fifita |
| Matt Timoko | 3 | 2 | Harley Smith-Shields |
| Sebastian Kris | 4 | 3 | Brian Kelly |
| Xavier Savage | 5 | 22 | Alofiana Khan-Pereira |
| Ethan Strange | 6 | 4 | AJ Brimson |
| Jamal Fogarty | 7 | | Kieran Foran |
| Josh Papali’i | 8 | Moeaki Fotuaika |
| Danny Levi | 9 | Chris Randall |
| Joseph Tapine | 10 | Jaimin Jolliffe |
| Hudson Young | 11 | David Fifita |
| Zac Hosking | 12 | Beau Fermor |
| Morgan Smithies | 13 | Klese Haas |
| BENCH | ||
| Tom Starling | 14 | Sam Verrills |
| Ata Mariota | 15 | Erin Clark |
| Trey Mooney | 16 | Isaac Liu |
| Pasami Saulo | 17 | Josiah Pahulu |
| RESERVES | ||
| Kaeo Weekes | 18 | 21 | Tony Francis |
| Simi Sasagi | 19 | 20 | Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui |
Teenager Stewart will make his NRL debut after being named at fullback. The 18-year-old replaces 34-year-old Jordan Rapana who will miss 6-8 weeks with a knee injury. Mooney gets his first crack at first grade this season, replacing Corey Horsburgh who will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks with a groin injury. Hosking returns to the second row with Sasagi dropping to the reserves.
Liu comes onto the bench in place of Stimson. Tanah Boyd has been dropped after a poor start to the season, with Brimson shifting to five-eighth and Foran to halfback with Khan-Pereira into the side on the wing.
Referee: Kasey Badger
Season so far
Raiders: 5th (3-2)| 92 points for, 78 points against | WLLWW
Outside of a dismal 50 minutes against Cronulla, the Raiders have been very good this year and responded brilliantly in last week’s 41-8 thrashing of Parramatta.
For the first time in a long time, the Raiders played with real flair. They were prepared to throw the ball around in their own half and let the outside backs use their pace to great effect.
It’s hard to know whether it will be part of the game plan moving forward or if it was just a tactic to exploit Parramatta’s weak outside backs, but it was bloody exciting to watch.
Raiders fans would never feel overly comfortably going into a game, but this matchup gives Canberra the perfect chance to keep their momentum going ahead of more challenging games in the following three weeks (Broncos, Sharks and Manly).
Titans: 16th (0-4) | 40 points for, 125 points against | LLLL
The Titans sit second last on the ladder but they are the only winless team remaining on the ladder and are last for points scored per game (10) and second last for points conceded per game (31.25).
With Des Hasler’s arrival, there was optimism around Gold Coast prior to the season starting, but they have been terribly disappointing so far. Their dreadful start to the season has been compounded by losing skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (ACL) for the season.
Their most recent outing against the Cowboys was probably the best they’ve played all season, and they almost looked like pinching the win late in the 35-22 loss.
The Titans have an incredibly difficult run coming up (Raiders, Manly, Warriors, Storm, Cowboys, Knights and Broncos), so if they can’t turn it around quickly, their season will be done in no time, if it isn’t already.
Last 5 meetings and history at GIO Stadium
- 2023 round 18: Raiders 26 – 22 Titans at GIO Stadium
- 2022 round 20: Titans 24 – 36 Raiders at Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
- 2022 round 3: Raiders 24 – 22 Titans at GIO Stadium
- 2021 round 16: Raiders 6 – 44 Titans at GIO Stadium
- 2021 round 4: Titans 4 – 20 Raiders at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
The Raiders have a terrific recent record over the Titans, winning ten of the previous 12 contests.
There have been a couple of close ones between the sides recently at GIO, including last year when Canberra held on for a four-point win.
They have faced-off in Canberra 14 times, with the Raiders holding a 9-5 edge. Canberra have won four of the last five at GIO, but that one loss was a 44-6 thrashing in 2021.
Players to watch
Raiders – Chevy Stewart: After some solid form in the NSW Cup, the teenager gets his first look at the NRL level. While the hopes are high for his future at the club, fans have been asked to temper their expectations for his debut, which is understandable. You can’t expect too much of an 18-year-old on debut, but hopefully he has some good moments and helps his team to a win. Go well Chevy.
Titans – AJ Brimson: Brimson looks wasted in the centres for the Titans, so the possible switch to his preferred position at fullback makes a lot of sense. The Titans are a far more dangerous side with Brimson at the back, so look for him to be far more involved in this contest than previous weeks.
Pre match predictions
Return of the Hosking: Zac Hosking to score a try in his return to the line up. Raiders by 8.
Strange-e danger: Ethan Strange to back up with another dangerous running performance, registering a line break and a try involvement. Raiders by 12. – Denholm Samaras
Have any predictions of your own? Let us know in the comments below.
Other match details
Gates open: 3:45pm
NSW Cup: 4pm – Raiders (2nd) vs Bulldogs (7th)
The NRL 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).
