Canberra Raiders (2nd) vs Manly Sea Eagles (7th) Sunday 21 June 4.05pm @Campbelltown Stadium
These two sides have built up a healthy rivalry over the past few seasons with some hard-fought contests and close finishes.
The Raiders returned to the defensive game style that has been so successful for them over the past 18 months last round and will be looking to show that effort and intensity again.
However, Manly pose more of a threat in attack than the Tigers did last week and, with the likes of Tom Trbojevic, Dylan Walker and Daly Cherry-Evans, it will take a full 80-minute effort.
The Raiders have been boosted by the return of Corey Horsburgh and Hudson Young for the battle of two heavyweight forward packs, while Dunamis Lui and Bailey Simonsson drop out of the 17.
Manly were lucky to escape with a win last week against the Broncos and, given the form the Broncos are in, they will need to improve on that performance to win this match.
They were down 18-0 in the first half but managed to claw their way back and win 20-18 with a strong second-half showing.
They will be without Martin Taupau and Moses Suli, who are both out injured and are key players for the Manly side.
Key Matchups
Josh Papalii vs Addin Fonua-Blake
Two of the largest men in the NRL will go head to head in what should be a physical clash. Papalii has been solid for the Raiders but below his outstanding best that he showed last season so will be keen to show he’s still the premier front-rower in the competition. Fonua-Blake ran for a whopping 254 metres last week and has proven a thorn in the side of the Raiders in the past.
George Williams vs Daly Cherry-Evans
Williams has been a tremendous addition to the Raiders side since coming over from England with his short kicking game a real feature. Cherry-Evans is an incredibly experienced halfback in the NRL and controls his side very well.
Full teams:
| Raiders | Manly | ||
| 1 | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | 1 | Tom Trbojevic |
| 2 | Jordan Rapana | 2 | Tevita Funa |
| 3 | Jarrod Croker | 3 | Brad Parker |
| 4 | Curtis Scott | 4 | Brendan Elliot |
| 5 | Nick Cotric | 5 | Reuben Garrick |
| 6 | Jack Wighton | 6 | Dylan Walker |
| 7 | George Williams | 7 | Daly Cherry-Evans |
| 8 | Josh Papalii | 8 | Addin Fonua-Blake |
| 9 | Josh Hodgson | 9 | Danny Levi |
| 10 | Iosia Soliola | 10 | Taniela Paseka |
| 11 | Joseph Tapine | 11 | Joel Thompson |
| 12 | Elliott Whitehead | 12 | Curtis Sironen |
| 13 | Corey Horsburgh | 13 | Jake Trbojevic |
| Bench | Bench | ||
| 14 | Siliva Havili | 14 | Lachlan Croker |
| 15 | Emre Guler | 15 | Jack Gosiewski |
| 16 | Ryan Sutton | 16 | Sean Keppie |
| 17 | Hudson Young | 17 | Morgan Boyle |
| Reserves | Reserves | ||
| 18 | Dunamis Lui | 18 | Toafofoa Sipley |
| 19 | Bailey Simonsson | 19 | Abbas Miski |
| 20 | Matt Frawley | 20 | Haumole Olakau’atu |
| 21 | Tom Starling | 21 | Cade Cust |
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