Match day guide and preview for the Raiders Round 16 game against the Titans.
Who, when and where?
Canberra Raiders vs Gold Coast Titans
Saturday 3 July, 5.30pm
GIO Stadium, Canberra
Tickets available to purchase here until Friday 6pm. GIO Stadium is currently at 100% capacity, click here for conditions of entry.
Head-to-head record: Played 27. Raiders 14 wins. Titans 12 wins. 1 draw.
Ladder position and recent form
Canberra Raiders 10th | 277 points for | 343 points against | 5 wins & 9 losses | LWLLL
The Raiders have won just two of their last ten matches and gave up another double-digit lead against the Dragons last round.
They led 20-8 partway through the second half before letting in three straight tries in yet another heartbreaking loss.
Canberra have shown they’re capable of playing some good footy, but they need to start playing the full 80 minutes to win games consistently.
Gold Coast Titans 13th | 342 points for | 436 points against | 5 wins & 10 losses | LLLLW
The Titans have shown glimpses of improvement this season but now find themselves on a four-match losing streak.
They were towelled up by the Sharks before losing two close contests against the Storm and Roosters. Then last round, they led Manly 24-8 at half time before conceding 48 unanswered points in a horror second half performance.
They were well hyped up at the start of the season but they need to start winning now to even make the eight.
Raiders and Titans team lists
| Raiders | Titans | |
| Bailey Simonsson | 1 | Alexander Brimson |
| Semi Valemei | 2 | Phillip Sami |
| Jarrod Croker | 3 | Brian Kelly |
| Seb Kris | 4 | Patrick Herbert |
| Jordan Rapana | 5 | Corey Thompson |
| Jack Wighton | 6 | Ashley Taylor |
| Sam Williams | 7 | Jamal Fogarty |
| Josh Papalii | 8 | Jarrod Wallace |
| Josh Hodgson | 9 | Erin Clark |
| Dunamis Lui | 10 | Tino Fa’asuamaleaui |
| Corey Harawira-Naera | 11 | Kevin Proctor |
| Elliott Whitehead | 12 | David Fifita |
| Ryan Sutton | 13 | Tyrone Peachey |
| Bench | Bench | |
| Tom Starling | 14 | Beau Fermor |
| Emre Guler | 15 | Sam Lisone |
| Sia Soliola | 16 | Moeaki Fotuaika |
| Joe Tapine | 17 | Jaimin Jolliffe |
| Reserves | Reserves | |
| Matthew Timoko | 18 | Sam Stone |
| Hudson Young | 19 | Sam McIntyre |
| Matt Frawley | 20 | Mitch Rein |
| Ryan James | 21 | Jayden Campbell |
| Coach | Coach | |
| Ricky Stuart | Justin Holbrook |
Canberra Raiders
Raiders’ co-captain Jarrod Croker returns for his first game since round 7 against the Cowboys.
His inclusion at left centre sees Seb Kris move to right centre with the unlucky Matt Timoko dropping to 18th man.
Jack Wighton and Josh Papalii will back up and play after playing State of Origin on Sunday night.
Gold Coast Titans
The Titans welcome back a host of first choice players with AJ Brimson, Corey Thompson, Kevin Proctor, Sam Lisone and Beau Fermor all in.
David Fifita, Moeaki Fotuaika and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui are all set to back up from State of Origin.
Last 5 meetings
- 2021 Round 4: Titans 4 – 20 Raiders at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
- 2020 Round 15: Titans 16 – 36 Raiders at Cbus Super Stadium
- 2020 Round 1: Raiders 24 – 6 Titans at GIO Stadium
- 2019 Round 1: Titans 0 – 21 Raiders at Cbus Super Stadium
- 2018 Round 9: Raiders 32 – 18 Titans at GIO Stadium
The Raiders have dominated the Titans in recent times, winning the last five matches with a total score of 133-44.
Canberra got the better of them earlier this season in a dour game with the Titans missing their halves.
The players to watch
Raiders – Corey Harawira-Naera (CHN)
Harawira-Naera has been one of the few Raiders players to improve as the season has progressed.
He has now scored two tries in the past two weeks and ran for 109 metres against the Dragons.
The Raiders prefer to attack down the left side of the field, but they look more dangerous when CHN gets involved on the right, especially with his ability to get a late offload away.
If Canberra can get CHN one on one with Ash Taylor enough times, he should be too strong and could cause all sorts of mayhem for the Titans defence.
Titans – David Fifita
The Raiders made a point to target Fifita when they met earlier this season and he wasn’t anywhere near his destructive best.
The big money recruit has copped a bit of flack for not performing consistently but he still has 10 tries for the season and averages 139 run metres per game so he’s hardly the Titans biggest concern right now.
The Titans will look to him to provide a spark in attack as per usual and it will be up to the Raiders right edge to stop him.
Pre match predictions
Off the back fence: Corey Harawira-Naera to continue his hot streak of form with the ball, crossing for a try and running over 100m. – Denholm Samaras
Peachey keen: Tyrone Peacheyto play well for the Titans with two try-assists in a losing effort.
Other match details
Sam Williams will play his 100th NRL match while Jordan Rapana will play his 150th.
Tickets will not be available to purchase at the venue on match day. This is to ensure the safety of everyone attending the match.
Under current Heath Directions, patrons entering the stadium, traversing indoor spaces, or using lifts to get to their outdoor seating do not need to wear a face mask, however, they are encouraged to carry one on them and wear it if they feel comfortable to do so.
The NRL match is live on Fox League Channel 502 at 5.30pm. You can also stream it live on KAYO.
You can listen to the game on MIX (106.3), Radio 2CC Canberra (1206AM) and 666 ABC Canberra.
Gates open 3.40pm
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