A reeling Warriors outfit stands between Canberra and their first 3-0 start to an NRL season since 2020.
Not much was expected of the Raiders before the season, but they’ve shot to the top of the ladder behind a pair of plucky wins ahead of their trip to Christchurch for Friday’s showdown.
In contrast, the Warriors have flashed ability but have nothing to show from their opening two games with their most recent loss down to Melbourne winger Xavier Coates’s last-minute try.
But Canberra coach Ricky Stuart said his team would be punished if they are complacent and has called for the same steely resolve shown in the opening matches.
“They’ll be desperate, they won’t want to lose three in a row, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to be more desperate – that’s a choice for us,” he said.
“There were times in both games we had to show a little bit of metal, especially last week when the Wests Tigers scored two quick tries and came back to 14-12.
“We showed some strength in our defence instead of panicking, we just consolidated and we moved forward from there and went on and won the game quite well.”
Stuart’s selections raised eyebrows among some fans, relegating in-form second-rower Zac Hosking to the bench to get returning captain Elliott Whitehead straight into the starting side.
He also left Corey Horsburgh out of the NRL side entirely, despite the State of Origin prop having served a four-game suspension he copped at the end of last season.
“The boys love playing with Elliott and it gives me the opportunity to give Zac some time on the bench,” Stuart said.
“He’ll come on at an important part of the game and then continue on his form that he’s had over the last two weeks.”
The Warriors add hooker Wayde Egan to the side that fell 30-26 to the Storm, although he is in some doubt to play with an elbow injury.
Their coach Andrew Webster remains upbeat, declaring an all-encompassing display was just around the corner.
“Our best football is better than most in the NRL which I’m really happy about, but we all know it’s not there for 80 (minutes),” he said.
“We’ve got to get that right … we built a lot of pressure on the Melbourne Storm who are a good footy side.
“If we do it for longer we’ll get what we want … that 80-minute performance is close.”
By Alex Mitchell in Canberra
