Sunday afternoon will see the Sydney Roosters commute to the Australian Capital Territory to take on the Canberra Raiders, and with both teams foregoing their Origin stars, the two points this week will be pivotal.
Recent History: Sydney Roosters vs Canberra Raiders
At the halfway mark of the 2022 season, the Roosters are in 6th position on the Premiership ladder with seven wins from twelve matches, while the Raiders are 10th with five victories to their name.
Against one another, the Tricolours have a 56% winning rate over the green machine, having won 38 of their 68 encounters since 1982, with the most famous being the climactic 2019 Grand Final.
In recent years, Easts have won three of the last four and six of the last eight matches and breached the 40-point mark in both encounters in 2021 in Round 12 and 25 respectively.
Heading down to GIO Stadium will be a different assignment, however, as the Roosters have only come away with eight wins from their 22 ventures at the venue.
How They Line Up
With both sides affected by State of Origin duties, there will be some big changes to the line ups that we've been used to seeing - with a number of men on the fringes taking the field.
Trent Robinson has been forced into several changes to his team list this week, with James Tedesco, Daniel Tupou and Lindsay Collins unavailable for selection.
Joey Manu shifts to fullback, which sees Kevin Naiqama return to the side after a strong performance for the Bears last weekend and he will partner with Paul Momirovski in the centres.
Match: Raiders v Roosters
Round 13 -
home Team
Raiders
away Team
Roosters
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Raiders is number 1 Xavier SavageFullback for Roosters is number 1 Joseph Manu
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Winger for Raiders is number 2 Nick CotricWinger for Roosters is number 2 Billy Smith
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Centre for Raiders is number 3 Matthew TimokoCentre for Roosters is number 3 Paul Momirovski
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Centre for Raiders is number 4 Sebastian KrisCentre for Roosters is number 4 Kevin Naiqama
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Winger for Raiders is number 5 Jordan RapanaWinger for Roosters is number 5 Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i
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Five-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Matt FrawleyFive-Eighth for Roosters is number 6 Sam Walker
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Halfback for Raiders is number 7 Jamal FogartyHalfback for Roosters is number 7 Luke Keary
Forwards
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Prop for Raiders is number 8 Corey HorsburghProp for Roosters is number 10 Siosiua Taukeiaho
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Hooker for Raiders is number 9 Zac WoolfordHooker for Roosters is number 9 Drew Hutchison
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Prop for Raiders is number 10 Joseph TapineProp for Roosters is number 15 Fletcher Baker
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2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Hudson Young2nd Row for Roosters is number 11 Angus Crichton
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2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead2nd Row for Roosters is number 12 Sitili Tupouniua
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Lock for Raiders is number 13 Adam ElliottLock for Roosters is number 13 Nat Butcher
Interchange
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Interchange for Raiders is number 14 Tom StarlingInterchange for Roosters is number 14 Connor Watson
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Interchange for Raiders is number 15 Ryan SuttonInterchange for Roosters is number 16 Egan Butcher
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Interchange for Raiders is number 17 Trey MooneyInterchange for Roosters is number 17 Terrell May
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Interchange for Raiders is number 18 James SchillerInterchange for Roosters is number 19 Daniel Suluka-Fifita
Reserves
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Replacement for Raiders is number 19 Harry RushtonReplacement for Roosters is number 18 Lachlan Lam
Match Officials
- Referee: Adam Gee
- Touch Judge: Kasey Badger
- Touch Judge: Drew Oultram
- Senior Review Official: Chris Butler
Last updated:
Naiqama ran for 194 running metres and set up two tries at North Sydney Oval, while also notching two linebreaks, a linebreak assist and four tackle busts.
Another strong Bears performer was Billy Smith, who comes into the team to take Tupou's place on the wing. He will line up alongside Joseph Suaalii, who is set to return from Origin camp in time for Sunday's game.
The halves are unchanged, with Sam Walker and Luke Keary in the No.6 and No.7 jerseys respectively. Keary will captain the side in Tedesco's absence.
With Collins unavailable, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves will be joined by Siosiua Taukeiaho in the front row, while Drew Hutchison will again take the starting dummy half role.
Sitili Tupouniua returns to the starting side in the back row, lining up alongside Angus Crichton while Nat Butcher will lock the scrum for the first time in 2022.
Connor Watson, Fletcher Baker, Egan Butcher and Terrell May make up the interchange bench while Lachlan Lam, Daniel Suluka-Fifita, Adam Keighran, Tom Carr and Ben Marschke are this week's reserves.
The Raiders have a slightly changed line up with big hitters Jack Wighton and Josh Papalii on Origin duty, which sees Matt Frawley recalled into the side at five-eighth while young firebrand Corey Horsburgh lines up in the front row.
Key Match Up: Nat Butcher vs Adam Elliott
Nat Butcher and Adam Elliott get their chance to impress in the starting side this week with injuries and State of Origin forcing changes to their respective sides.
The two workhorses have both moved across the field in 2022, with Butcher moving from the bench to the edge and now into the middle of the field, while Elliott - in his first season with the Raiders - has moved between the back row and hooker.
Fan favourite Butcher has been a mainstay in Red, White and Blue since his debut in 2016, and the reliable forward has been just that so far this season, with two tries, five offloads, 94.4% tackle efficiency and averaging 78 running metres.
Similarly, Elliott has taken his place where required for Canberra, and while he is yet to breach the line, he has offloaded seven times, has a 93.2% efficiency in defence and remarkable has also averaged 78 metres with the ball in hand.
With both sides missing star power this Sunday afternoon, look no further than the reliable middles to produce the foundations as their sides look to claim the all-imortant two competition points.
What They Said
Final Verdict
One of the toughest road trips in the NRL is upon the Sydney Roosters, but we know the resilience and tenacity Trent Robinson's men have displayed throughout the season, and it will be on show once again on Sunday afternoon.
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