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Canberra Raiders 36
Newcastle Knights 22
The Canberra Raiders have put in a dominating performance at GIO Stadium in Canberra on a freezing cold night on the back of a Blake Austrin hatrick to defeat the Newcastle Knights by 14 points.
From the get go the Raiders were the better side, however the Knights hit back late in the second half to flip the score a little bit and it ended closer than what the game probably was.
The Raiders were going a point a minute early on due to their dominance in the ruck and the combination of Sam Williams and Blake Austin. The scoring began in just the second minute when Williams and Austin combined to put Rapana through the line 60 metres out before he linked up again with Austin who ran away to score.
The Raiders continued their early dominance when Austin bagged his second try off the back of some brilliant play from Josh Hodgson at dummy half and then an offload from Paul Vaughan.
The third try of the match, again to the Raiders and Austin was scored in the 15th minute when, on the attack Sam Williams rolled one into the in goal and Austin came through from no where with a crazy chase to score behind the posts.
The Raiders continued their dominance when Jarrod Croker crossed for their fourth try in the 24th minute of the game. They did not look like letting up and the Knights defence didn’t look like holding the Raiders out, however they eventually started to get themselves back into the game.
In the last 10 minutes or so of the second half the Knights controlled all the possession and territory on the field however some incredible defence from the Raiders and poor attacking play from the Knights limited them to just the single try. That try came in the 31st minute to James McManus off some very sloppy play.
At halftime the Raiders were up 24-4.
Coming out in the second half the Knights had to shine if they wanted to get back into the game however when they dropped the ball in their first set and Josh Papalii was able to cross for his first try of the game.
Papalii then crossed for his second try of the game just eight minutes later from a wonderful Sam Williams grubber kick, again Austin involved in the play setting himself out the back and taking attention from the Knights defence.
The Knights then went back to how they finished the first half with a mountain of possession but again the Raiders were able to defend well. The Knights were throwing the ball around and trying everything, Jarrod Mullen making an obvious difference.
Akuila Uate managed to claim a double and Kade Snowden a try, with Mullen playing a hand in all three however too many mistakes and poor attacking options let them down and didn’t give them a chance to win at the end against a tiring Raiders outfit.
In the end a very interesting game, which the Raiders dominated for the most part.
Two sides that badly need a win will do battle in Round 18 as the post-State of Origin period begins with the Canberra Raiders hosting the Newcastle Knights at GIO Stadium in Canberra. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary of this game from 7:30pm (AEST).
Both teams have struggled throughout this season, the Knights more so, but regardless are both sitting well outside the top eight and in bad need of more than just a win tonight if they wish to play in September.
For the Raiders, who are coming off a bye, currently sit in 11th place with six wins – that’s four points out of the top eight. They will also be looking to snap a two game losing streak, which saw probably their worst performance of the season last time out against the Warriors in Auckland.
Meanwhile the Knights, who are also coming off a bye sit in second last place and the top eight is looking a long way away for them. After winning their first four games of the season, they have won just a single game since then, meaning they have won one from their last 11.
In team news the Raiders have only had to make the one change, Joseph Leilua is out due to a condition of his mid-season release that stated he can’t play against the Knights. Jarrod Kennedy replaces him on the bench.
The Knights on the other hand have made a stack of changes. Both Tyrone Roberts and Jarrod Mullen return which means Kurt Gidley goes to fullback and Carlos Tuimivave is out.
Kade Snowden is back at prop which pushes Paterika Vaivai back to 18th man. Jeremy Smith also returns with Robbie Rochow out and David Fa’alogo back on the bench. Chanel Mata’utai is also added to a six man bench.
The biggest point about this game for the Knights could be the performance of Tyrone Roberts. The Knights of course signed Trent Hodkinson for next year and this puts Tyrone Roberts spot under massive pressure. He will be keen to reverse his season form so far with a strong performance.
The combination of Blake Austin, Sam Williams and Josh Hodgson has proved to be a deadly one so far this season for the Raiders in certain points and certainly they were the chief destroyers last time these clubs met. If those three can have big games and combine well expect it to take the Raiders a long way to the victory.
The clubs met earlier in the year, and the Raiders dominated that one winning it by 22 points. Now the battle shifts to GIO Stadium and the Knights have only won five from 21 games there, making the task even harder.
Prediction: The Knights just don’t look like winning and the Raiders have way too many attacking weapons. Their defence should be good enough to hold the Knights and I expect them to win by a fair bit.
Raiders by 20.
Join The Roar for live scores and commentary of this match from 7:30pm (AEST) and don’t forget to leave a comment if you’re following along.