Roar Guru
The Canberra Raiders have emerged 42-16 victors over a gallant but injury-ravaged Titans outfit on the Gold Coast.
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Final score
Gold Coast Titans 16
Canberra Raiders 42
Expect plenty of points this afternoon as the Gold Coast Titans host premiership aspirants the Canberra Raiders. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 5:30pm (AEST).
Having suffered three defeats already, the Raiders will be keen to secure back-to-back wins for the first time this year to kick-start a campaign filled with expectation.
Despite their slow start, Canberra are slowly but surely finding their attacking groove. The right-hand combination of Joseph Leilua and Jordan Rapana is flourishing, as demonstrated by recent attacking raids against the Brisbane Broncos and Parramatta Eels.
Despite only having the one win next to their name, Neil Henry’s men always compete and will cause problems if the Green Machine is affected by complacency.
Despite being ravaged by injury, the Gold Coast still possess plenty of talent. Another strong performance from Ash Taylor will aid his evolution as one of the best young halves in the NRL.
His battle with Raiders star Blake Austin should be a beauty. Both players are superb attacking talents and invariably instigate their teams’ offensive plays. Whoever wins that showdown will most likely lead their team to victory.
Overall, the Titans need a win to keep pace with the top eight, while the Raiders need a win to establish the momentum required to challenge for a top-four or top-two finish.
Prediction
While the Titans will give a committed performance, the Raiders possess the class and power upfront required to secure their second straight win.
Raiders by 14