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The Canberra Raiders will be hunting their first win of 2018 when they play host to the Canterbury Bulldogs. Join The Roar from 7:50pm (AEST) for live coverage.
Canberra sit alongside the Parramatta Eels at the bottom of the ladder, the only two winless teams after four weeks of competition.
The Raiders have been criticised for their inability to close out matches following tight losses against the Titans, Knights and Warriors in the first three rounds, before being heavily defeated by the Sea Eagles 32-16 at Brookvale Oval last weekend.
Ricky Stuart’s job is on the line, with his halves pairing unsettled as he picks between Aidan Sezer, Sam Williams, Ata Hingano and Blake Austin.
Both Sezer and Williams will start in this crucial clash, with Hingano coming off the bench again and Austin in the extended squad after starring for Mounties in NSW Cup.
Josh Papalii has been dropped, with Liam Knight taking his spot on the interchange, while Luke Bateman moves to lock and Elliott Whitehead to the back row.
The battle in the middle of the park will be hotly contested, both teams possessing big forward packs. The Raiders’ pack must lay the platform for their strong outside backs to combine with the halves through utilising their second row’s high work ethic and tiring the Canterbury pack.
Adam Elliott moves into the Bulldogs’ starting side, with Aiden Tolman sidelined with high-grade syndesmosis, bringing Kerrod Holland onto the bench.
As the Dogs’ engine room is more mobile than the Green Machine, the main objective will be to keep the ball in the middle of the park, tiring the forwards and using Moses Mbye and Michael Lichaa’s speed around the ruck to poke holes in the defence.
Canterbury have dominated in matches against the Raiders, with 37 wins from 65 outings. In the 23 games played in the Nation’s Capital, the Bulldogs have won 13, while Canberra have been victorious on ten occasions.
Prediction
The Raiders will remain winless, with Canterbury-Bankstown to regain their mojo off the back of their forward pack.
Bulldogs by 8.
Join The Roar from 7:50pm (AEST) for score updates and debate in our live blog.
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