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The Canberra Raiders will be refreshed off a bye when they take on the Penrith Panthers, who have been named with four Origin starts backing up. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 6pm (AEST).
Penrith will be up against it in this one. While they also had a bye last week and for the most part will be fresh, Nathan Cleary, James Maloney, Tyrone Peachey and Reagan Campbell-Gillard finished State of Origin less than 48 hours ago.
It would be hardly a surprise to see coach Anthony Griffen use some of his reserves to give the troops a rest, given the ferocity and pace at which Origin was played. They have all flown directly to Canberra, but the final make-up of the Panthers team remains to be seen.
If they do play though, the chance of fatigue setting in during the second half is extreme, but then, that’s where the twist comes.
As much as the Raiders have been solid at times this year, their play at the back-end of games trying to close them out has been atrocious.
There are numerous examples across the season, including in their last two games against the Dragons (loss) and Sea Eagles (win by one point) where they have dropped the ball, made poor decisions and generally been sloppy when it has counted in the last 20 minutes.
The Raiders also have Josh Papalii backing up, but he hasn’t been the reason they are losing games in the last 20.
Their win over the Sea Eagles last week came after two straight losses which has left them outside the top eight, and on form alone, the Panthers would otherwise be favourites, with the men from the foot of the mountains beating the then league-leading Dragons before the bye to sit equal first with the Red V.
If the Raiders are going to challenge the first-placed side, they need plenty of production out of their halves. Blake Austin and Aiden Sezer have been inconsistent, but if they can put together a strong kicking game for 80 minutes and control the game that way, they will go a long way towards winning.
The other point to raise is the record in Canberra. While even overall between the two sides, the Panthers historically have won just nine games in 28 trips to the nation’s capital, so it’s not a happy hunting ground.
Prediction
The Raiders are in dire straights on the ladder even after a win and a bye. They need to build some form over an Origin window where they are relatively unaffected, so a win here is crucial and at home, they should do so in a close one.
Raiders by 7.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this Round 14 encounter from 6pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.