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The Wests Tigers have overcome a week of off-field dramas to keep their finals hopes alive with a thrilling 22-20 win over the Raiders on Sunday afternoon at GIO Stadium.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Canberra Raiders 20
Wests Tigers 22
The Wests Tigers have their season on the line when they take on the Canberra Raiders at GIO Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting at 2pm (AEST).
The Raiders may have little to play for, but they showed just how dangerous they can be in the first 60 minutes of last week’s clash against Penrith.
Ricky Stuart’s men stormed to a 26-12 lead at halftime and were still in front by seven points with just under ten minutes remaining.
However, in an all-too-familiar ending, Canberra – who have the fourth-worst defence in the competition – crumbled yet again to fall 40-31.
Attack has never been an issue for the Green Machine, having scored the most points out of any team in the competition this year, despite winning just eight games. What’s more, they have posted over 46 points in their past four games against the Tigers.
The focus now has to be on defence, because if they get that right it will ensure the league’s perennial underachievers finally fulfil their potential.
Meanwhile, the Wests Tigers kept their slim finals hopes alive last week with a hard-fought 25-16 win over Newcastle.
The victory did come at a cost though, with winger Corey Thompson’s ankle injury seeing him ruled out for the season. He will be replaced by Malakai Watene-Zelezniak.
Unfortunately, their focus has been diverted away from September and towards off-field issues this week, with the Ivan Cleary fiasco.
How the players respond to all the drama will be an indicator of where the club’s at – with their season on the line, a poor performance may suggest relationships with Cleary are fractured.
Canberra have been continually let down by poor game management in the late stages of games. Conversely, Wests halfback Luke Brooks has been one of the most improved players of the competition in 2018, his kicking game having guided the Tigers to several wins this year.
Prediction
The worst attack in the competition comes up against the best this week. Defence may remain an issue for Canberra, but it shouldn’t be too much of an issue if they continue to score points.
Raiders by 12.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting at 2pm (AEST).
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