NRL Round 25 Canberra Raiders v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Previews

The penultimate round of the regular season kicks off down in the nations capital as the competition leading Bulldogs, are hosted by a Raiders team fighting to keep their season alive. Playing "sudden death" football for many rounds now, they have put themselves back into contention with some decent footy. One thing has to be remembered though, their wins have come against sides which are outside those contending for a spot in the Top 8. Yes they have beaten the Sharks and Broncos but both victories came on days when the Raiders were at the best. The problem is though, you can never be sure which Raiders side will show up. Inconsistency has been the best player for the Raiders this season and they must look to build on their good performances if they harbor any thoughts of giving this competition a shake. They could learn a lot off the Bulldogs. Going for 13 wins in a row now they have all but sown up the minor premiership in 2012. They have played tough football that has brought a new dimension into the game with forwards now being ball players to the halves to build upon. At the back for them is the Dally M favorite Ben Barba who has shown on more than one occasion this year that he can score a try from anywhere. Despite their fantastic play, they have also made their own luck to get them over the line in close games. None more so than last Friday night when they prevailed against the Tigers in golden point. Bulldogs fans would want to hope that they are not using up all of their luck just yet. Some people even believe that a loss is ahead for the Bulldogs and is perhaps needed before the finals begin. If the Raiders were to grab a win here, they would have to dominate the Bulldogs in every facet of the game. It is a very rare occasion that the Raiders get a Friday night game so perhaps they are waiting to spring a surprise on the viewers and make a case for more games in this time slot. It will be a tough and exciting game, so lets try to profit from it.

Canberra Raiders
As mentioned above, the Raiders are pushing hard for a finals spot. After a few half decent performances that has seen them rise up the table, they have almost named exactly the same team each week. This week see's a similar occurrence with subtle changes. Glen Buttriss is back into the starting side at hooker for Travis Waddell and will be looking to nail down this spot on a perminant basis with a very dominanting performance. He has to get the big Canberra forwards rolling over the advantage line each tackle to give their outside backs ample room. They have named an extended bench this week and the good news there is that one of the players which has been added is Tom Learoyd-Lahrs who is making a return for injury. It was only two seasons ago that this guy was pulling on a NSW jersey and he would be desperate to return to that same vain of form. It would be very unlikely that he will be the player that is dropped off the bench. Another big game will be needed from their halves. McCrone and Williams can steer the team around the park very well but they are yet to be proven as a quality combination when working under pressure. The Bulldogs defence will be sure to test them here. If they are off, it limits how much ball their outside backs see with room to move.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
With a winning side that is getting the job done, why would there be a need to change the side. Des Hasler has always thrived on consistency within his squad and he has certainly reached a level this year that he can be proud of. They have named an extended bench, like last week, but it is just 5 players this week in stead the 6 named in Round 24. The player that makes way altogether is Joel Romelo. Each week people have expected the Bulldogs to fall over and suffer a lost which would bring them "back to earth". Yet their defence has won them several tough games and their ability to get through the pressure games has served them well. A little bit of luck has seen them through as well but when you are playing great football, you almost make your own luck. At other times, individual brillance from Ben Barba and a few others has done the job for them. Either way, their position is well deserved and you would expect them to be a big chance of winning any game at this stage. Hopefully they have not peaked too early. 

Recent History

Overall = Raiders 25 - Bulldogs 33

Last 5 games = Raiders 2 - Bulldogs 3

At Canberra Stadium = Raiders 11 - Bulldogs 7

Odds

TAB Sportsbet = Raiders $2.70 Bulldogs $1.48

Centrebet = Raiders $2.72 Bulldogs $1.48

Sportsbet = Raiders $2.70 Bulldogs $1.48

Betfair = Raiders $2.80 Bulldogs $1.49

Verdict

The Raiders are going to be desperate in this game and will be pulling out every possible option to get a win to keep their season alive. Their team is very volatile at the best of times and it would still take a brave person to take them in this clash. The Bulldogs are a very quality side as their position on the table suggets. Before betting though, you need to put their recent form into perspective. They have only beaten two sides in the Top 8 in the Sharks and the Broncos, both sides who were on a very big slide at that time (and still may be). They really need to lift themselves remarkably here to get a win here. The one thing that may bring the Bulldogs closer to them will be the home ground advantage. Still, the Bulldogs will be hard to beat and are a better side all over the park.

Suggested Bet
Bulldogs @ $1.48

Closer than you think? = Bulldogs 1-12 @ $3 - Yes the Bulldogs can score a lot of points when needed but some teams are beginning to work out how to handle them defensively. The Raiders will be boosted by a home ground advantage and if they can keep the Bulldogs under a tight hold for a while, can limit their winning margin.

First try scorer = Krisnan Inu @ $11 - He should be facing Blake Ferguson in a good centre battle but Ferguson certainly does have his weaknesses in defence. If he gives Inu any room to move he could easily get around him for the first try in this game.

Good luck!
Scooby

@scoobystips