Friday night action begins down in Canberra this week for the milestone 300th match for captain Jarrod Croker. Attention will firmly be on the humble leader, especially after coach Stuart opted to rest him last week so he could bring up the milestone in front of home fans. The Raiders will want to honour their captain in the right way, but the Warriors will have other ideas. They will sense an opportunity to spoil the party and solidify their spot in the Top 8.
Check out our best bets for the Raiders vs Warriors clash below, and make sure to head over to our NRL Tips page for more Round 15 previews and betting tips!
NRL Round 15 Preview & Betting Tips
Canberra Raiders vs New Zealand Warriors
GIO Stadium, Friday 9th June, 6pm (AEST)
The Raiders scraped home last week against a fast-finishing Tigers outfit. Gifted a 77th minute penalty meant they were able to kick a goal to edge home 20-19 in a game which could’ve easily gone to their opponents. Leading 18-nil with just over 10 minutes remaining, the Raiders momentum was halted when Tom Starling was sin binned. They were outplayed statistically too; they carried the ball for fewer metres and post contact metres, had 0 line breaks while allowing 7 and missing 50 tackles. This is of concern for them moving forward but they will be pleased by gaining 2 competition points.
The Warriors needed an improved effort following an upset loss to the Broncos in Round 13. On the back of some brilliant individual play by Shaun Johnson, the Warriors easily accounted for the Dolphins 30-8. After a tight first half which saw them leading 6-4 at the break, the Warriors clicked into gear in the second half and their opponents were unable to match them. They dominated with their attack, carrying the ball strongly, creating 9 line breaks, while also being strong in defence in missing just 17 tackles. Such an effort is pleasing to see, and they would benefit from replicating that on a consistent basis.
Emotion will be high in this contest for Jarrod Croker’s 300th match, enhanced by the decision of coach Stuart to rest him as to have him play this game in front of his home fans. The Raiders are strong favourites for this contest ($1.55 vs $2.45), boosted also by the return of Whitehead and Kris. The Warriors are relatively unchanged from last week and are more capable than their price suggests. The home ground advantage is expected to be a factor, with the Raiders having a superior record (58% vs 28%) over their opponents. Despite only winning 5 total games here, the Warriors have enjoyed recent success in the road trip to Canberra, winning 3 out of their past 4 visits. If they are to be successful, it will require another large contribution from Johnson. It is no secret that the Warriors are a better team when he is firing. His current form suggests this is possible, but others will also need to contribute.
The price offered on this game lends one to think that this has been impacted by emotion rather than fact. The concern for the Raiders is their defence and ability to outscore their opponents. While they have recorded high tallies this season (21ppg in attack), they allow an average of 25ppg in defence. The Warriors aren’t exactly the best attacking team (19ppg) but they have a strong structure in defence (18ppg) which keeps them within striking distance in matches. This game should be no different and with several factors generating uncertainty in this result, it is recommended to play it safe and invest around either team winning by less than 10 points, with a slightly larger stake on the match.
Sentimental SGM
Crocker (300th game) & Leiataua (debut) to score @ $11 – 0.25 Units
Either team by 10 points or less
$1.90 (2 Units)
