YTD +2.70 Units / Last night 2-1
Wests Tigers v Canberra Raiders
Leichhardt Oval
Saturday 11:59pm EST
These may not be your father's Raiders or Tigers, but that doesn't mean there won't be a dash of the old school when the rival clubs meet on Sunday afternoon.
For starters – and we might be getting a little overzealous about this – the 70 per cent chance of rainfall on Sunday afternoon could generate flashbacks to those mudbaths of yesteryear. And you'd be surprised to know the Leichhardt locals are still into that kind of thing.
Secondly, even back in the '90s, the bouts between rival halfbacks Jason Taylor and Ricky Stuart were compelling affairs. One was a point-scoring wizard while the other was a tactical one.
Now the two icons with plenty to prove in the coaching box – and a cascade of promising juniors to do it with – are right in the thick of their respective club's rebuilding phases, where the kids are many but the wins are few.
And thirdly, while former Tiger Blake Austin and his bleached goatee isn't exactly from the '80s, there's nothing like an ex-flame wanting to flaunt the new (green) figure they've got – especially now that he's worn the same number on the back for six games running.
It all makes for an intriguing showdown at the picturesque venue between two sides that, after their no-show at the finals last year, want to remain relevant for as long as they can in 2015.
The Tigers threw it away in the first half over of their 32-22 defeat in Auckland, giving up three tries in 17 minutes to ensure the Warriors kicked on well into the night for Manu Vatuvei's 200th.
Taylor named an unchanged 17 on Tuesday, adding hooker Joel Luani to an extended bench.
The Raiders, meanwhile, coughed out a doughnut in the second half of their 14-10 loss against Melbourne. They completed more sets and committed fewer errors than the Storm, but struck out in the final 55 minutes and came up empty-handed.
Stuart also stuck with the same line-up, despite Shaun Fensom leaving the field last week. Jordan Rapana returns from suspension as 18th man.
Watch Out Tigers: He doesn't come on until about the 20th-minute mark, but Raiders forward Paul Vaughan has quietly become one of their most valuable big men. The third-year pro is averaging 162 metres a game, putting him in the same breath as fellow metre-eaters Paul Gallen (216 per game), Aaron Woods (216), Jesse Bromwich (173), Trent Merrin (172) and Jason Taumalolo (172).
Watch Out Raiders: Tigers fullback James Tedesco is in red hot form. He drew singles along his statline last week for tries, try assists, offloads, line breaks, and line break assists in an effective outing against the Warriors last week. The only multiple stat he recorded was in tackle breaks, where his team-high six for the match took him to a competition-high 38 on the season. The next best? Dane Gagai, Jamal Idris and Josh Dugan on 26. That's elite-level company, too.
Key Match-Up: Jason Taylor v Ricky Stuart. Two former champion halfbacks go head to head in an intriguing battle up in the grandstands. The Tigers are forging a new identity under the tutelage of Taylor, who is slowly extracting the endless amount of potential out of the prodigious Concord Kids. Meanwhile the Raiders have already shown improvement over the first six weeks in Ricky Stuart's second year in charge, most notably with some striking efforts from Austin and under-rated hooker Josh Hodgson.
The History: Played 28; Wests Tigers 17, Raiders 11. No other NRL club has suffered more defeats at the hands of the joint venture club than the Raiders, who have gone down 17 times since the Wests Tigers were formed in 2000. In fact, the Concord-based club have dominated their counterparts for the past six seasons, winning 10 of their past 12 clashes.
What Are The Odds: Tigers $1.42 v Raiders $2.85. Sportsbet has been inundated by punters wishing to take the Tigers to win conceding 7.5 points.
Match Officials: Referee – Henry Perenara; Assistant Referee – Gavin Reynolds; Touch Judges – Chris Sutton & Anthony Eliott; Video Referees – Matt Ceccin & Luke Patten.
The Way We See It: The sides are evenly-matched on form, but we just can't see how the Raiders are going to stop in-form Leichhardt boy Aaron Woods on his home turf for the first time this year, and possibly second-last time ever. His output alone could be the difference against a Raiders pack that doesn't quite match-up to the Tigers' one. Tigers by eight.
Sleepy's Official Pick - Tigers -8.5
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Newcastle Knights v Parramatta Eels
Hunter Stadium
Sunday 2:00am est
In the past fortnight the Knights and Eels couldn't buy a vowel on the wheel of fortune, let alone a win in the NRL.
Both teams have been surprisingly ordinary recently after making promising starts to their seasons.
Newcastle, who have been defeated in the wet in consecutive weeks at the hands of the Sharks and Dragons, will come up against a Parramatta side that hasn't fared much better, losing to the Wests Tigers and the Titans.
Both teams will be desperate to snap their losing streaks on Sunday afternoon, but both have largely stuck with unchanged squads for what's looming as a crucial clash.
Tyler Randell returns to the Knights interchange which also contains young gun Sione Mata'utia.
A returning Richie Fa'aoso has been named 18th man for Parramatta in an otherwise unchanged side that will celebrate the 150th NRL appearances of captain Tim Mannah and halfback Chris Sandow.
Watch out Knights: The Knights' biggest enemy currently is the weather. In their past two games – their only two losses for the year so far – the Knights have drowned under the demands of playing wet weather football. They'll need to make amends quick smart because Sunday's forecast isn't looking good. It'll be a matter of going through the Eels defence this weekend rather than around them in what is looking likely to be another wet affair.
Watch out Eels: Set to play his third game for Newcastle this weekend – if he overcomes a slight shoulder complaint – Tariq Sims looks ready to explode. While his current tally of 116.9 metres and 40.5 tackles per game is an improvement on his last season with North Queensland, Sims is still looking to find much-needed aggression in his game that everyone has come to know and love. Now with some match fitness under his belt, Sims could be in for a big one.
Key Match-Up: Jeremy Smith v Anthony Watmough. They have been rivals since the Sea Eagles and Storm played in consecutive grand finals back in 2007 and 2008 so it makes sense the two locks are the key match-up in this one. Both men have been leading the way for their sides this season, especially Smith who celebrates his 35th birthday this week. Averaging similar numbers in metres made (Smith with 85.3 metres to Watmough's 92.7) and tackles (Smith's 30.5 to Watmough's 34.8) the good form of these men will definitely impact their side's fortunes.
The History: Played 46; Knights 26, Eels 19, Draw 1. Parramatta will become Newcastle's most-played opponent this weekend, alongside the Roosters, and the Knights couldn't be happier about it. The Novocastrians have won their past seven games against the Eels including a huge 42-12 victory in Round 25 last year which all but rubbed out Parramatta's chances of making the finals.
What are the Odds: Knights $1.50; Eels $2.60. There's been more than twice as much money placed on the Eels at what Sportsbet punters believe is a juicy price. Parramatta receiving 6.5 at the line has been identified as the way to go according to the money trail.
Match Officials: Referee – Adam Devcich; Assistant Referee – David Munro; Sideline Officials – Brett Suttor and Phil Henderson; Video Referees – Steve Clark and Luke Phillips.
The Way We See It: With both teams sticking to the losing column for the past fortnight, they'll be desperate to avoid three straight defeats. It's hard to go past Newcastle though. They are at home, they have history on their side and if there's one team that has been going just as bad as the struggling Knights recently, it's Parramatta. Knights by two points.
Sleepy's Official Pick - Knights -6
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Writeup's taken from NRL.com