Check out the match preview and prediction for the 2025 National Rugby League round 7 clash between the Gold Coast Titans and the Canberra Raiders.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Gold Coast Titans vs Canberra Raiders
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast.
Date: Sunday April 20, 14:00 (ADST)
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Titans: 1. Jaylan De Groot 2. Tony Francis 3. Brian Kelly 4. Phillip Sami 5. Jojo Fifita 6. AJ Brimson 7. Jayden Campbell 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Sam Verrills 10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 11. David Fifita 12. Beau Fermor 13. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 14. Chris Randall 15. Klese Haas 16. Jaimin Jolliffe 17. Iszac Fa’asumaleaui 18. Arama Hau 19. Allan Fitzgibbon 20. Josiah Pahulu 21. Tom Weaver 22. Jacob Alick-Wiencke
Raiders: 1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Savelio Tamale 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Corey Horsburgh 9. Tom Starling 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Matt Nicholson 13. Morgan Smithies 14. Owen Pattie 15. Zac Hosking 16. Josh Papali’i 17. Ata Mariota 18. Pasami Saulo 19. Simi Sasagi 20. Jed Stuart 21. Trey Mooney 22. Danny Levi
Referee: Adam Gee
Bunker: Grant Atkins
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
Early Sunday afternoon kick-off’s returned last week with the end of daylight savings across the country, meaning less dew on the ground, and a potential license for teams to unleash their attack in drier conditions. This has the potential to be a pointsfest and the perfect game to begin Sunday’s action. The Gold Coast Titans look to bounce back after a disappointing showing against the Dragons, losing 38-16. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui makes his return from suspension and will have a job on his hands to try disrupt a hungry Raiders forward pack, while Jojo Fifita is another handy return looking to be the go-to try scorer, while Khan-Pereira remains sidelined.
The Canberra Raiders attack was on fire last week against the Eels in Darwin, winning by a massive 50-12. No surprises that Ricky Stuart has only made the one change, with the luckless Zac Hosking coming back – after missing just over a month with a hand injury – off the interchange bench. The unfortunate omission from the seventeen is Simi Sasagi, who will have to wait patiently for his next call up.
Looking at head-to-head history the Titans seem to be one of the more favoured fixtures on the Raiders calendar as they have won 9 out of their last 10 meetings, not losing on the Gold Coast since 2018. The Raiders in fact have a 61% win record on the Gold Coast since they came into the competition back in 2007. Whilst those statistics are alarming, the very last time they met the Raiders only managed to win by one point in Canberra so it wasn’t complete domination on the scoreboard. The Titans are one of those teams that can be so lethal on their day and it’s disappointing to see them fall short with all the clear potential they have.
This week’s key head-to-head match up is going to be AJ Brimson vs Ethan Strange. Brimson has been in impressive form of late, scoring four tries in his last three games. Even though he has spent the majority of his career as a fullback, he has really been capitalising on the responsibility in the halves for the Titans. Strange seems to be the long-term five-eighth plan for Canberra and looks to be getting more confident and involved every week warming into the season. He will look to add to his three try assists this week looking to exploit the Titans with tricky footwork and balanced decision making.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Raiders by 12 points.
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
Follow Us on Facebook
