After a decisive win in Las Vegas, the Toyota Forklifts Canberra Raiders will return home to Canberra this weekend to face off against the Brisbane Broncos at GIO Stadium.
Seb Kris and Xavier Savage took out a double with Matthew Timoko nabbing his own, drawing the game into the backline and giving us a taste for what will surely be a battle of the attacking forces in Canberra.
However, with the loss of Joe Tapine and Xavier Savage, the Raiders will need to reshuffle their lineup as they look to build on this momentum and cement themselves as a force to be reckoned with this season.
Meanwhile, Madge’s boys look to be in much higher spirits than last year as they launched their season with a bang, defeating the Roosters 50-14.
All eyes are on GIO stadium this weekend as the Raiders look to ride the wave of their Vegas triumph and the Broncos look to spoil their homecoming.
### Talking Points:
* Skipper Joe Tapine will miss the next two matches due to suspension. Jamal Fogarty steps up as captain in his absence and Josh Papalii will slide in at prop.
* Xavier Savage will similarly miss the game with a one match suspension. Albert Hopoate will fill his spot on the right wing.
* After a blinder in Vegas, rookie Savelio Tamale hangs onto his spot and will once again start on the left wing.
* Morgan Smithies will start in the lock position after his excellent performance in Vegas, with second-rower Matty Nicholson the new man on the bench.
* The Green Machine plays better on home turf, having won three out of their past four games at GIO Stadium.
### Last time they met:
The Raiders and the Broncos last met in round 7, 2024, with the Broncos taking a 34-10 win at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
> It's obviously good to get off to a good start. I just try and do what the team needs me to do. We capped it off with two points but now we have to back it up against the Brisbane Broncos.
>
> Tom Starling on his standout round one performance #362
### Key Matchup:
Speed is game, and these boys have it in droves.
The battle of the fullbacks is always a treat to watch, and the X-factor in these young guns and their ability break open the game should make this week’s clash between the Raiders’ own Kaeo Weekes and Reece Walsh a thrilling one.
But while both men don the number one jersey, their playstyles offer more differences than similarities highlighting the nuances of the position.
Coming off a tremendous preseason performance, Kaeo Weekes starts again in the fullback position in round two, having spent some time in the halves last year.
His status as a utility player gives him a unique skillset, compared to Reece Walsh’s specialized fullback role.
Strong in defence, Weekes averaged 83.39% tackle efficiency, setting himself apart from Walsh as having more reliability in defence compared to Walsh’s 72.22%.
Averaging 182.24 kicking metres last season, Weekes excels on the high kick, often allowing his teammates like Savage to scrap for the high balls.
The Raiders’ backline looked pretty flashy on the attack in Vegas in no small part due to Weekes, who ran in 128 metres with 37 of them being post contact, taking on more of a supporting role in the backline.
At face value, he’s less of an attacking force than Walsh, who ran in for 221 metres in round one, but where Walsh excels in broken play, Kaeo shows more consistency as a running threat within the Raiders’ spine.
Walsh almost operates as a secondary playmaker for the Broncos, dropping into attacking plays to turn the game on its head, making him an electric threat in the backline, turning in 14 tries last season to Weekes’ 8.
Expect both fullbacks to be tight this weekend as Weekes and Walsh look to use their agility to impact the contest every chance they get.
### Head-to-Head
Since 1998, the Raiders have played the Broncos 40 times, winning 16 of them for a 40% efficiency rate.