The Raiders have won six in a row to become serious top four contenders.
Should they get the two points on Monday night, their attention will quickly turn to a top two finish.
Blake Austin has been cleared of any serious damage to his shoulder and will take his place in a side that has Ricky Stuart’s style stamped all over it.
Storm, who have the NRL’s best defence, must now find a way to combat the No.1 attacking side in the competition.
We take a close look at what to expect from the home side ahead of our trip to Canberra.
Be at AAMI Park when we take on the Broncos, Friday 26 August, 7:30pm.
Very well balanced
Some savvy recruitment in recent years has seen the Raiders build themselves into a well-balanced unit. Both their forwards and halves have given them great drive up the field. They also have the outside back quality to finish off the hard work. Their right-hand side is particularly potent with Jordan Rapana the main threat. Rapana leads the NRL in line breaks and tackle busts, making him a real threat to the Storm line.
Best attack in the comp
With four games to go in the season the Raiders have the number one ranked attack in the NRL. They have scored an average of 32.5 points per game in their six-match winning streak. Skipper Jarrod Crocker leads the way, scoring almost 70 more points than any other player in the competition. Canberra will now face the NRL’s number one defence this week in Melbourne. They say defence is the best form of offence and by the end of Monday night we should have an answer as to whether that saying is true.
Ricky Stuart style
it has been four years since the Raiders played finals football but the man that has got them back in the hunt has done an outstanding job in stamping his mark on his football side. Since taking the reigns in 2014, Stuart has slowly but surely set about molding this team to his style. Stuart has been at the cornerstone of the Raiders rejuvenation which has seen them adopt a hard-nosed style of football.