2010 NRL Final Series: Week Two - RAIDERS v TIGERS

[TITAN PETE]

Canberra Raiders v West Tigers

Friday, September 17 - Canberra Stadium

Gates Open: 5:00pm
Toyota Cup:North Queensland Cowboys v Canberra Raiders - 5:15pm
Telstra Premiership: Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers - 7:45pm
Ticket On Sale Info:

Ticketed: Mon 9am MyNRL Mon 9pm Public: Tues 9am

Canberra Raiders
Josh Dugan, Reece Robinson, Jarrod Croker, Joel Monaghan, Daniel Vidot, Terry Campese (C), Josh McCrone, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, Glen Buttriss, David Shillington, Joe Picker, Bronson Harrison, Shaun Fensom. Interchange from: Alan Tongue (C), Trevor Thurling, Dane Tilse, Scott Logan, Travis Waddell, Danny Galea.

[TITAN PETE]

Moltzen shock option for Tigers semi

By Steve Jancetic AAP Sun, 12 Sep 2010 20:41:00
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Tim Moltzen is looming as the shock replacement should Wests Tigers superstar Benji Marshall fail to overcome a knee injury that threatens his involvement in Friday night's semi-final against Canberra.

Moltzen hasn't played since undergoing a full knee reconstruction in April this year, but is set to visit a specialist this week who he hopes will give him the clearance to resume playing this weekend.

The 21-year-old has been training with the Tigers squad for the past few weeks, though club officials have been insisting the fullback/halfback would not be rushed back in 2010 with a view to having him back on deck for the start of next season.

But Marshall's injury may hasten his comeback, the Tigers without a recognised replacement for the Kiwi playmaker and Moltzen desperate to play.

Club doctor Donald Kuah remained hopeful that Marshall would be right to face the Raiders, despite the pain being so bad he left the Tigers with 12 men for the last five minutes of regular time in their 19-15 golden point loss to the Sydney Roosters on Saturday night.

"He actually did it 15 minutes before he came off, he tried to keep playing with it," Kuah said.

"We'll know the next two or three days. It was just a direct hit on the inside of the knee.

"He is some chance of playing." The Marshall injury is just the start of the Tigers' injury problems, with Gareth Ellis (back), Geoff Daniela (hamstring) and Liam Fulton (knee) also pulling up sore after the heart-breaking loss.

Then there is the mental anguish they will need to put behind them after blowing several chances to win the game in the dying stages, including when Chris Heighington failed to dive on a ball from a scrum win with just 20 seconds remaining which gave Roosters skipper Braith Anasta a chance to send the game to extra time via his dramatic field goal.

"We probably should never have let a 15-2 lead slip away, but the manner in which we lost makes it feel even worse, we had our chances," Ellis said.

"That (getting our heads right) will probably be the biggest challenge for us over the next few days - we can't sulk for too long because we've still got a great opportunity to progress in the competition.

"We need to put that to bed and move on as quickly as we can." Ellis took several painkillers just to get on the field against the Roosters before being forced off late in the game, but remained hopeful of making the trip to the nation's capital.

"It's a little bit stiff and a little bit sore but that's to be expected after a tough game," Ellis said.

[Boofhead]

Would love to see the Raiders get through here, they will definitely give the Dragons a run for their money in the Prelim.

[TITAN PETE]

Marshall confident of playing

By Steve Jancetic AAP Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:22:00
Related Links
Gareth Ellis not charged Moltzen a chance for shock inclusion
Wests Tigers NRL finals chances have received a shot in the arm with Benji Marshall revealing he was confident of playing in Friday night's sudden death semi-final against Canberra.

Marshall suffered a bruised medial ligament in his right knee in Saturday night's dramatic 19-15 golden point loss to the Sydney Roosters.

The injury forced him from the field and left the Tigers with only 12 men for the final five minutes against the Roosters, with coach Tim Sheens having used up all his interchanges ahead of the extra time period.

Scans taken after the match showed the medial was still intact, Marshall vowing to do all he could to get back on the field to face the Raiders.

"There is a premiership at stake and I will do everything I can," Marshall said in a statement released by the club on Monday.

"If it hurts I am going to have to go through a bit of pain.

"I will know more tomorrow or Wednesday but going on the last couple of days, it looks promising.

"I am sure the coach will give me every opportunity to game day. Even if I can't train this week, he has got enough faith in me to know that I will still be able to do the job.

"If I think I will be right game day, I will play."

The loss of Marshall would be a devastating blow for the Tigers, who already face a mountain to climb mentally as they look to get themselves up for another game after coming up just short in their 100-minute epic.

"I feel alright. I've had a few sleepless nights just trying to ice up and do everything I can to be right," Marshall said.

"I am reasonably confident and it is just a matter of how much work I put into it is what I am going to get out of it. It is all about recovery at the moment."

Backrower Gareth Ellis said after the game he was confident his back injury would not keep him off the paddock against the Raiders, but Geoff Daniela is certain to miss the game with a hamstring tear.

Mitch Brown is likely to slot into the centres for Daniela with Wade McKinnon hopeful of returning from a hamstring strain at fullback.

[TITAN PETE]

West Tigers in glandular fever scare

Dean Ritchie From: The Daily Telegraph September 14, 2010 12:47AM


THE entire Wests Tigers squad will be closely monitored this week for glandular fever after centre Blake Ayshford underwent blood tests yesterday for the contagious disease.

Ayshford will know the results either late today or early tomorrow but he is almost certain to withdraw from the Tigers' semi-final against the Raiders on Friday night at Canberra Stadium.

"I think I'll be out for the season," he said.

Wests Tigers chief executive Stephen Humphreys last night revealed his club's medical staff would check all players this week for fear Ayshford's teammates could have also contracted the virus.

Ayshford scored a brilliant try against the Sydney Roosters last weekend and his withdrawal would be a significant setback for the Tigers.

"The doctor is unsure whether Blake has glandular fever," Humphreys told The Daily Telegraph last night. "He had a bout as a youngster so it is unusual to get a second dose, and if that does happen, generally it is a fairly mild dose."

The fact all players share water bottles has Tigers officials on edge.

Asked if his players would be monitored this week, Humphreys said: "The doctor has already spoken to the players. We will certainly be keeping a watch on them.

"But at the moment no other player has shown any signs."

Ayshford only ate four pieces of toast for the entire day before Saturday night's 100-minute epic against the Roosters. He slept virtually all Sunday on his sofa.

There were suggestions last night that injured centre Chris Lawrence may return from a broken jaw and replace Ayshford.

"That will be up to the medical staff," Humphreys said.

Ayshford yesterday told website Sportsnewsfirst he was all but finished for the season.

"I don't know whether I can play or not, I think I'll be out for the rest of the season which is really disappointing because this was my first final series," he said.

"I've had it when I was younger but I had strep throat really bad the past few days, I can't eat and my throat is real swollen on the left side.

"I had a sore throat before the game and on game day I only had four pieces of toast to eat all day.

"I couldn't eat, my throat was stuffed."

Humphreys ruled out talk that Tim Moltzen, who has missed most of the year with a knee injury, would return for the Raiders match.

[TITAN PETE]

Raiders to name Tongue

INSPIRATIONAL Raider Alan Tongue is today expected to be named in the Canberra line-up after a fortnight on the sidelines through injury.

Tongue injured his right calf and is hopeful of surviving a hitout today in order to play Wests Tigers on Friday.

"I still have to get through a training session [today] and see how it pans out, but I'm pretty confident," said Tongue, who is Canberra's only injury concern.

"It's a 5cm tear but I was pretty close to coming back and playing against Penrith, so hopefully it all goes well this week."

Tongue missed the majority of the season after undergoing groin surgery and is determined to make up for lost time.

Asked if the Raiders can go all the way, he said: "I think the whole belief is there that if we turn up with the right attitude we can really stir it with the best of them. But we also understand we have a team where we need 1-17 contributing, and need to keep focusing on that. If we have two or three blokes off then we won't win games of footy, and that's what we need to worry about."



Meanwhile, former Tigers back-rower Bronson Harrison - who is yet to enjoy a win against the club since he departed at the end of 2008 - hopes his luck will finally change this weekend.

While he knows first-hand how important Benji Marshall is to his side, Harrison says the Tigers will still pose a serious threat if the gun No. 6 is ruled out.

"They've still got the likes of Robbie Farah and Lote Tuqiri there, and while Saturday was a tough loss for them I can't see them not turning up for this weekend," Kiwi international Harrison said.

"I'm yet to get a win against the Tigers, but there's no better opportunity like the next one."

Harrison has been one of the standouts in the Canberra pack and is sure to relish the battle up front.

Coach David Furner is yet to win against former mentor Tim Sheens during his stint at the Raiders helm.

[DIEHARD]

Go Raiders!

Im interested to see if Marshall plays. Moltzen might be back too.

Raiders have been very very impressive in the later part of the season.

And Raiders v Wests Tigers always is tasty because of the history from the 1989 Grand Final. It'd be great for our club to make the Grand Final and strike up one of those unique rivalries with another club. Of course after we smash them though.

[TITAN PETE]

Raiders v Tigers: SOLD OUT
Written by: Raiders Media
Sep 14, 2010 6:33pm

Raiders v Tigers: SOLD OUT

Canberra Stadium is set to be the most exciting venue in Australia on Friday night, as the Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers finals match is officially a sell out.

A crowd of 27,500 is expected to pour through the gates of the Raiders home ground on Friday night, as the last 2000 standing room tickets were swooped up today, with the crowd record for a Raiders home match to be smashed for the first time since 1994.

In that match a crowd of 25, 253 were on hand for Mal Meninga's last home match at the ground in 1994, with a new mark now set to be reached on Friday night.

The Raiders have gone past 20,000 once this season when they took on the minor premiers the St George Illawarra Dragons, but sales of this magnitude have not been seen in the nation's capital for rugby league in quite some time.

Raiders CEO Don Furner said the support for the team had reached unprecedented levels in the build up to Friday's match and thanked the Canberra people for getting behind the Green Machine.

“This just proves that we have one of the best supporter bases in the NRL and we thank everyone for making sure they got in early and got tickets,” Furner said. “Hopefully we can get as many people who come to the game to join the Raiders as members next season and make events like this happen on a regular basis.”

Memberships for the 2011 season will be available for new members via the membership marquee at Canberra Stadium's Western forecourt on Friday night. All current members should not be concerned, as they will receive their renewal information in the next couple of weeks.

[TITAN PETE]

Great news for the Raiders & not so good for the Cats