RD 23: Tigers vs Raiders

[Queenslander]

WESTS TIGERS v CANBERRA RAIDERS
Sunday 13th August at Campbelltown Stadium, 3:00pm

Referee: Steve Clark

Team Notes:

Tigers

Were last week demolished by the Storm last week 46-4 in a rampant display that has left the Tigers' premiership defence in tatters.

Raiders

Kris Kahler comes into the Raiders starting line-up for Saturday?s big clash against the Wests Tigers, after Tom Learoyd-Lahrs was ruled out yesterday with a reoccurrence of a knee problem.

Dane Tilse makes his return to first grade this weekend after a week in Premier League, where he gained some valuable minutes in the side?s record 78-6 victory over the Sharks.

TIGERS:

Shannon McDonnell,
Daniel Fitzhenry,
Dean Collis,
Jamaal Lolesi,
Chris Lawrence,
Shane Elford,
Scott Prince (capt),
Todd Payten,
Robbie Farah,
John Skandalis,
Anthony Laffranchi,
Chris Heighington,
Dene Halatau.

Interchange:

Ben Galea,
Bronson Harrison,
Ben Jeffery,
Ryan O'Hara.

RAIDERS:

Clinton Schifcofske (capt),
Adrian Purtell,
Phil Graham,
Adam Mogg,
David Howell,
Jason Smith,
Lincoln Withers,
Michael Hodgson,
Simon Woolford,
Troy Thompson,
Kris Kahler,
Jason Croker,
Alan Tongue.

Interchange:

Todd Carney,
Marshall Chalk,
Dane Tilse,
Michael Weyman,
Craig Frawley (one to be omitted).

***Please use this thread for game day spoilers***

[Social Loafer]

How does Frawley make an extended bench ahead of blokes like Goodwin and Zillman.

Frawley has done very little in Premier League, the other two look dangerous everytime they touch the ball..

Also don't understand how Frawley is the 18th man when Hodgson is in series doubt, maybe Elliott will use Fralwey as a second rower..

[Queenslander]

Wests Tigers Want Payback from Raiders
Friday, August 11, 2006 - 2:05 PM

The Wests Tigers refuse to give up hope of defending their premiership and see Sunday?s match against Canberra as a crunch match to keep their slim finals chances alive.

The Tigers are currently sitting in 12th spot, 4 points behind 8th placed Canberra and not only need to keep winning, but they now rely on other results to help their chances.

Prop John Skandalis will play his last game for the joint venture at his beloved Campbelltown stadium before finishing his career in England?s superleague but he says the planned send off is the last thing on his mind.

?The focus is to win this game, I will be more disappointed if we lose and miss the semis than if I get a memorable farewell.?

Skandalis says they are still smarting from the golden point loss to the Raiders in round 19 and are looking to avenge that heart breaking loss. ?This will be our hardest ever game against the Raiders, they win and they?re in the semis and we?re gone. We?ll be ready.?

The young side that thrilled all on the way to premiership glory last season won?t give up the chance of a repeat and the old man of the team says it?s all very positive this week. ?We haven?t mentioned the end, we?re still a chance. We want to enjoy our football, work hard for each other and work hard for the win. We?ve had three really good training sessions this week and ready for a tough match.?

Last week?s 46-4 thrashing from the Storm in Melbourne may have given them the wake up call they needed with Skandalis seeing plenty of similarities. ?They played like us last season. They?re quick, control the ruck, enthusiastic with lots of talk and do everything right. Maybe we can revive that on Sunday.?

Fans will see plenty of the man they know as ?Skando? at Campbelltown on Sunday with posters, t-shirts and video highlights of his 11 year first grade career. He?s hoping to add some more. ?I scored the first try for the joint venture at Campbelltown and I?d like to score Sunday and bag my first for the season.?

Fellow forward Anthony Laffranchi will also farewell his adopted home on Sunday playing his 100th game for the club. He?s off to the Gold Coast next season.

The Minto Cobras, Skandalis? junior club, will form a guard of honour when the players take the field.

Source: NRL

[BRONCOS FAN]

I hope the tigers win it..

[Social Loafer]

A win here takes us to 26 points going into the bye.. Which would actually be equal with Manly..

Really shows how close this years comp is.. IMO this is our most important match of the season.

[Queenslander]

Tiger and Raiders' to play Survivor
Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 12:33 PM

As desperate fights for survival go, Sunday's NRL clash between the Wests Tigers and Canberra is set up.

There's nowhere else the injury-depleted premiers would rather be though, with a packed Campbelltown Stadium expected to will one last tilt at a premiership defence while farewelling the last of the Western Suburbs fibros, prop John Skandalis, from his favourite ground.

A loss would mean the title defence is all over.

For over-achieving Canberra, which has never won at Campbelltown in three attempts, its tentative grip on eighth spot would be loosened in defeat with Cronulla, North Queensland and Penrith breathing down its neck.

"It's do or die now, every game's a must-win," said Skandalis, who debuted at Campbelltown for the Magpies in 1996.

"There's no more looking till next week now, this is it, every game we've got to win and if we're desperate enough to be in the semi-finals I think we should get away with a win.

"We understand that if we lose this week or any of the next three games we're out now, our campaign's over." While the premiers got touched up by ladder leader Melbourne 46-4 last week, the Tigers and Raiders have both played a part in Brisbane's recent slump, downing the top four side in successive weeks.

Canberra has also beaten big gun St George Illawarra, three weeks ago, but sandwiched between the two good wins was a loss to last placed South Sydney.

"The focus is not to do what we did against Souths," in-form Raiders half Todd Carney said.

"They're going to come out with nothing to lose ... we've got to go out there with the approach we had against the Broncos on the weekend and the one against the Dragons.

"Every game in the last few weeks has been like a semi-final.

"Sides lose, they're out. Sides win, they jump the table."

Last time they met, in round 19, the match was decided in golden point extra time, Raiders captain Clinton Schifcofske landing the goal after a controversial stripping penalty against ex-Canberra forward Todd Payten.

Payten said he was ready to wipe that incident from the memory banks.

"I was ready to play this game at five o'clock after the game down in Canberra," Payten said.

"I haven't really given it too much thought but I'm sure those guys won't let me forget it.

"(I'm) just more concerned about putting in the effort and redeeming myself."

Source: AAP

[Social Loafer]

TODD CARENY HAS DONE IT AGAIN!!!!!!


How on earth did we win that match.

[Brettymac]

I know Canberra have earnt a great reputation as golden point specialists, but I also have no doubt that they've been involved in the most golden point games... But a wins a win... and good luck to them...

[Social Loafer]

I think the reputation just goes down to the fcat we are 5-0 in Golden point.

4 of them have come this season.

[Darren Lockyer]

The raiders have finally found somethong there good at......Winning Golden point games

[Super Cronk]

whats with the Raiders and golden point?

They have broken my curse tho....i tipped them and they won!

[DIEHARD]

That was amazing. I can't believe Canberra, them and golden points, it is amazing. I'm hanging out for the replay on tele.