Round 3
Canberra Raiders 21 d. St.George-Illawarra Dragons 14

2008 NRL Telstra Premiership Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: Aus_NZ > National > First Grade Competition: NRL Telstra Premiership

Raiders put freeze on Dragons
Sun March 30, 2008
Source: www.raiders.com.au

The CFMEU Canberra Raiders have produced a second half shut-out of their opponents for the second week in a row, as they came from behind to defeat the St George Illawarra Dragons 21-14 at Canberra Stadium last night.

Trailing 10-0 after an error-riddled first 20 minutes of play, the Raiders gathered themselves and fought back through tries to Troy Thompson and Terry Campese to see them trail 14-12 at half time.

The Raiders came out with a fresh resolve after the break, with Joel Monaghan claiming a brace of tries in the second half in his much-anticipated return to Canberra Stadium.

Todd Carney calmly sealed victory with a field goal in the dying minutes of the match.

The Raiders' rock-solid defensive line was again the highlight, as they repelled their more highly-rated opponents for the entire second half, eventually grinding the Dragons into submission.

The Raiders' casualty crisis continued however, with centre Phil Graham helped from the field with an ankle injury in the first half.

Lincoln Withers was placed on report by referee Gavin Badger for a high shot on Dragons half Jamie Soward late in the match.

In the earlier match, the Raiders suffered their first loss in the Toyota Cup competition, going down 43-32 to the Dragons in an entertaining and open contest.

NRL ROUND 3:
RAIDERS 21 (J Monaghan 2, T Thompson, T Campese tries; T Carney 2 goals, field goal) d. DRAGONS 14 (J Nightingale 2 tries; M Gasnier 3 goals) at Canberra Stadium

Referee: Gavin Badger
Crowd: 14,400
Halftime: Dragons 14-12

Report source: www.raiders.com.au


Goodwin the new Raider number one
Tue March 25, 2008
Source: www.raiders.com.au

Bronx Goodwin will replace William Zillman at fullback on Saturday night, for the Raiders first home match of the season against the St George-Illawarra Dragons at Canberra Stadium.

Zillman is set to undergo his second knee re-construction in as many seasons after re-injuring his left knee on Saturday night against the Panthers, in a huge blow to both him and the club.

His injury though opens the door for Goodwin to make the number one jumper his own in 2008, with the flamboyant fullback keen to make up for Zillman's absence with a strong performance against the Dragons.

Scott Logan is the other injury concern for the Green Machine with his injured cheekbone expected to keep him out from anywhere between 4-8 weeks. Michael Weyman has been brought back into the squad to cover for Logan, while Lincoln Withers (rib cartilage) has also been named on an extended Raiders bench.

Withers will have to prove his fitness if he is to play on Saturday night against his old club, but also faces tough opposition from Raiders rake Ryan Hinchcliffe, who turned in a star performance against the Panthers at CUA Stadium.

Raiders Coach Neil Henry said he would re-evaluate the side later in the week depending on the availability of Withers who is still battling a rib injury, and on the weather conditions.

"We've got 18 players and we'll just see how Lincoln is," Henry said. "If he's Ok there's a possibility he'll play and we just need to see if we want to use two hookers.

"Ryan Hinchcliffe was very good last week so he's retained his spot for the moment and the weather conditions will dictate things as well. If it's a bit wet we might be better off going with some smaller men in the middle."

Henry said he was happy with the way Bronx Goodwin accommodated the loss of William Zillman last week, and was confident he could fill the huge loss of Zillman against the Dragons and hopefully beyond.

"I think he attacked the ball well at fullback, he made a couple of strong tackles and stopped a few people who made line breaks so I was happy with his commitment defensively," he said. "He does wander around the field a bit and can bob up, as he scored some amazing tries last year, and he's quite comfortable at fullback."

Raiders Prop Michael Weyman gets his chance to prove his worth to the side on Saturday evening when he returns to the side for the injured Scott Logan, and said he will be ready for the challenge.

"There's a lot competition at the moment and I think it was a bit of a wake up call last week by having a run in the Queensland Cup," Weyman said. "It really hit home and it made me realise I need to take every chance I get now and this weekend will be the first opportunity for me to get back in the team."

In a positive sign for the Raiders both Tom Learoyd-Lahrs and Ben Jones will make there first appearances for the season in Queensland this weekend, for the Raiders feeder club Souths Logan.

TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP
Canberra Raiders v St.George-Illawarra Dragons
Canberra Stadium
Saturday March 29
7.30pm

Raiders (NRL):
1. Bronx Goodwin
2. Colin Best
3. Phil Graham
4. Joel Monaghan
5. Adrian Purtell
6. Terry Campese
7. Todd Carney
8. Troy Thompson
9. Ryan Hinchcliffe
10. Dane Tilse
11. Marshall Chalk
12. Nigel Plum
13. Alan Tongue (c)

14. Joe Picker
15. Josh Miller
16. Trevor Thurling
17. Michael Weyman
18. Lincoln Withers
(one to be omitted)

Coach: Neil Henry

Injuries
Brett Kelly - Knee - Round 4-5
Glen Turner - Ankle - Round 5-7
Neville Costigan - Quad - Round 7-9
Scott Logan - Cheek - Indefinite
William Zillman - Knee - Season

TOYOTA CUP
Canberra Raiders v St.George-Illawarra Dragons
Canberra Stadium
Saturday March 29
5.30pm

Raiders (NYC):
1. Josh Dugan
2. Michael Brophy
3. James Stuart
4. Justin Carney
5. Steve Naughton
6. Michael Picker
7. Matt Smith
8. Nick Skinner
9. Travis Waddell
10. Matt Britt
11. Joel Thompson
12. Jarrad Kennedy
13. Shaun Fensom (c)

Subs:
14. Brock Dunn
15. Zac Merritt
16. Diego Codyre
17. Todd Grace
18. Andrew Edwards
(one to be omitted)

News sent by: www.raiders.com.au

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