Whilst the Raiders are finding form at the right time with three of their last four games being wins, the Gold Coast Titans will be putting their best foot forward to halt the green machines at Cbus Super Stadium.
After tackling the Titans on Saturday, Ricky Stuart's men have matches to come against the Panthers, Dragons, Knights, Sea Eagles and Tigers so they are well positioned to make a return to the finals after missing out last year.
The Titans have shown positive signs in the past fortnight against the Broncos and Bulldogs but they still remain equal last and face an uphill battle to avoid finishing on the bottom of the table.
The Titans have not tasted victory on home turf since Round 4 so they'll be keen to give their fans something to cheer about by upsetting the applecart of one of the top-eight contenders.
Match: Titans v Raiders
Round 20 -
home Team
Titans
16th Position
away Team
Raiders
9th Position
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
The Rundown
Team news
Titans: Captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui moves to prop in order for Erin Clark to start at lock, following a couple of impressive outings as a middle forward. Isaac Liu is the man to make way, moving to the interchange which once again includes Jayden Campbell. Brian Kelly takes Corey Thompson's spot in the 17, assuming a centre spot which means Patrick Herbert moves out to the wing.
Raiders: Ricky Stuart has stuck with the same 17 that got the job done against the Warriors, with two-try hero Corey Harawira-Naera remaining on the bench. Semi Valemei has been included in the reserves after missing time with a knee injury, while there's no sign of youngster James Schiller (ankle) in the squad.
Match: Titans v Raiders
Round 20 -
home Team
Titans
away Team
Raiders
Team Lists
Backs
-
Fullback for Titans is number 1 AJ BrimsonFullback for Raiders is number 1 Xavier Savage
-
Winger for Titans is number 2 Jojo FifitaWinger for Raiders is number 2 Nick Cotric
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Centre for Titans is number 3 Phillip SamiCentre for Raiders is number 3 Matthew Timoko
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Centre for Titans is number 4 Brian KellyCentre for Raiders is number 4 Sebastian Kris
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Winger for Titans is number 5 Patrick HerbertWinger for Raiders is number 5 Albert Hopoate
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Five-Eighth for Titans is number 6 Tanah BoydFive-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Jack Wighton
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Halfback for Titans is number 7 Toby SextonHalfback for Raiders is number 7 Jamal Fogarty
Forwards
-
Prop for Titans is number 8 Moeaki FotuaikaProp for Raiders is number 8 Josh Papalii
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Hooker for Titans is number 9 Aaron BoothHooker for Raiders is number 9 Zac Woolford
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Prop for Titans is number 10 Tino Fa'asuamaleauiProp for Raiders is number 10 Joseph Tapine
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2nd Row for Titans is number 11 David Fifita2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Hudson Young
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2nd Row for Titans is number 12 Beau Fermor2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead
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Lock for Titans is number 13 Erin ClarkLock for Raiders is number 13 Adam Elliott
Interchange
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Interchange for Titans is number 14 Jayden CampbellInterchange for Raiders is number 14 Tom Starling
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Interchange for Titans is number 15 Herman Ese'eseInterchange for Raiders is number 15 Ryan Sutton
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Interchange for Titans is number 16 Isaac LiuInterchange for Raiders is number 16 Emre Guler
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Interchange for Titans is number 17 Jaimin JolliffeInterchange for Raiders is number 17 Corey Harawira-Naera
Reserves
-
Replacement for Titans is number 18 Sam McIntyreReplacement for Raiders is number 19 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
Match Officials
- Referee: Ben Cummins
- Touch Judge: Wyatt Raymond
- Touch Judge: Nick Morel
- Senior Review Official: Kasey Badger
Last updated:
Key match-up
Moeaki Fotuaika v Joseph Tapine: The big men will lay the foundation for victory and in Moe and Joe, we have a collision of two of the game's elite front-rowers. If Fotuaika can get the Titans rolling through the middle then destructive ball-runners David Fifita and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui have space to wreak havoc. Tapine is churning out 164 metres per game and has broken 49 tackles in 18 matches as he provides the perfect 1-2 punch up front with Josh Papalii. Unless the Titans put the clamps on Tapine he will run amok through the middle and give Jamal Fogarty and Jack Wighton the time they need to control the tempo.
Stat Attack
The Raiders are second in the NRL for offloads with 218, led by Joseph Tapine with 33 and Josh Papalii 30. The Titans are ranked 13th for offloads with 147 with David Fifita (12) their top offloader.
