The fundamental flaw in Canberra’s spine

Canberra have some real problems to fix this season. The late fades and close losses — they’re no longer an excusable quirk. They’re a fundamental flaw. In 2018 they lost eight games by six points or less after opening the season with three consecutive losses by two points or less. To be fair, the Raiders were whacked by injury, with hooker and this year’s co-captain Josh Hodgson playing just 11 games,
and Jarrod Croker sidelined from Round 18 with injury as they tried to mount a finals charge. This year, while the squad has changed minimally, there is room for plenty of change. Blake Austin has left, along with Junior Paulo and Shannon Boyd. English newcomers John Bateman and Ryan Sutton have come on board to plug the gaps up front, while it’s been suggested controversial fullback Jack Wighton could make a switch to the halves.

Raiders sign Jarryd Hayne's cousin

The Raiders have signed the first cousin of former Parramatta superstar Jarryd Hayne. Josh Thompson, a rampaging 114 kilo front-rower who is still growing at 18 years of age, joined the Raiders last week. He was scouted by Raiders recruitment guru Peter Mulholland, who sees the youngster as a special talent.
“He is still young and raw but the ability is there and he is a great kid,” Mulholland said. The giant prop is the nephew of Hayne’s father, former Souths centre Manoa Thompson. He was actually signed to a scholarship by the Knights at just 16 years of age two years ago, but got homesick and the deal fell through.

Raiders: 2019 Round 1 predicted team

Canberra Raiders: 2019 Round 1 predicted team: Jack Wighton, Nick Cotric, Jarrod Croker, Joey Leilua, Michael Oldfield, Aidan Sezer, Sam Williams, Sia Soliola,
Josh, Hodgson, Ryan Sutton, Elliott Whitehead, Joe Tapine, Josh Papalii, Siliva Havili, John Bateman, Luke Bateman, Dunamis Lui

Canberra Raiders NRL 2019 Draw

Teams they play twice: Storm, Cowboys, Eels, Sea Eagles, Panthers, Roosters, Wests Tigers, Sharks, Warriors.

Teams they play once: Titans, Knights, Broncos, Rabbitohs, Bulldogs, Dragons.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - One, Friday - Four, Saturday - Nine, Sunday – Ten.

Five-day turnarounds: 2 (Rd 2, Rd 20).

Kick-off: A slow start to the year, including a couple of last-ditch losses in the first two rounds to the Titans and Knights, proved extremely costly for the Green Machine last season. They kick off 2019 with three games against teams that didn’t make the playoffs - including the Gold Coast and Newcastle - plus a home meeting with Melbourne in round two.