The Raiders play four sides below them on the ladder in the run to the finals and will fancy their chances of returning to the play-offs after missing out last year.
Currently ninth on 22 competition points, the Raiders meet the Dragons (11th), Knights (13th), Sea Eagles (10th) and Wests Tigers (15th) in their last four matches and will need at least three wins as well as a significant boost to their for-and-against which sits at -33.
The Dragons’ narrow loss to Cronulla leaves them two games outside the eight with a points differential of -130, meaning they would need four massive wins to have any hope of sneaking in.
When these sides met six weeks ago and it was the Dragons prevailing 12-10 in a controversial finish at WIN Stadium.
The Rundown
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Raiders: Barnstorming prop Joseph Tapine is out with a rib injury, with Emre Guler taking his place in the starting front row and Corey Horsburgh joining the interchange. After missing round 21 with an ankle complaint, Xavier Savage is back at fullback which means Albert Hopoate, who played there last week, shifts to the wing in place of the suspended Nick Cotric.
Dragons: Tariq Sims’ ban for a careless high tackle sees Josh McGuire move into the starting side and Tyrell Fuimaono join the bench for his first game since Round 12. Billy Burns also joins the bench. Michael Molo has been promoted to the starting side with brother Francis dropping out. Fullback Cody Ramsey is listed among the reserves as he looks to return from a knee injury.
key match-up
Jamal Fogarty v Ben Hunt: The Raiders No.7 has slowly found his feet since returning from a knee injury in Round 12, steering Canberra to victory in five of the nine games he has played. Fogarty’s kicking game close to the line has produced 11 forced dropouts, the same number Dragons skipper Hunt has come up with in 19 games. Hunt is enjoying a superb season for the Red V with 15 try assists and six tries but too many times he has had to carry the can on his own as Anthony Griffin’s men have stumbled to a 9-11 record.
Stat Attack
The Dragons have won only two from 12 against top-eight opposition in 2022. They beat the Roosters 14-12 on Anzac Day when the Chooks were sitting fifth on the ladder and they accounted for the seventh-placed Rabbitohs 32-12 in Round 15 .