Of course, those are the sides blocking their path to grand final redemption, but memories of their 2019 run should ensure Ricky Stuart’s side won’t fear anyone when the whips are cracking. or another browser such as The NRL has provided the lowest ticket pricing package in recent years with finals ticket prices at just $15 for Members and $20 for General Public, as a way of saying thank you to loyal members and fans for their support during the most challenging season in the game’s history. The only side they lost to, the Eels, they comprehensively handled a few weeks ago 20-2. They’ve road a tough year with injuries, weathering the storm to secure a double chance and as good a chance as any to go deep once again. Already injury-ravaged, his injury in the penultimate round of the season was a cruel blow to a side already without much hope of a finals upset. But you didn’t need me to convince you. Mozilla Firefox That was their worst loss in eight years under Trent Robinson, and no side has ever conceded over 50 points in a game and gone on to win the premiership. This young, tight group has resilience and fearlessness in spades – it’s unlikely it’s a coincidence they’ve thrived in such a difficult and unpredictable year. This included their involvement as a major sponsor when the Raiders won the 1994 premiership. Phil HillyardSource:News Corp Australia. “They (the Sharks) have got some quality players,” Whitehead said. We’ve also given consideration to possible scenarios moving forward. Well, if there’s another COVID break-out in — face it, the Sharks are lucky to be here. We haven’t seen Newcastle under the finals spotlight for a long time and that also means we don’t quite know what to expect. Did you write them off a month ago? Saturday’s Raiders-Sharks match will be a triple header, also featuring the NRL Telstra Women’s Premiership matches between Sydney Roosters and St George Illawarra Dragons and Brisbane Broncos and the Warriors respectively. If the Sharks win the premiership, congratulations – that’s another one to cross off 2020 bingo. Please download Wayne Bennett’s Rabbitohs have shot back into premiership calculations after their stunning 60-8 demolition of the two-time reigning champs in the final round. Minor Premiers Penrith Panthers will kick off the NRL Telstra Premiership 2020 Finals Series – and an incredible seven-week period of rugby league - against last year’s Premiers Sydney Roosters at Panthers Stadium. Canberra back-rower Elliott Whitehead will also return on Saturday after being rested in the final round. Since Round 8, they’ve only lost to the Panthers, Storm and the Roosters. Canberra Raiders – 2019. Runner Up 3 . All will be clear in a few weeks’ time. During finals, the speed and intensity goes up a level, and you can feel the excitement and anticipation among our fans.”. “We know where we are as a team, and we know what we need to do as a team to win those big games. Canberra back-rower John Bateman has put the remaining finals teams on notice, proclaiming the Raiders are more prepared to win the premiership … Rugby League: Gus Gould and Paul Gallen have differing opinions over whether or not Kevin Walters should remain as the Queensland State of Origin Coach in 2020, after being appointed as Brisbane Broncos coach. NRL Help The Eels have stumbled into the finals after an incredibly hot start to the year, and many are already writing them off. Nationwide News Pty Limited Copyright © 2020. “We have confidence in ourselves, and we know what these big games are all about. As the extreme outsiders, the longer they can keep things close against the Raiders, the more they might start to panic. But if there’s ever a side that can defy the record books and claim a threepeat, it’s this Roosters team. Yet many still have doubts about how they’ll perform when the finals spotlight shines on them.And maybe for good reason. Stuart believes the reason no side has won the competition from outside the top four for such a long time is because “no one’s been good enough”. The Canberra Raiders have locked up the services of exciting young hooker Tom Starling on a a new two-year contract extension with the club. These results have been mixed with some seriously shocking displays, but we’ve at least seen them play the kind of football that can win finals. Canberra back-rower John Bateman says the Raiders are in good shape to go one better than last year. ‘Badge’ was central to the Raiders’ emergence as a super power, playing a pivotal role in Canberra’s 1989 and 1990 premiership … Tickets will be on sale for all matches to Ticketed Club Members at 10am on Monday (September 28), while tickets for non-ticketed members will be on sale at 1pm and for NRL Account Holders 4pm on Monday. No team in the NRL era has won the premiership from outside the top four, but Canberra back-rower John Bateman says the Raiders are daring to dream. Since Round 8, they’ve only lost to the Panthers, Storm and the Roosters. “It’s the finals and they have got a good record down here, so we just need to concentrate on our game. A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites. (Picture: Matt King/Getty Images)Source:Getty Images. The NRL today confirmed the times and venues for Week One of the Finals Series, beginning with the match-up between the reigning premiers and the current minor premiership winners, who have now won 15 consecutive matches and boast the best winning record since St George in 1959. General Public tickets start from $20. Over this period the club has won 3 premierships, (out of 6 Grand Finals played). Their offence, on its day, remains the league’s most dangerous and damaging – if anyone can crack open Penrith’s defence, it’s the Roosters. . “Then I’ll try and forget about it and get on with the game, then at the end of the game I’ll soak it in a bit more. Canberra Milk was a foundation sponsor when the club entered the NSWRL premiership and has remained a sponsor ever since. They’ve made the finals in four out of the last five years but are yet to push past the semi finals stage. “I’ll probably just take it all in when I first run out. That’s the bad out of the way. But this looks a very different side from what we’ve seen in years gone by. or We also understand how tough the economy is at the moment and we’ve priced our tickets accordingly.”. Canberra back-rower John Bateman has put the remaining finals teams on notice, proclaiming the Raiders are more prepared to win the premiership than last season when they fell at the last hurdle to the Roosters. AFL: Umpires leave fans seeing red, Port Adelaide vs Geelong... Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. But they’re a tight-knight group, and will be buoyed by the news inspirational junior Fine Kula has been cleared of brain cancer. He blew the Roosters off the park single-handedly last Friday and showed that, on his day, he can stake his claim as the best player in the competition. Picture. Tellingly, their points differential is the 7th best in the league – of the teams left, only the Sharks have a worst differential. Canberra Raiders . On the other hand, the Rabbitohs have been pretty up-and-down in recent weeks, and the Knights might be able to capitalise on complacency and a slip in preparation on their opponents’ part. Canberra Raiders (5) v Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (8) NRLW: Brisbane Broncos v New Zealand Warriors, 3.00pm (EST) NRLW: Sydney Roosters v St George Illawarra Dragons, 11.30am (EST) Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Finals Series tickets will be on sale to General Public at 10am on Tuesday (September 29) at www.nrl.com/tickets. “The week off does give the body time to rest and look after itself.”. Last season’s grand finalists may have barely missed out on a top four berth, but if anyone can come from outside the four and win it, it’s the Raiders. Their two regular season wins against recent finals foe the Roosters will go some way towards exorcising some of those recent demons, and they’ll back their experience in against any other finals challenger. It wouldn’t be an NRL finals series without a Storm side being just about favourites to win it all. Their attacking game has often been scratchy and they’ve been non-competitive in recent weeks against the Rabbitohs and the Panthers. If you’re still not convinced, consider this auspicious fact: the Panthers have only topped the regular season ladder twice in their history. Last week the Rabbitohs were beaten by the Bulldogs, this week they trounced the Roosters. “Having that year of experience last year has helped us massively going into this year. And with that formula, why can’t they take it up to any opponent they’ll meet? NRL Chief Executive Andrew Abdo said the success of rule changes this season had set the scene for the fastest, most free flowing and unpredictable finals series in recent years. If I really wanted to push it, I probably could have played last weekend, but the physios and doctors said give it a week off. We know that the group loves coach Adam O’Brien – Mitchell Pearce recently hailed him as one of the best signings in the Knights’ history. His form with Canberra was good enough to earn him a State of Origin debut in 1986 and he went on to forge a successful representative career with Queensland and Australia.

The competition is uncompromising and after 18 uninterrupted rounds, the top 8 face off in an exciting set of games in week one of the finals,’’ he said. “I would also like to acknowledge and thank the New South Wales, Queensland and ACT Governments who have allowed us to plan for very safe live event attendance experience in the current conditions. Truth be told, the Knights are rank outsiders to even come close to beating the Rabbitohs, let alone going far in this year’s finals series. “It felt pretty weird watching them on the weekend, but it was good to sit on the other side and cheer the lads on. Mr Abdo said the next seven weeks would be historic for the game. Google Chrome His quiet confidence suggests he doesn’t believe his players fall into that category. Despite beating Cronulla easily in the last round, Elliott Whitehead is still wary of the Sharks.
The Knights’ week one opponents just came off a 52 belting of the reigning champs, while Newcastle was embarrassed by a team who won’t even be playing finals. For more information, visit