League: Raiders to combat Wiki aura head on

Ruben Wiki made his first-grade debut for Canberra in 1993. Sandra Mu / Getty Images

The Warriors-Raiders game in Canberra tonight promises to a grind up the middle.

The hosts have selected a five-forward interchange bench and have talked up the debut of 2m, 112kg prop Dane Tilse.

Raiders coach Matthew Elliot sees the game simply.

"We're going to have to be ready and hardened for the barrage that they're going to throw at us to start the game. There won't be a real lot of mystery about how they play, they will be coming at us in the centre of the park and we need to be ready."

Warriors coach Ivan Cleary by way of reply said that the Raiders' ball control was "terrible last week so they might play tighter, up the middle".

The five-forward selection gave an indication of how they're going to play.

The Ruben Wiki factor could be critical to the outcome. The Warriors vice-captain plays his 250th game, the first time at Canberra in anything other than a Raiders jersey.

The team has spoken about the occasion privately but Cleary has not made a big deal of it and Wiki has kept his thoughts to himself.

"Ruben is not the sort of guy who wants a parade. I'm sure he'll want to have a big game, he wasn't that happy with his performance against Manly and he wants to do something about that. And the guys will be out to play well for him," said Cleary.

With the Raiders going for size, there could be an opportunity to go through and around them with acceleration and speed. Does Lance Hohaia come more into the frame?

Cleary said he would wait until just before kickoff to make that decision. Hohaia would give them added versatility, he said.

Of most concern to the coach was their slow starts which allowed rival teams to work into the game, get on top to build confidence and then control the pace of things.

"Our first half against Manly was disappointing. I don't think we were 20 points worse than them but it cost us for the rest of the game," he said.

Canberra five-eighth Jason Smith and fullback Clinton Schifcofske were the players they had to watch tonight, said Cleary.

He was also wary of the bounce-back effect after the Raiders were beaten 30-12 by the Bulldogs at Canberra last weekend.

"No team in the NRL plays two bad games in a row, especially at home, so I'm expecting a tough one."

But he liked the prospect of a forward grind. "That should suit us."

The Raiders have a weak right side, conceding 15 tries down that channel this season. They have made changes there this weekend, Adam Mogg out injured and left wing Craig Frawley moved across.

Kiwis centre Clinton Toopi is sure to press there. Cleary was confident wing Patrick Ah Van would back up well after his debut last weekend.

"He did everything right, even when he got hit by Steve Menzies. He held the ball, stood up and got on with it."

Raiders hooker Simon Woolford is still out suspended and injured and without him they could lose co-ordination - perhaps just enough to allow the Warriors to celebrate Wiki's milestone in style.


Statistics

* The Raiders have won 10 games to the Warriors' nine in all contests between the clubs.
* The Warriors have won six of the last nine clashes but have only ever beaten the Raiders once at Canberra, in 1997, from six games there.
* It is Ruben Wiki's 250th first-grade game since his debut for Canberra in 1993. The only New Zealander to play more top-flight games is Stephen Kearney, 264. Wiki is 49th on the all-time list and his propping partner Steve Price is 50th, on 244 games.


Canberra Stadium, 9.30 tonight

Raiders
C. Schifcofske (c), Adrian Purtell, Craig Frawley, David Howell, Marshall Chalk, Jason Smith, Todd Carney, Michael Hodgson, Lincoln Withers, Troy Thompson, T. Learoyd-Lahrs, Jason Croker, Alan Tongue
Interchange: Alan Rothery, Dane Tilse, Andrew Lomu, Trevor Thurling, Ben Jones 18th man.

Warriors
Brent Webb, Todd Byrne, Tony Martin, Clinton Toopi, Patrick Ah Van, Sione Faumuina, Nathan Fien, Ruben Wiki, George Gatis, Steve Price (c), Awen Guttenbeil, Wairangi Koopu, Louis Anderson
Interchange (from): Grant Rovelli, Evarn Tuimavave, Richard Villasanti, Micheal Luck, Lance Hohaia.