League: Warriors' quest for a magical finish to season

Ruben Wiki will be driving up front against his old side. Picture / Dean Purcell

From here on in the Warriors aren't playing for just two competition points, they are playing for four as they must beat teams close to them in the race for the final eight.

If they can produce the magical finish to the season with a string of wins they are better placed than most of those around them to scrape in on points differential.

The Raiders, who come to Ericsson Stadium tonight, sit in ninth place on 22 points, the Warriors are 12th on 18 but they carry a positive points differential, whereas the Raiders are in the negative.

So are three of the teams in the eight - the Sharks, Tigers and Manly.

All three have had a more erratic run, with several big losses, whereas the Warriors have lost narrowly on numerous occasions.

It's to be hoped the composure they showed to hold strong against the Sydney Roosters last week and turn around a 22-8 deficit was not a one-off. It's the sort of resolve they need if they are to progress in coming weeks.

The manoeuvrings during the week suggest the Warriors will be better placed to press on from that good win than will the Raiders.

The home team have their skipper Steve Price back and no matter when he joins the fray and for how long he is out there, he will be a winning influence.

He organises, he talks, he fires them up or calms them down as required. His value cannot be easily dismissed.

On the other hand, the Raiders fought a case against the NRL judiciary, seeking leave to appeal against an eight-week ban against their skipper Simon Woolford, and lost.

Woolford is now making noises about heading to England, seeking a release from the last year on his contract and evading the automatic penalties he will continue to receive because of his bad record.

Raiders chairman Don Furner said yesterday that Woolford could become preoccupied with being penalised for his tackling style and "may not be as effective in defence".

The NRL has promised an end-of-season review of the way penalty points accumulate against repeat offenders.

Woolford was quoted as saying that it was getting to the stage where "I can't even sneeze on the footy field and I'll be getting an automatic two weeks' suspension".

He admitted that he could be preoccupied with his tackling technique to the detriment of his game.

The Raiders must also cope with the late loss of wing Craig Frawley, who pulled out of the game with an ankle injury. He is likely to be replaced by Michael Robertson.

The danger men for the Raiders are five-eighth Jason Smith, who may be slowing at 33 but still has the vision for a break and which runner to deliver to, as well as a good kicking game, and fullback Clinton Schifcofske, who ran an NRL-high 270m against the Eels last weekend.

But they cannot work to best effect in a pack that struggles for go-forward on attack and is rolling backwards when defending, and that is the likely outcome if the Warriors forwards turn up to play.

Strike rate tells a bit about how the two teams are travelling: The Warriors have notched 72 tries this season, Canberra 58. But the Raiders have 55 goals to the Warriors' 56, thanks to Schifcofske's accuracy.

After the turnaround against the Roosters, with Price back and Ruben Wiki driving up front against his old side and at home against a team they have beaten five times out of seven at Ericsson, the Warriors should secure themselves one more shot at a four-point game again next weekend.

They have signed 21-year-old Grant Rovelli from the Roosters.

Rovelli is from Mackay, North Queensland, and has been in the Roosters programme for three years, in 2004 under premier league coach Ivan Cleary. The association with Cleary and wing/centre Todd Byrne, who are now in Auckland, helped to seal the deal.

He is captain of the reserve graders and was in the New South Wales age-group team who beat Queensland in a State of Origin curtainraiser this season. Rovelli plays at halfback, but can offer cover at hooker, five-eighth and fullback.

* Ericsson Stadium, 7.30 tonight

WARRIORS

Brent Webb
Todd Byrne
Clinton Toopi
Jerome Ropati
Francis Meli
Nathan Fien
Stacey Jones (c)
Ruben Wiki
Lance Hohaia
Iafeta Paleaaesina
Sione Faumuina
Wairangi Koopu
Monty Betham

RAIDERS

C Schifcofske
Phil Graham
David Howell
Adam Mogg
M Robertson
Jason Smith
Todd Carney
Josh Miller
Lincoln Withers
Troy Thompson
Matt Adamson
Ian Hindmarsh
Jason Croker (c)

RESERVES

Warriors: Karl Temata, Richard Villasanti, Awen Guttenbeil, Simon Mannering, Steve Price (one to be omitted).

Raiders: Alan Tongue, Michael Hodgson, Ben Cross, Matt Gafa.