The Canberra Raiders and Canterbury Bulldogs will open Magic Round for the second year in a row, with the two sides to do battle on Friday evening.
The game will be held on Friday, May 17, with kick-off set for 6pm (AEST) at Suncorp Stadium.
In what will be an intriguing Round 11 battle, the Raiders will be out to return from a bye they had last weekend by carrying momentum from a late comeback win over the Manly Sea Eagles their last time out.
Canberra have been difficult to get a read on, however. Forced to play, for the time being, without injured veteran halfback Jamal Fogarty, the green machine had fallen to the Cronulla Sharks 40-0 the week prior, but still sit inside the top eight heading into Round 11 with a five-and-four record.
The Bulldogs have been better than expectations may have been set during the pre-season too, with the blue and white having four wins and five losses from their nine games.
Canterbury, who have been putting the pieces together after a full-on run of signings during the off-season, had won three of their last four before pushing three-time defending premiers the Penrith Panthers (albeit without Nathan Cleary) all the way last Friday evening at the foot of the mountains.
While they haven't managed to beat many of the top sides outside of the Sydney Roosters, their form line is certainly better than it was last year and they will look at games like this as critical if they are to play finals football in 2024.
How to watch Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs NRL Round 11
To watch this Magic Round opener on Friday between the Raiders and the Bulldogs, you will need to have a Foxtel TV subscription complete with the sports package, with Fox Sports holding exclusive rights in Australia.
The clash will be broadcast on Channel 502 (Fox League), commencing at 5pm (AEST).
To live stream the action, you'll need to have either the Foxtel App or Kayo Sports.
The audience in New Zealand can tune in through Sky Sports, while a global audience can use the Watch NRL app.
Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs teams
Canberra Raiders
1. Jordan Rapana 2. Nick Cotric 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Kaeo Weekes 8. Josh Papali'i 9. Danny Levi 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Morgan Smithies
Interchange: 14. Tom Starling 15. Ata Mariota 16. Trey Mooney 17. Emre Guler 18. Albert Hopoate 19. Zac Woolford
Canterbury Bulldogs
1. Connor Tracey 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Drew Hutchison 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Samuel Hughes 11. Viliame Kikau 17. Jacob Preston 13. Kurt Mann
Interchaneg: 14. Bailey Hayward 15. Josh Curran 16. Kurtis Morrin 19. Poasa Faamausili 20. Blake Taaffe 21. Jake Turpin
Click through to Zero Tackle's match centre for updated teams, live scores and stats from the game.
Key game information: Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs
Kick-off: 6pm (AEST), Friday May 17
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Overall record: Played 73, Bulldogs 37, Raiders 36
Last meeting: 2023, Round 25 - Raiders 36 defeat Bulldogs 24 at GIO Stadium, Canberra
Referee: Ashley Klein
Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs betting odds
The Bulldogs come into the game as the favourites, although not outrageously short-priced. They pay $1.62, with the Raiders currently sitting at $2.30.
The line is set at just 3.5 points, with the over/under at 41.5 points.
Josh Addo-Carr is the favourite to cross for the first try, paying $7, while Jacob Kiraz is at $9.50. Xavier Savage ($10) and Nick Cotric ($11) are the top Raiders' options.
Odds taken from PointsBet, correct at 1pm, Friday, May 17.
Think. Is this a bet you really want to place?
Prediction
The Raiders are an exceptionally difficult team to get a read on at the moment with no Fogarty.
For all their faults, the Bulldogs defence has proven the difference a couple of times this year, and if they are at their best, it's tough to see the Raiders having enough points in them without Fogarty on the park.
They will give it a good shake, but unless they play like they did in the final 20 minutes against Manly, the Raiders might come up just short here.
Bulldogs by 4.
