Benji Marshall's time as an NRL head coach will kick-off on Saturday afternoon in the nation's capital as the Wests Tigers travel to open their season against the Canberra Raiders.
Coming off an opening-round bye, the Tigers will look to launch their move away from yet another wooden spoon with a difficult trip south.
It's been another topsy-turvy off-season for the Tigers as they come in under yet another new coach in Marshall, who takes over from Tim Sheens, while the club have also brought on the likes of Aidan Sezer and Jayden Sullivan.
Despite Sezer's arrival, it's Lachlan Galvin who will join Sullivan in the starting halves, with the Tigers' forwards also desperately needing to stand up after a difficult campaign last year, despite a number of off-season signings leading into 2023.
It goes without saying that the joint-venture come into their trip away from home as the expected outsiders, but the Raiders will be looking to make it two from two.
Their start to the season saw a surprise win away from home against the Newcastle Knights. The Green Machine went to the Hunter last weekend with few expectations, but on the back of a strong effort through the middle forwards of the park, the club found a way to get over the line.
Despite having a handful of players out of action, the win is added to this week by the return of centre Sebastian Kris, which sees Nick Cotric drop out of Ricky Stuart's 17.
How to watch Canberra Raiders vs Wests Tigers
Saturday's first game in Round 2 between the Raiders and Tigers will be exclusively available to watch on Fox Sports in Australia.
To view their coverage on Channel 502 (Fox League), you will need to have a valid Foxtel TV subscription complete with the sports package of channels.
The broadcast will commence shorty before 2:30pm (AEDT) approximately following the conclusion of the NSW Cup fixture between the Canberra Raiders and Western Suburbs Magpies.
To live stream the match, you can use either the Foxtel App or Kayo Sports, while New Zealand viewers will be able to tune in through Sky Sports. If you're looking to watch the match globally, you can use Watch NRL.
Canberra Raiders vs Wests Tigers teams
Canberra Raiders
1. Jordan Rapana 2. Albert Hopoate 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papali'i 9. Danny Levi 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Zac Hosking 13. Morgan Smithies
Interchange: 14. Tom Starling 15. Emre Guler 16. Ata Mariota 17. Pasami Saulo 18. Nick Cotric 19. Kaeo Weekes
Wests Tigers
1. Jahream Bula 2. Charlie Staines 3. Starford To'a 4. Solomona Faataape 5. Junior Tupou 6. Lachlan Galvin 7. Jayden Sullivan 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. David Klemmer 11. Isaiah Papali'i 12. John Bateman 13. Alex Seyfarth
Interchange: 14. Aidan Sezer 15. Fonua Pole 16. Alex Twal 17. Samuela Fainu 18. Asu Kepaoa 22. Jake Simpkin
Click through to Zero Tackle's match centre for updated teams, live scores and stats from the game.
Key game information: Canberra Raiders vs Wests Tigers
Kick-off: Saturday, March 16, 3pm (AEDT)
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
Overall head-to-head record: Played 42, Raiders 23, Tigers 19
Record at venue: Played 22, Raiders 12, Tigers 10
Last meeting: 2023, Round 23, Raiders 22 defeat Tigers 18 at GIO Stadium, Canberra
Referee: Peter Gough
Canberra Raiders vs Wests Tigers betting odds
The Raiders come into the game as red-hot favourites, paying $1.44, while the Tigers sit at $2.80 and represent plenty of value.
The line is set at 7.5 points, and over/under is expecting a high-scorer, with 44.5 points set. Xavier Savage is the favourite to score first at $8.
Odds taken from PointsBet, correct at 12pm, Friday, March 15.
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Canberra Raiders vs Wests Tigers prediction
The Raiders earnt a lot of credit last week with their somewhat surprise win over the Knights in the Hunter.
That's not to say all pre-season expectations have been blown out of the water, but these are the sort of games they must win if they are going to play finals football.
The Tigers will be more competitive than they were last year, but expect the Raiders to pick up the win here.
Raiders by 8.
