Line Up for Round 25 vs Raiders Announced

Author: Sydney Roosters
Timestamp: Wed 1 Sep 2021, 07:50 PM

The Roosters' side to take on the Canberra Raiders at BB Print Stadium on Thursday night has been trimmed 24 hours prior to kick-off.

Moala Graham-Taufa and Daniel Suluka-Fifita have dropped off the extended bench, while Brad Abbey and Naufahu Whyte have been retained.

The final line up will be available one hour prior to kick-off at 6:50pm.

Originally Published on 31st August 2021

The Sydney Roosters are proud to announce the Round 25 line up to take on the Canberra Raiders on Thursday night at BB Print Stadium in Mackay.

The Roosters will return to Mackay after shutting out the Parramatta Eels in Round 20 when they face the Raiders in a bid to claim a spot in the top four in what will be the final regular-season round before the NRL finals.

Date:	Thursday September 2
Venue:	BB Print Stadium, Mackay
Gates Open:	5:30pm
Sydney Roosters vs Canberra Raiders kick-off:	7:50pm

Head Coach Trent Robinson's line up will be bolstered by the return of a number of players including Josh Morris, Adam Keighran, Matt Ikuvalu, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Angus Crichton.

Captain James Tedesco and Daniel Tupou will be joined by returning trio Josh Morris, Adam Keighran and Matt Ikuvalu in the backline - with Morris returning after announcing his retirement at the conclusion of the 2021 season earlier in the week.

Five-eighth Drew Hutchison will be joined by Lachlan Lam in the halves, while Jared Waerea-Hargreaves comes back to the side in the front row alongside last round tryscorer Sam Verrills and Siosiua Taukeiaho.

Josh Morris Career Highlights

Another familiar face to the forward pack comes in the form of Angus Crichton, with Sitili Tupouniua lining up next to him in the second row, while last week's milestone man Isaac Liu rounds off the side at lock.

The interchange bench features Sam Walker, Egan Butcher, Ben Marschke and Tuku Hau Tapuha, while Moala Graham-Taufa, Brad Abbey, Naufahu Whyte and Daniel Suluka-Fifita make up the extended bench.

The Roosters and Raiders meet for the 69th time on Thursday night, since 1982 - the year Canberra entered the competition - with the Tricolours holding a 56% winning record with 38 wins.

Five of the last seven matches - including the Round 12 victory at Central Coast Stadium - have gone the way of Easts, while it will also be the second time the sides face off in Queensland after the 30-24 victory in Brisbane for Magic Round in 2019.

There won't be any shortage of motivation for either side, as the Red, White and Blue will be looking to book a place in the top four, while the Canberrans need a victory to ensure a spot in the finals.

For those in and around Mackay, you can still cheer on your Roosters by purchasing tickets for the match here.

The squads to play this Thursday are as follows:

Round 25 - Round 25 - Thursday 2 Sep

Full Time

Raiders

Roosters

Team Lists

Backs

Fullback for Raiders is number 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad

Fullback for Roosters is number 1 James Tedesco
Winger for Raiders is number 2 Harley Smith-Shields

Winger for Roosters is number 2 Daniel Tupou
Centre for Raiders is number 4 Matthew Timoko

Centre for Roosters is number 3 Josh Morris
Centre for Raiders is number 5 Jordan Rapana

Centre for Roosters is number 4 Adam Keighran
Winger for Raiders is number 19 Semi Valemei

Winger for Roosters is number 5 Matt Ikuvalu
Five-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Jack Wighton

Five-Eighth for Roosters is number 6 Drew Hutchison
Halfback for Raiders is number 7 Matt Frawley

Halfback for Roosters is number 7 Lachlan Lam

Forwards

Prop for Raiders is number 8 Josh Papalii

Prop for Roosters is number 10 Siosiua Taukeiaho
Hooker for Raiders is number 9 Josh Hodgson

Hooker for Roosters is number 9 Sam Verrills
Prop for Raiders is number 10 Joseph Tapine

Prop for Roosters is number 13 Isaac Liu
2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Hudson Young

2nd Row for Roosters is number 11 Angus Crichton
2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead

2nd Row for Roosters is number 12 Sitili Tupouniua
Lock for Raiders is number 13 Iosia Soliola

Lock for Roosters is number 15 Egan Butcher

Interchange

Interchange for Raiders is number 14 Emre Guler

Interchange for Roosters is number 14 Sam Walker
Interchange for Raiders is number 15 Ryan Sutton

Interchange for Roosters is number 16 Ben Marschke
Interchange for Raiders is number 16 Corey Horsburgh

Interchange for Roosters is number 17 Tuku Hau Tapuha
Interchange for Raiders is number 17 Siliva Havili

Interchange for Roosters is number 26 Naufahu Whyte