Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy says the Canberra Raiders are the form team of the NRL and it's hard to argue. Wins over the Cronulla Sharks and now the Melbourne Storm have stamped the Canberra Raiders as genuine premiership contenders. They're third on the ladder on the back of wins over the top-two sides. Canberrans answered coach Ricky Stuart's call for more than 15,000 fans to fill Canberra Stadium and now he's hoping 20,000 turn out for next Sunday's clash against the Parramatta Eels — the Raiders' final home game of the regular season. It's a call that should be hard to resist as the Raiders boast the best attack in the competition and are one of the most exciting teams to watch. Could it be the hottest ticket in Canberra?
WILL HODGSON HAVE TO GRAPPLE WITH MRP?
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England international Josh Hodgson is in such good form he's being touted as potentially the first Pom to win the Dally M, drawing the praises of Storm coach Craig Bellamy, and he's an important cog in the Green Machine's charge to the finals. But will he have a case to answer for a potential grapple tackle on Melbourne prop Jesse Bromwich? The emerging NRL star has a clean sheet since joining the NRL from the English Super League last season and Raiders fans will be hoping he's cleared to play as they continue their push for a top-four finish.
JOEY LEILUA IMPRESSES LAURIE DALEY
Many thought Canberra Raiders centre Joey Leilua was unlucky not to make his NSW Origin debut this year and he sent an emphatic statement with the Blues coach on hand at Canberra Stadium. Leilua scored two first-half tries, the second through signature brute strength when dragging three defenders over the line. Origin is the last thing on Canberra's mind as it presses for a top-four berth, but even this far out, Leilua didn't do his chances any harm. The only downside was a couple of ill-advised offloads which put his team under significant pressure early in the second half.
QUIET ACHIEVER WHITEHEAD EARNS HIS STRIPES
His countryman Josh Hodgson has received a wealth of plaudits and deservedly so. But the contribution English back-rower Elliott Whitehead has made shouldn't be understated. Incredibly, he has played all bar two minutes of his first campaign since joining Canberra from Super League and is in the top five for tackles in the league. He has a knack for being in the right place in the right time in defence, as evidenced by his superb cover tackle on Storm flyer Marika Koroibete in the first half. He does plenty of the little tough things not all players are willing to do. He fully deserves the one-year extension until the end of 2018 he inked on Monday.
BIGGEST CROWD OF SEASON FOR RAIDERS
For the first time since their last premiership in 1994 the Green Army can sense something special happening. The biggest crowd of the season — 15,707 — fronted for the Storm clash, the biggest Canberra Stadium crowd since the 2012 finals. It's unheard of for a Monday night against a non-Sydney team. The crowd average has improved markedly to more than 11,000 this year, an obvious by-product of overdue success. After Monday's win Canberra can no longer fly under the radar and be considered mere high-achievers who should be happy just to make finals for the first time since 2012. They're a legitimate contender.
GREAT WALL OF CANBERRA
The Melbourne Storm have the Purple Wall, but now the Green Machine has the Great Wall of Canberra. They kept the ladder leaders to just eight points, all scored in the first half, below even the Storm's average of conceding just 11.5 points per game. Even when they turn the ball over they've been able to hold firm on their defensive line. Could it begin to overshadow their exciting attack?
