Kaeo Weekes and the Canberra Raiders host Reece Walsh and the Brisbane Broncos in a blockbuster clash at GIO Stadium.
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MATCH CENTRE: Raiders vs Broncos teams, scores, videos, updates
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The Raiders wingers will know they’re on notice this weekend with a selection headache looming. Xavier Savage was suspended following the season opener but he’ll be available in Round 3 and Ricky Stuart will have a tough decision to make.
Albert Hopoate returns to replace Savage but Stuart will have to decide whether to keep them or stick with rising star Savelio Tamale next week.
Tamale, 20, impressed on his club debut in the Las Vegas season opener in what marked just his second NRL game.
The under-19 New South Wales representative is one of several rising stars Stuart has brought to the club on the promise of game time.
Hopoate has played 36 games for the Raiders since his debut in 2022 but may have fallen behind Savage in the pecking order who is back in Stuart’s good books after falling out of favour in 2023.
Meanwhile, skipper Joe Tapine (suspended) is out which sees Josh Papalii shift into the front row.
Morgan Smithies returns to the lock spot he played in for the majority of the 2024 season. With Smithies shifting to lock, a spot opened up on the bench for Super League recruit Matty Nicholson to make his NRL debut.
The 21-year-old made the switch from Warrington Wolves ahead of the 2025 season, playing 45 Super League games alongside a Challenge Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
Nicholson is also an English international and comes with huge wraps from coach Sam Burgess, who described him as a “great athlete” and a “student of the game” when speaking on SEN with Joel and Fletch.
“He’s got a bit to learn in his game but he’ll certainly do that in the NRL,” Burgess said.
“I’d have loved to have kept him here (at Warrington) for one more year, send him over there with another 12 months of hard work (behind him) and try to fix up his physicality but he’ll do that there at Canberra and I’m sure we’ll see a lot of him play. He’s a good athlete.”
An unchanged 17 for Michael Maguire this week, which makes sense after the Broncos delivered a Round 1 masterclass to down the Roosters.
Tyson Smoothy has once again been named 18th man.
TEAMS
Raiders team: 1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Savelio Tamale 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Albert Hopoate 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papali’i 9. Tom Starling 10. Corey Horsburgh 11. Hudson Young 12. Zac Hosking 16. Matt Nicholson 13. Morgan Smithies 14. Owen Pattie 15. Simi Sasagi 17. Ata Mariota. 18th man: 19. Trey Mooney
Broncos team: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Selwyn Cobbo 3. Deine Mariner 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ben Hunt 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Patrick Carrigan 9. Cory Paix 10. Payne Haas 11. Jack Gosiewski 12. Jordan Riki 13. Kobe Hetherington 14. Billy Walters 15. Corey Jensen 16. Xavier Willison 17. Brendan Piakura. 18th man: 18. Tyson Smoothy
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