Titans 20 – Raiders 30
To be honest, I expected the Raiders to flog the Titans today. And if you’d told me pre-game that the Titans would be in the contest for pretty much the full 80 minutes, I would’ve been impressed — especially considering David Fifita and Jayden Campbell were ruled out during the week.
However, given they were up 16-0 at one point, it’s fair to say this ended up being a disappointing loss.
I don’t believe they were genuinely 16 points better early on, considering all their tries came off kicks, but a good side takes those kinds of leads with both hands and knows how to grind out a win. Unfortunately, the Titans have always had a soft and lazy defensive DNA. You only have to look at Hudson Young’s second try — borderline embarrassing and not NRL standard, especially with the game on the line.
With Fifita and Campbell expected to miss a few more weeks, it could be an ugly stretch ahead for the Titans.
As for the Raiders, they were still in the sheds for the first 20 minutes, but once they found their rhythm, they were far too strong. This Raiders side is red-hot right now, and it’s largely thanks to Jamal Fogarty steering them around the park. You wouldn’t know he’s playing for a contract, would you? Their go-forward was unreal all game.
Hudson Young was doing what Hudson Young does — scoring his third consecutive double. He also had 184 run metres, five tackle busts, two line breaks, two offloads, and 27 tackles (with just one miss). He’s never quite made an Origin jersey his own, but surely this is the year. The bloke is a deadset freak and seems to improve every season.
Ricky Stuart won’t be thrilled with their start, but things don’t always go your way in the NRL. The best sides find a way to win even when they’re not at their best. The Green Machine keeps rolling.
Jack’s Dally M votes
3 – Hudson Young
2 – Jamal Fogarty
1 – Ethan Strange
Aaron’s Dally M votes
3 – Hudson Young
2 – Jamal Fogarty
1 – Savelio Tamale
Let us know in the comments who your Man of the Match was.
