The Roosters are coming off an impressive win over the Sharks but the absence of James Tedesco, Lindsay Collins and Daniel Tupou on Origin duty makes the task of winning in the national capital that much tougher.
The Raiders have won three of five at home this season and will be smarting after pushing the Eels to the limit on Sunday but ultimately going down by eight points.
These two sides have engaged in some epic battles in recent years dating back to the 2019 grand final, when a fair dash of controversy surrounded the Roosters' victory and Raider Jack Wighton had the rare honour of collecting the Clive Churchill Medal in a beaten side.
Wighton and Josh Papalii will miss Sunday's game on Origin duty, leaving the Green Machine without two vital cogs as they look to stay in contact with the top eight.
The Rundown
Team news
Raiders: James Schiller has been promoted to the interchange bench in place of Corey Harawira-Naera. Matt Frawley played five-eighth in Round 9 and 10 when Wighton was suspended and he gets the No.6 jersey again while Corey Horsburgh moves to starting prop. Trey Mooney also joins the interchange and will make his NRL debut.
Roosters: Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has succumbed to a hamstring injury and will be replaced in the front-row by Fletcher Baker, with Siosiua Taukeiaho to be the other starting prop as Lindsay Collins is on Origin duty with Queensland. Joseph Suaalii is expected to play despite picking up a head knock and joining the Blues squad this week. Joseph Manu shifts to fullback to cover for James Tedesco, with Kevin Naiqama the new centre, although he could swap with Billy Smith, who was named on the wing. Sitili Tupouniua comes into the starting side and Daniel Suluka Fifita joins the bench after Waerea-Hargreaves was ruled out. Egan Butcher is the other new face on the bench.
Key match-up
Jamal Fogarty v Luke Keary: Game management will be critical with so many key men missing from both sides. Fogarty looked a little rusty in his first hit-out for the season against the Eels but he'll be all the better for the run. Keary has played all 12 games for the Roosters, coming up with 11 try assists and six line break assists. The three-time premiership winner is proving the perfect foil for whiz kid Sam Walker and their partnership is blossoming. Fogarty will be asked to team with a new five-eighth and click quickly as the Raiders look to bounce back from Sunday's loss to Parramatta.
Stat Attack
The last time the Raiders were inside the top eight was round three on the back of a win over the Titans. The Roosters jumped into the top eight in round four after knocking off the Cowboys and have been there ever since. The Roosters and Warriors were the two sides who moved into eight after round four at the expense of the Broncos and Raiders.
Link to original story