A DORGUSON BROMANCE
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Sandor Earl and Blake Ferguson’s blossoming combination continued its superb NRL form as they helped the Canberra Raiders progress to the next round of the finals. Since linking in the middle of the season, the duo has formed a dynamic partnership on the Raiders’ right side. Earl opened their account by scoring the first two tries and Ferguson put the icing on the cake with two of his own in the second half. They have jokingly named themselves ‘‘Dorguson’’ on Twitter and the Raiders will hope their bromance and try-scoring brilliance continues against the Rabbitohs on Saturday.
THE CROWD
There was a sea of green at Canberra Stadium as more than 24,000 fans packed in to watch the Raiders trounce the Sharks. Some travelled from as far as Melbourne and Queensland to watch the Green Machine steam into the second week of the finals. There has been talk of the Raiders’ poor finals record. Prior to yesterday, they hadn’t won a final in the capital since beating Penrith in 2000. The Raiders’ finals winning percentage still isn’t great - they’ve won three of their past 11 games. But none of that will matter if they topple South Sydney.
MAN OF THE MATCH
He had just recovered from a shoulder injury and was playing in his first NRL finals match, but Raiders halfback Sam Williams showed no signs of nerves as he steered Canberra to victory over the Sharks. The 21-year-old dished off three try assists and scored one of his own as the Raiders secured a 16-point win. It would have been easy for the playmaker to make excuses after being in doubt all week as he battled a shoulder problem. But he terrorised the Sharks’ defence and was superb with his kicking game. There were no nerves before kick-off and he didn’t feel the pressure. In fact, Williams ducked in to see the triumphant under-20s side before his match to pass on his congratulations. The challenge now is to ensure he’s not a one-hit finals wonder.
BEWARE THE WOUNDED RABBIT
South Sydney got a lesson in finals footy when it was smashed by the Melbourne Storm two days ago and former Raider Michael Maguire, Souths' coach, will ensure his Rabbitohs don’t make the same mistake again. Led by star Greg Inglis, the Raiders are preparing for a rejuvenated South Sydney outfit when they clash in week two of the finals at ANZ Stadium on Saturday. The Raiders have momentum on their side after winning the past six matches. But the Rabbitohs have a home ground advantage and will still be stinging from their dismal performance. There are some blockbuster individual clashes, including Josh Dugan taking on Inglis and David Shillington taking on Sam Burgess and Roy Asotasi. The last time the teams played the Rabbitohs won 36-18 in Sydney. The Raiders were dreadful that night but are a completely different side now. They have all the momentum.
WHAT THEY SAID
‘‘I did have a look at their warm-up and noticed that in their left edge and right edge that Toddy wasn't in it there. I did see that, how long he was going to last I wasn't sure.’’ - Raiders coach David Furner on his tactics to combat Todd Carney.
‘‘A huge rap to all the Raiders fans for coming out. Every time we were down or up they were right behind us and pumping us up further, it was great to have them out there.’’ - Raiders captain David Shillington on the crowd at Canberra Stadium.
‘‘He can say what he wants, I don't care, we're out of the comp. They had a plan to target me. I don't really care about [Josh] Papalii. He hit a dog shot with a swinging arm and once in the back without the ball.’’ - Sharks skipper Paul Gallen fired up after being targeted by Josh Papalii.
‘‘I'm just really happy at the Raiders and I'm just loving playing footy. We've still got a lot to work on, but there's real big desire.’’ - Two-try hero Blake Ferguson plays down his rivalry with former club Cronulla.