Canberra Raiders vs Wests Tigers Prediction, Tips & Odds

FORM: The 8-10 Raiders have chalked up three straight wins for the first time in 2026, including impressive victories over the Bulldogs (40-16) and Rabbitohs (34-24) in the past two rounds.

The 14th-placed Tigers are in absolute freefall, with a 32-0 loss to the Bulldogs on Saturday their fifth straight defeat.

INS AND OUTS: Tom Starling starts at hooker for Canberra with Owen Pattie out suspended, while Jayden Brailey joins the bench. Hudson Young’s season-ending injury sees Zac Hosking go to second-row and Morgan Smithies slot in at lock.

Adam Doueihi has been cleared to line up for the Tigers after getting a judiciary downgrade, but Latu Fainu wasn’t so lucky. Patrick Herbert returns in the centres and Sunia Turuva moves from wing to centre, with Junior Tupou and Faaletino Tavana named on the flanks.

KEY MATCH-UP: Dummy-half live-wires Starling and Api Koroisau have huge roles to play for their respective sides.

HISTORY: The Raiders have won 10 of their last 12 against the Tigers, but the Tigers powered to a 33-14 win at Leichhardt earlier this year.

KEY STAT: The Tigers have lost their last five in Canberra, averaging less than 13 points.

VERDICT: Don’t count the Raiders out of the finals race just yet – 74 points in the past fortnight against fellow Top 8 hopefuls suggests they’ve turned a corner.

Young’s injury is a huge blow going forward, but at home – where their only loss from their last four was to the Roosters – they should be far too good for a Tigers side that is going worse than every team in the NRL by some margin.

Tip: Back the Raiders to Cover the Line (-13.5) @ $1.85

SGM: RAIDERS WIN / OVER 51.5 TOTAL POINTS / ZAC HOSKING ANYTIME TRYSCORER / KAEO WEEKES ANYTIME TRYSCORER / ETHAN STRANGE ANYTIME TRYSCORER @ $63.41