Sunday only NRL Round 7 match is between Canberra Raiders and Melbourne Storm with the opening kick to commence at 7.30pm. The game is to be played at Remondis Stadium which see’s away team Melbourne Storm hold favouritism in the market. View our NRL live scores, odds and results for the game between Canberra Raiders and Melbourne Storm.

WHERE AND WHEN: Remondis Stadium, Saturday, 7.30pm (AEST)

Odds Comparison:

Canberra Raiders	2.25	2.25	2.30	2.25	2.25	2.20
Melbourne Storm	1.68	1.66	1.64	1.66	1.68	1.68

All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.

Preview:

The Canberra Raiders proved to be a punter’s nightmare again last week, losing when starting as favourites at home to Newcastle 26 – 12.

It was the fifth straight loss at home for the Raiders and the once daunting task of travelling to Canberra for opposing teams is quickly losing its aura.

The Raiders opened the scoring early with Jarrod Croker crossing in the 8^th minute but each time the home-side registered points they soon gave up just as many to the Knights.

The game was in the balance at half-time at12 all but it was a disappointing effort by the Raiders in the second half with poor defence and handling allowing the Knights, who played the smarter football in the second term, to score two unanswered tries.

Home games are few and far between for the Raiders in the first half of the season and they need to make them count but they could easily found themselves 0 – 4 at GIO Stadium after this week when they host the Storm.

Melbourne produced another remarkable comeback against St. George last Monday night, if even somewhat controversially, scoring a freakish try after the siren to win 28 – 24. It was the Storm’s fourth win of the season and their third by a margin of four points or less.

Trialling by 14 points with 15 minutes to go, Melbourne again showed why they are one of the toughest sides in the competition to defeat.

The ledger is level at two wins apiece between these two clubs since 2012 surprisingly though; neither side has been able to win when playing at home during that time.

The Storm will need to start better then what they did last week against the unpredictable Raiders whose best chance of winning their first game at home this season, lies with getting early points and holding on.

Both sides are largely unchanged from last week.

The Storm could easily be 2 – 4 this year but not for the fact that they do know how to win, something the Raiders are still yet to master.

Teams:

Canberra Raiders:
Anthony Milford, Reece Robinson, Jarrod Croker, Matt Allwood, Bill Tupou, Jack Wighton, Terry Campese (capt), David Shillington, Glen Buttriss, Brett White, Josh Papalii, Joel Edwards, Shaun Fensom. Interchange: Josh McCrone, Paul Vaughan, Dane Tilse, Shannon Boyd, Jarrad Kennedy (one to be omitted).

Melbourne Storm:
Billy Slater, Sisa Waqa, Will Chambers, Justin O’Neill, Young Tonumaipea, Ben Roberts, Cooper Cronk, Jesse Bromwich, Cameron Smith (capt), Bryan Norrie, Kevin Proctor, Ryan Hoffman, Ryan Hinchcliffe. Interchange: Kenny Bromwich, Tohu Harris, Mitch Garbutt, Tim Glasby, Dayne Weston (one to be omitted).

News:

Canberra CEO Don Furner says securing star fullback Anthony Milford before the round 13 deadline remains the NRL club’s top priority.

But he admits they’ll first need to start winning if they’re to win the tug-of-war against Brisbane.

The 14th-placed Raiders have lost their last two matches and this Sunday face a Melbourne Storm team that’s riding high following their after-the-siren win against the Dragons.

Milford has signed with the Broncos for the 2015 season, but wiggle room in the contract means the Raiders can keep him if they change his mind within the next seven weeks.

“Absolutely (he’s a top priority). He was last year. He was at the start of this year,” Furner said.

Furner said while the club wasn’t necessarily putting together a third-party sponsorship package to entice Milford to stay, there were other ways to keep the 19-year-old fullback in the nation’s capital.

Earlier this year the Raiders assisted in moving Milford’s family down to Canberra from Brisbane to help him cope with his homesickness.

“The salary cap rules are a minefield in themselves. So there’s a lot that’s got to be worked through there,” he said.

“We just have to make sure we win some games, keep him happy, and see how we go. Hopefully he’ll change his mind.”

Coach Ricky Stuart echoed Furner’s comments about the importance of winning, adding that players with x-factor like Milford were always highly sort after by rival clubs.

“It’s an area that every club goes through in regards to recruitment, they’re all looking for that X-factor, that’s what wins the tight games,” he said.