Friday’s NRL 2017 Round 25 match is between Canberra Raiders and Newcastle Knights. The opening kick is set to commence at 18:00 local time with the game to be played at GIO Stadium. The home team Canberra Raiders are the favourites for the match. View our preview and teams for the game between Canberra Raiders and Newcastle Knights.
When: 18:00 | Friday 25/08/2017
Where: GIO Stadium
Preview:
Mathematical possibility — they’re the two words no club wants to hear at this time of years. Yet that’s the reality for the underachieving Raiders, who face bogey side Newcastle in their final home fixture for the season. The Raiders need to win their final two and hope other results go their way to take an unlikely place in the finals. The Knights embarrassed the Green Machine earlier in the season and pushed them to golden point twice last year.
Key: The Raiders have hit their best form of the season, but can they maintain the effort they’ve shown in the past six weeks now they can’t control their destiny?
Tip: Raiders
Odds:
OFFER: Deposit $50 BET with $200 via this link – Ends Soon!
Tip: Canberra Raiders at $1.14
Value Tip: First Try Scorer: Nick Cotric at $7.00
More Info:
Head to Head: Raiders 25 Knights 19 drawn 2
Last clash: Round 10, 2017 – Knights 34 bt Raiders 20 at McDonald Jones Stadium
Tab: Raiders $1.15 Knights $5.50
FootyTAB: Knights +14.5
Teams:
Raiders: 
1. Jack Wighton 2. Nick Cotric 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Joseph Leilua 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Blake Austin 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Junior Paulo 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Shannon Boyd 11. Josh Papalii 12. Joseph Tapine 13. Elliot Whitehead 14. Kurt Baptiste 15. Clay Priest 16. Dave Taylor 17. Luke Bateman 18. Jeff Lima 19. Erin Clark 20. Royce Hunt 21. Michael Oldfield
Players cut: TBC
Knights: 
1. Nathan Ross 2. Ken Sio 3. Dane Gagai 4. Peter Mata’utia 5. Shaun Kenny-dowall 6. Jack Cogger 7. Trent Hodkinson 8. Daniel Saifiti 9. Danny Levi 10. Josh King 11. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 12. Jamie Buhrer 13. Mitchell Barnett 14. Joe Wardle 15. Mickey Paea 16. Sam Stone 17. Jacob Saifiti 18. Brendan Elliott 19. Peter Mata’utia 20. Jaelen Feeney 21. Jack Stockwell
Players cut: TBC
NRL News:
Almost six years after watching local junior Wade Graham leave the foot of the mountains, Penrith have unearthed a rookie replica in Tyrone May.
That’s the belief of a number of current Panthers stars following May’s phenomenal ascension to first grade since his NRL debut last month.
The Mt Druitt junior has played a major role in extending the NRL’s hottest winning streak to seven by either scoring or setting up a clutch try in each of their past three victories.
The only question about May is not about talent, but in what jumper he wears it in.
“There’s a lot of talk about that, but I reckon he’d do a good job at back row. He’d probably turn into a Wade Graham-type as he develops,” halfback Nathan Cleary said.
“But at the moment he’s doing a job anywhere and he’s just a good asset to the team.”
Star front-rower James Tamou, who praised coach Anthony Griffin’s decision to keep May on the bench last week, liked Cleary’s comparison.
“He’s skilful like Wado and obviously he can play in the middle there,” Tamou said.
“He’s definitely not a spot player. He does a job well there defensively. He loves all the gritty stuff, he loves trying to get it over the opposition. It’s a perfect comparison.”
After handing May his debut when Matt Moylan was injured in round 19, Griffin has once again turned to the 21-year-old for Sunday’s crucial clash with St George Illawarra.
Moylan has been ruled out until the finals with another hamstring injury.
And while key players in fullback Dylan Edwards, May and Cleary combine for just 55 games between them, Cleary insists they have plenty of chemistry behind them.
The trio are part of 11 players in this week’s line-up that were part of the club’s 2013 or 2015 under-20s premiership-winning line-ups.
“The combination between me, Dyl, T-May, Sione (Katoa) and Corey (Harawira-Naera) on that edge, it was already there,” Cleary said.
“Now it’s building a combination with the rest of the team and keep getting better each week.”
While the club has prided itself on the strength of its junior nursery, Tamou said he was surprised by their ability to instantly perform once arriving on the big stage.
“(I’m) very surprised. You can just about put any of them in the first grade side and they’ll do a good job. That just goes to show how well the junior base is here at Penrith,” he said.
