GIO Stadium will play host to Saturday's Round 18 NRL game between Canberra Raiders and Gold Coast Titans. The game kicks off at 3:00 pm with Canberra Raiders heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Canberra Raiders vs. Gold Coast Titans game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Saturday July 1, 2023 at 3:00 pm

Where: GIO Stadium

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Canberra Raiders vs Gold Coast Titans Odds

Canberra Raiders vs Gold Coast Titans Preview

A massively pivotal encounter in the capital on Saturday as ninth-placed Gold Coast eyes off an opportunity to leapfrog sixth-placed Canberra on the ladder.

The Raiders have won eight of their last 10, either winning nail-biters or losing big. Their wins in that period were all by seven points or less, while they’ve lost their last two at home by more than 20 points.

After being touched up 36-14 by the Warriors in Round 15, the Raiders came out of the bye with a vital 20-18 road victory over the struggling Roosters. But they again let a big lead slip, powering to 18-0 before only just holding on.

In routinely patchy team performances, there’s notable individual positives – and Jamal Fogarty has settled into the role of linchpin nicely. On the downside, Josh Papali’i is out this week with Pasami Saulo to start up front and Ata Mariota joining the bench.

The 7-7 Titans’ position on the ladder is inflated by the fact they’ve already had three byes, but they are coming off a stunning 18-12 upset of the Broncos last Sunday just days after the shock sacking of coach Justin Holbrook.

Holding one the NRL’s most potent offences to just two tries and successfully hanging onto a second-half lead were major steps forward for the defensively porous, notorious late-game faders, while David Fifita and Moe Fotuaika were magnificent in the absence of Tino Fa’asuamaleuai.

Captain Fa’asuamaleuai returns this week, with brother Izack dropping out of the 17.

The Raiders have won seven of their last eight against the Titans, including victories at home (24-22) and away (36-24) last season. The Titans did, however, romp to a 44-6 win at GIO Stadium in 2021.

The hosts are $1.67 favourites and given their inability to produce a complete 80-minute performance, it’s hard to make a case for anything but another nervy, narrow win in their favour. But it’s a big test for the Titans to reproduce last Sunday’s form as the emotion of a massive week on and off the field subsides.

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