With an NRL finals spot at stake, Canberra insist they will abide by their game plan rather than react to the Warriors’ dramatic line-up maneuvering that has left dynamic halfback Shaun Johnson out of the team.
Johnson was sensationally dropped and halves partner James Maloney dumped to the bench in the Warriors’ team announcement on Tuesday, with coach Tony Iro confirming the changes were based on form, not injury.
“This is a case of us picking the side we think will give us the best chance of winning against the Raiders,” he said.
While Canberra assistant coach Justin Morgan agreed it was a bold move, he denied it would factor much in the Raiders’ preparations.
“Yes, it’s a shake-up of their team, but we don’t want to get too bogged down on who we’ll be seeing,” he told reporters.
“Who they send out is up to them.
“We’re very confident if we go out and do our job and stick to what we plan to do we can get the result.”
The Raiders, currently seventh on the ladder, need a victory to cement a finals appearance although Brisbane and Wests Tigers are still in with a chance to steal their thunder.
The Warriors, meanwhile, will be out to defy their seven-game losing streak and atone for their end-of-season horror run.
On the plus side for Canberra, playmaker Sam Williams has been given a tentative all-clear by the doctors after suffering a strain to his left shoulder in the Raiders’ 34-6 belting of Canterbury on Friday.
He’ll travel with the team to New Zealand before a final assessment is made on Saturday.
“It’s better than 50/50,” Morgan said.
“He’s making progress every day and the long turnaround has been a help for us.”
The Raiders have otherwise named an unchanged line-up, with big forward Joel Thompson continuing to battle through niggling injuries and Tom Learoyd-Lahrs’ hamstring holding up through the Bulldogs match.
But Morgan conceded the Raiders team could still stand to be tweaked should they head into Sunday’s game with a finals spot already assured.
Would that entice them to rest injured players like Williams if the Raiders were guaranteed at least another week?
“There is that possibility, but if you’re talking to players, if they’re a chance at playing come Sunday afternoon, they’ll want to play,” Morgan said.
“It’s something we may discuss come Saturday but ultimately our goal is to win the match and to do that we have to send out our best, fittest team.”