Canberra Raiders vs New Zealand Warriors Prediction: Green Machine To Strike Gold In Vegas

Arguably the greatest festival of club rugby league in the sport’s history takes place this weekend as Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium plays host to four matches. And the second clash sees the Canberra Raiders take on the New Zealand Warriors live on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event (00:00 Sunday morning GMT, 16:00 Saturday local).

This should be one hell of a show, with the Raiders known for starting seasons well and the Warriors looking to hit back after a disappointing 2024. Below are my Canberra Raiders vs New Zealand Warriors predictions, complete with full team news and match odds from Betfred.

Canberra Raiders vs New Zealand Warriors Odds

It’s the Warriors who are favoured by the bookies, with Betfred quoting 4/6 for Andrew Webster’s side to come out on top at an implied probability of 60%.

The Raiders have won five of six opening-day fixtures since 2019, making the 5/4 about them picking up two points look favourable.

If you fancy this one going beyond 80 minutes, the draw in 80 minutes is 18/1, while the standard two-way handicap has the Warriors giving up just a 1.5-point start so hard is this one to call. In that scenario, the Raiders are 20/21 and the Wahs 4/5.

Team News

Ricky Stuart has been able to name a full-strength Raiders squad for the trip to the Strip.

Zac Hosking is back in full training after suffering a nasty calf injury in training during the ramp-up to the Pre-Season Challenge competition, while there is a call-up for debutant Owen Pattie off the bench.

Jamal Fogarty and Ethan Strange are the starting halves, while Josh Papali’i begins his 15th Raiders season among the interchanges against his hometown club.

Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies both start in the back row despite causing embarrassment with a coming together at a Las Vegas hotel this week.

Rugby League Odds

It’s a rather different-looking Warriors this season following the retirements of Shaun Johnson and Tohu Harris, as well as Addin Fonua-Blake’s switch to the Cronulla Sharks.

In a blockbuster move, they’ve added Penrith Panthers’ 200-game veteran James Fisher-Harris off the back of his fourth successive NRL Premiership title, while there is the hope that Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will kick on again this term following his return last year from rugby union. He is expected to play largely on the wing in 2025.

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is unavailable to coach Andrew Webster due to a wrist injury, so Taine Tuaupiki will start in the number-two jersey, while youngsters Leka Halasima and Demitric Sifakula are both handed spaces on the bench.

Raiders by 1-5 points @ 6/1

They’ve given the name of rugby league a bit of a red face this week with the antics of two of their star forwards, but I make the Raiders slight favourites here.

That is thanks in part to the fact I need to see how the Warriors shape up without the brilliant Johnson before I throw my weight behind them. It will also be instructive to see how they respond to what was undoubtedly a disappointing dip in ’24 after a thrilling run to the finals 12 months earlier.

So my caution towards the Wahs and a belief in Stuart’s ability to get a team going straight from the gun means I’m going for the Green Machine.

And while the 5/4 for the straight win looks decent enough, grabbing that extra value for the narrow margin means we get a healthy 6/1 in what show be a tight encounter.

Sebastian Kris anytime tryscorer @ 5/2

While it was Xavier Strange who produced for the Raiders with regularity last season, scoring 15 tries in an ever-present campaign, I can’t get behind the 4/6 for him to score at any time.

The first tryscorer bet at 7/1 might be your favoured route, but I like the look of Sebastian Kris to cross during the fixture at 5/2.

The centre might have only scored five tries last season, but with the flick of the calendar and an early question mark over how the Wahs’ outside-backs will shape up defensively, I’m willing to get behind the one-cap Kiwi to score on opening night.

You can read all our latest Rugby League Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights Rugby League content hub.