History is on the line at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Friday night with both the Raiders and Tigers chasing their first NRLW finals victory.
In a scheduling quirk, the historic elimination final comes just seven days after the two sides faced off in their final game of the regular season.
The round 11 match-up wasn’t the farewell to Leichhardt Oval the West Tigers were hoping for as Darrin Borthwick’s Raiders seemingly had an answer for everything the Tigers threw at them.
The Green Machine churned up the Tigers defence, particularly in the first half of the match, with centre Leianne Tufuga scoring in her 50th NRLW game in a 22-10 victory.
The Raiders and Tigers will play for a fifth time this Friday since both teams entered the competition in 2023, with the Tigers yet to register a win against the girls in green.
Making statements: The 2026 Canberra Raiders
Both sides were aware of the ladder situation heading into last week's match but Tigers coach Craig Sandercock said the potential to face the Raiders again this week had no impact on his side's approach.
"We want to win every game we play and compete hard in every game," Sandercock said. "I thought we competed hard, we obviously didn't win and Canberra were too good for us but we'll see what happens."
Match: Wests Tigers v Raiders
Finals Week 1 -
home Team
Wests Tigers
4th Position
away Team
Raiders
5th Position
Venue: Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
Tigers fans will be hoping he’s left something up his sleeve for the coming Friday night blockbuster, lest the Raiders’ back five recreate their dominance in the regular season finale in which they combined for over 700 metres gained.
The Tigers are set to receive a major boost with captain Kezie Apps named to make her comeback from a knee injury and fullback Caitlin Turnbull on track to return from a foot injury.
Friday's match marks a new frontier for both sides as they prepare for their inaugural finals campaign.
Wiki with a hatty
Borthwick has been steadily building the Raiders up to this point since their introduction to the competition in 2023 and expressed his pride at this season's results.
“It's (finals) been in the back of our minds," Borthwick said. "Credit to our players, we’re super proud of the group, it’s a good way to finish the season”
“I want to focus on celebrating [last week's] win and the achievement of the club and the group to get into the finals for the first time in the club's history."
The Tigers endured a tough introduction into the NRLW in 2023 but Sandercock has triggered an immediate turnaround in his first season at the helm.
While the improvement caught some by surprise, the coach was always confident a finals berth was within their grasp.
Caitlin Turnbull Try
"We’re a team that’s growing and learning together," Sandercock said. "[Despite some injuries] the girls are trying hard, they’re doing their best and for us to finish fourth is almost unbelievable, so we’re really proud of the team."
Tigers halfback Raecene McGregor has been instrumental in her side's rise, the veteran making an instant impact since arriving in the off-season.
While eager to celebrate a successful regular season, McGregor said there's still plenty of work to do heading into the finals.
"We’re really proud of where we’ve come but there’s so much more to do for the club," McGregor said. "We know as players we want to be better each week, and the last few weeks we haven’t been at our best.
"We’ll go to training this week and train really hard and fix up the little things and come out against the Raiders on Friday and we’ll be better for it."
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