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Brad Fittler knows what it’s like to be coached by Ricky Stuart with the pair winning a premiership together as captain and coach of the Roosters in 2002, so the legendary five-eighth has seen his fair share of tirades from the Raiders mentor.
And after last week’s classic Stuart press conference, where he teed off over what he sees as “frustrating” and “confusing” interpretations of the rules from referees from week to week, Fittler expects a “reaction” from Raiders players when they host the Cowboys on Sunday.
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After winning the minor premiership last season, the Raiders have struggled to maintain the rage this season and sit 12th on the ladder, two wins out of the eight.
If they are to challenge for a finals spot, they will need to start to make a move and string together some wins, starting with Sunday’s round 13 match against a dangerous opponent.
Neither the Raiders nor the Cowboys are expected to be impacted by Origin, with NSW heroes Ethan Strange and Hudson Young both getting through Wednesday night’s last gasp win unscathed, while Reuben Cotter – the Cowboys’ only representative for Queensland – also got through the game without any fitness queries.
All three players have been named to start Sunday’s clash, leaving it delicately balanced, with the Cowboys in better form but the Raiders highly capable.
Speaking on Wide World of Sports’ Freddy and The Eighth’s Tips, both Andrew Johns and Fittler raised the difficulty of getting to Canberra from Townsville as a factor, with no direct flights between the two cities available.
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But it was Stuart’s spray after last Thursday’s Raiders loss to the Dolphins that swayed Fittler to pick the home side.
“I’m going to go the Raiders at home,” Fittler said.
“Ricky had a big blow up last week, I think they’ll get a reaction.”
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