The draw for the 2019 Canberra Raiders Cup was revealed by Canberra Region Rugby League (CRRL) recently, and both the Queanbeyan Roos and the Queanbeyan Blues will face testing rounds early on.
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In round one, on Sunday April 7, the Roos will take on the Goulburn Bulldogs who, following a lacklustre season in 2018, have recruited heavily and will boast a much stronger side across the board.
Meanwhile, the Blues will take on the Belconnen United Sharks in the first round. While the Sharks went winless in 2018, they drew the Blues in the second meeting between the two, and will be boosted by the signings of Sam Mataora (former Canberra Raiders forward), Tuakana Munokoa, and Tevita Aroha-Tuinauvai (CRRL Winger of the Year for 2018).
In the second round, on Saturday April 13, things will get more personal for both of the Queanbeyan sides as they prepare to face off against one another.
Prospects for the Roos have been boosted by the return of former junior player Tre Williams, who has spent the last two seasons contracted with the Gold Coast Titans, and the arrivals of former Queanbeyan Blue James Ulrick and former West Belconnen Warrior Aidan Greenwood.
Based on the rankings from 2018, many would expect the Roos to walk over the Blues in their first 2019 derby. However, the Blues have good reason to be confident ahead of the clash, as they won the first match against the Roos last year, 38-22 in round six.
While the Roos did eventually level the score in round 15, 42-34, it proved that there is no guaranteeing the result when the Queanbeyan sides meet.
The Roos had a relatively successful season in 2018, where they finished third on the ladder before being knocked out in the first semi-final, and the Blues struggled in their campaign to defend the 2017 premiership and finished sixth overall.
While both sides will no doubt be looking to improve on their 2018 results, it will be a tough ask as there have been a multitude of changes to almost every team with regards to roster and coaching staff, and it has set the 2019 competition up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory.
The full draw for the 2019 season can be found on the CRRL website.
