We love the mighty Canberra Raiders
NRL's Magic Round ends with Melbourne Storm facing Canberra Raiders in an exciting clash.
The NRL's sixth Magic Round comes to a close on Sunday night with an unexpected heavyweight clash pitting the second-placed Melbourne Storm against the third-placed Canberra Raiders.
Facing off on neutral ground as part of the league's annual pilgrimage to Suncorp Stadium, both teams have impressed with just two losses apiece over the opening eight rounds.
Joseph Tapine's 200-game journey with Canberra Raiders reflects personal growth amid high expectations since 2016.
Joseph Tapine's journey to 200 games with the Canberra Raiders has been shaped by both expectations and personal growth since his arrival from Newcastle in 2016.
Initially a "tall and skinny second rower with plenty of ability," the then-21-year-old Kiwi faced two significant challenges.
First, he needed to grapple with the high expectations that accompanied his physical gifts.
His skills, athleticism, and aggression brought a sense of hype to his new team.
Joseph Tapine joined Canberra in 2016, needing to manage expectations and improve his physical training.
When Joseph Tapine arrived at Canberra from Newcastle in 2016 as a tall and skinny second rower with plenty of ability and even more to prove, there were two things he needed to learn to carry.
One was the prodigious expectations that came with his clear physical gifts. The then-21-year-old Kiwi was rangy, skilful and aggressive. He brought some hype with him from the Knights and it can take time to get a saddle on all that talent.
The second is a lot more literal - for much of his first seven seasons in the NRL, the last five of which came with the Raiders, Tapine didn't really lift weights.