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Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs NRL Round 3 Tips - Dogs defence does the job

Jeremy Darke

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Last updated: Tue 17 Mar 2026 11:05

Jeremy Darke 17 Mar 2026

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Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs expert predictions for Thursday’s Round 3 NRL game
Canterbury Bulldogs' defence crucial against Canberra Raiders.
Raiders' attack struggled against strong defences previously.
Enari Tuala brings potential as a key player for Bulldogs.
Kick off is at 8:00 PM (AEDT) at GIO Stadium

Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs NRL Round 3 Tips

Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs, Round 3 2026 - Expert Prediction

Canterbury’s defence will be enough to get them past the Raiders as their attack slowly finds its feet.

Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs, Round 3 2026 - Expert Prediction
Head to Head
Canberra Raiders Form Analysis
Canterbury Bulldogs Form Analysis
Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs Team List & Team News
Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs NRL 2026 Round 3 FAQ’s

The Bulldogs have work to do with the ball in the hand, but it struggled last season and they still finished in the top-four. They will rely on their defence again at GIO on Thursday night as they did against the Dragons in Vegas, and it will be enough to contain the young Raiders combination.

The Ethans got found out last week against a strong Warriors defensive line and the 29 points they put up against Manly last week isn’t worth much after Newcastle tore the Sea Eagles apart as well.

Canterbury got up against the Raiders in Canberra last season in a wild comeback and that will haunt them. I don’t expect the Bulldogs to end up in that situation again and they will pressure the young halves and keep their score to a reachable total for them.

The Bronson Xerri drama brings Enari Tuala into the centres for the Bulldogs and for me this is a great swap. Tuala does work and also knows how to find the line and could just be the spark that the Canterbury back line needs to get things going for them.

Canterbury have won their last 2 against the Raiders.
Canberra have scored less than 24.5 points in their last 3 games against Canterbury.
Canterbury averaged just 17.25 points against in the regular season of 2025.
Enari Tuala has 4 tries in his last 4 games for Canterbury

Head to Head

After years of dominance by the Raiders the Bulldogs have taken control of this head to head battle over the last couple, winning 22-18 in 2024 and putting up a strong victory at GIO Stadium last season.

Canterbury came back from 20-0 down at half time to score six tries after the break winning 32-20.

4 of the last 5 head to head matches have gone over the game total.

Canberra Raiders Form Analysis

Ah the Raiders, back them and they bomb, don’t and they win 1-12.

It was a very different Raiders side in the wet in New Zealand in Round 2 compared with the team that held on at Brookvale the week before. The Raiders opened up through the middle and on the edges and the Warriors crushed them 40-6.

Canberra had the territory but not the possession and opened up on their goal line, giving up 7 tries from 37 tackles inside their 20m. Despite having 41 tackles inside the Warriors red zone the Raiders young halves had nothing to crack the Warriors line.

Canterbury Bulldogs Form Analysis

I’ve got some serious concerns for the Bulldogs still in 2026, all based around their attack.

Their 15-14 victory over the Dragons in Vegas showed us no signs of improvement from last season in attack. Lachie Galvin was less of a liability and actually looked more controlled. But there was still no flair with ball in hand and their predictable lines and ball movement provided nothing.

Defensively they were sound as usual, but with players moving around the backline we expected more and we got nothing.

Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs Team List & Team News

Team News and Lists are in our dedicated Round 3 Team List Article.

Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs NRL 2026 Round 3 FAQ’s

How to livestream Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs NRL 2026 Round 3?

You can livestream the Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs NRL 2026 Round 3 game via Fox Sports or Kayo Sports. If you are watching from outside of Australia the WatchNRL app is the perfect solution.

How to buy tickets to Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs NRL 2026 Round 3?

To buy tickets to the Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs NRL 2026 Round 3 game check the NRL website or the official Canberra Raiders site.

Verdict

Canberra Raiders v Canterbury Bulldogs

Canterbury will hold Canberra under 24.5 points and get the win as the road underdog. Enari Tuala will score in the centres

Canterbury Bulldogs

Money Line

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