Canberra Raiders desperate for win in Elliott Whitehead’s 150th NRL game

Ricky Stuart is hoping the Canberra Raiders can get a win for co-captain Elliott Whitehead in his 150th NRL game.

Stuart is encouraging the Raiders to put on a show for their co-captain's milestone game.

Ricky Stuart says Elliott Whitehead’s 150-game milestone will give the Canberra Raiders extra motivation to even the ledger against the North Queensland Cowboys on Thursday night.

The Cowboys thrashed the Raiders in round two, notching their first win of the year and biting back at NRL pundits who’d pegged them as whipping boys in the pre-season.

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But the North Queenslanders might not have such an easy time of it in the rematch – they’ll have to travel to Canberra and face a Raiders side desperate to string together its first 80-minute performance of the season.

“The only revenge is that we want to play better footy,” Stuart said when asked whether the Raiders had a bone to pick with the Cowboys.

“To be honest, we haven’t played 80 minutes of consistent football all season.

“When we play a little bit of football, we get a bit of rhythm in our game, I think you see what we’ve got to display.

“It’s been spoken about, it’s a matter of doing it now.”

Stuart’s Raiders are 2-3 after five rounds. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Stuart said the Raiders needed to do everything in their power to reward Whitehead with a win in his 150th NRL game.

Since joining the Green Machine in 2016, the bewhiskered Brit has become a fan favourite.

He played every game of the Raiders’ 2019 campaign, including the club’s first grand final appearance in 25 years, and was named co-captain this season.

“He’s an amazing Raider,” Stuart said of Whitehead.

“The relationships he’s built on and off the field with his mates here, with Canberra, are amazing. He was really only going to be here for two or three years. But Elliott and his partner Grace, this is their seventh year.

“They want to make Canberra home and we want to make Elliott a very proud Raider.”

Bradford-born Whitehead played almost 200 Super League games before joining the Raiders. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Whitehead is set to become the 24th player to make 150 appearances for the Raiders in their 41-year history and could reach 200 games by the time his contract expires at the end of 2024.

“The milestone of 150 games is no easy task,” said Stuart, who himself played over 200 games for Canberra.

“Now as our co-captain with Jarrod (Croker), we’ve got to be mindful of doing everything we possibly can to make it a good night for Elliott.”

The Cowboys are set to welcome Coen Hess back for the Raiders clash.

An Origin representative and the Cowboys’ reigning player of the year, Hess has spent the past three weeks recovering from a shoulder injury.

Originally published as Canberra Raiders desperate for win in Elliott Whitehead’s 150th NRL game