Canberra Raiders Cup 2022: Round 7 Wrap

Round seven of the Blumers Lawyers Canberra Raiders Cup has come and gone, with the Magpies, Rams, Blues and Kangaroos all securing hard fought victories.

West Belconnen Warriors 26 d Yass Magpies 18

The table topping West Belconnen Warriors have kept their undefeated record intact, downing the Yass Magpies 26-18 away from home in a close fought clash on Saturday afternoon.

Both the Magpies and Warriors traded points in the opening half an hour, scoring two tries a piece in the hotly contested match. Only a missed conversion attempt by West Belconnen’s Robert Roberts split the sides, with the Magpies leading 12-10 late in the first half.

A crash play from Warrior’s prop Kirren Roughley was eventually enough to give the away side their first lead of the game, with the scores sitting at 16-10 as both teams headed into the sheds.

After a hard-fought opening 25 minutes of the second half, it was Yass who cracked first with Thomas Bethke getting his first in the 65th minute to take the score to 20-12.

Roughley was soon able to seal the match for the lead leaders, scoring a 50 metre try in the 76th minute to extend their advantage to 14 points.

Despite a late try it wasn’t enough for the Magpies to get a much-needed victory, with the home side now sitting last on points differential while West Belconnen are outright first.

Queanbeyan Kangaroos 24 d Gungahlin Bulls 22

The Queanbeyan Kangaroos have pulled off an incredible late comeback away from home against the Gungahlin Bulls, coming away with a 24-22 victory on Saturday afternoon.

It was all Queanbeyan for the opening 20 minutes, headlined by tries from Reece Robinson in the 7th minute and Michael Cullen in the 13th minute to give them an 8-0 lead.

After holding out sustained pressure from the Roos, it was Gungahlin’s turn to take control, scoring three tries in the remaining 15 minutes of the first half leaving the home side up 16-8 at the break.

A Gungahlin try in the 43rd minute had many thinking that the game was over, however two quick tries for Queanbeyan left the scores at 22-18 with 17 minutes left.

The Kangaroos left it late, however a brilliant try from halfback Lachlan Ingram right on the siren levelled the scores, with James Horvat kicking his second conversion of the match to win the game for Queanbeyan 24-22.

The loss now leaves Gungahlin sitting in equal last place, while two consecutive wins have helped push the Roos up to sixth.

Queanbeyan Blues 41 d Goulburn City Bulldogs 28

After a fast start to the season the Goulburn City Bulldogs have now lost their third match in a row, falling to the Queanbeyan Blues 41-28 at Seiffert Oval on Saturday afternoon.

It was the perfect start for the Blues, scoring three tries in the opening 15 minutes giving the home side a healthy 16-0 lead to start the match.

After a rough start, Goulburn begun to settle into the game with Dillon Rota and Laberato Tauoqooqo bagging a try each to head into the halftime break trailing 22-12.

Goulburn needed to be the first to score in the second period and Dillon Rota saluted, scoring his second of the afternoon to close the gap to 22-18.

However, the Blues attack ultimately proved to be too strong for the Bulldogs to keep out.

A Terry Campese solo try in the 64th minute gave Queanbeyan an almost unassailable 34-18 lead and despite Rota scoring his hattrick in the 71st minute, the away side could never get close enough to pose a serious threat.

The 41-28 win now pushes the Blues into fourth, while a third loss in a row sees the Bulldogs drop out of the top five.  

Woden Valley Rams 28 d Belconnen United Sharks 18

The Woden Valley Rams have held off a fast-finishing Belconnen United Sharks, coming away with a 28-18 victory on Saturday afternoon.

It was the perfect start for the Rams, getting out to a quick 16-0 lead with only a little over 20 minutes played.

A blistering run from second rower Aiden Kawiri was enough to again break the Sharks defensive line, with Jackson McDonald’s conversion extending Woden’s lead to 24-0 in the 33rd minute.

Sharks’ fullback Darcy Leadbitter got the home side on the board after an incredible run from centre Tevita Aroha-Tuinaivai gave the Sharks some hope heading into the sheds trailing 24-6.

After a tightly contested opening 20 minutes of the second half, it was the Sharks who got the first try in the 64th minute. This pushed the score to 24-12 with Belconnen’s dream of a comeback still firmly alive.

Although, a late try to Rams’ winger Nicholas Baldwin was enough to seal the 28-18 win for Woden and push them into outright second on the ladder.

Image by Trisha Sullivan