The Canberra Raiders NSW Cup and Jersey Flegg sides claimed impressive victories against the Penrith Panthers in round 14 of their respective competitions.
NSW Cup
The Raiders NSW Cup team caused the upset of the round, defeating the first placed Panthers 34-12 at Raiders Belconnen on Saturday afternoon.
Workhorse centre Albert Hopoate was outstanding for the green machine in their 22-point win, recording two tries, eight tackle breaks and 205 running metres.
The match started off perfectly for Canberra, scoring in their first set with Brad Schneider breaking through the line and setting up Elijah Anderson for the four pointer.
Following the opening points of the game, errors and penalties crept their way into the Raiders’ performance, assisting Penrith in taking a narrow two-point lead after 12 minutes.
NSW Cup Highlights | Raiders v Panthers - Round 14
But the Raiders bounced back emphatically, running in three unanswered tries through Ata Mariota, Rayden Burns and Hopoate to take a convincing 22-6 lead heading into half-time.
The second half was a much tighter contest with both teams focusing on the defensive side of the game. Penrith were the first to break through but were held scoreless for the remainder of the game.
Two tries in the 50th and 77th minute from the Raiders secured the important victory that keeps them inside the top eight.
The Raiders NSW Cup team will now shift their attention to their match against Newcastle on Sunday where they look to make it three straight wins.
Jersey Flegg
The Canberra Raiders Jersey Flegg team also enjoyed a victory on the weekend, ending their two-game losing streak with an impressive 28-18 win over the Panthers at Raiders Belconnen.
It was a whole team performance, with five individual try scorers helping the Raiders to a 10-point win.
It didn’t take long for the Raiders to hit the scoreboard with second rower Harrison Leadbitter breaking through the Penrith defensive line to score the opening try in the sixth minute.
The two sides exchanged tries to end the half with Canberra holding a close four-point lead after the first 35 minutes.
Two early second half tries from Jed Stuart and Tane Kiriona opened the Raiders’ lead up to 16 points following the conversions from Sione Vuki and they looked in the box seat to walk away with the win.
However, the Panthers answered back with two tries of their own to tighten the game to just a four-point difference with 10 minutes left.
The momentum was pointing towards a comeback win for Penrith but in the final minute the Raiders put the nail in the coffin with Sione Moala crossing over to score.
The Raiders Jersey Flegg team will be looking to win back-to-back games when they face the Knights at Raiders Belconnen on Saturday.
