Canberra Raiders Cup: Round 15 Wrap
With only three rounds left in the Blumers Lawyers Canberra Raiders Cup, wins are more important than ever with the Rams, Sharks, Magpies and Bushrangers recording victories over the weekend.
Woden Valley Rams 20 d Goulburn City Bulldogs 10
The Woden Valley Rams have skyrocketed into first place with a ten-point victory over the Bulldogs on Saturday at Phillip Oval.
The Rams came out of the gates determined to record their second consecutive win, scoring three unanswered tries to take a 14-0 lead going into halftime.
However, Goulburn wouldn’t go down that easy with the Bulldogs scoring the opening try of the second half through Steven Cummins.
The two sides exchanged tries following Cummins' four-pointer up until the 63rd minute where the Bulldogs had brought it to the final score of 20-10.
This loss for the Bulldogs means they need to win all of their final three games to have a shot at making the finals while the Rams will look to continue their winning streak against the Sharks in a fortnight’s time.
Belconnen United Sharks 44 d Queanbeyan Blues 36
The Belconnen United Sharks have kept their finals dreams alive with a comeback eight-point victory over the Blues at Seiffert Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Queanbeyan started the match in true Blues fashion racing away to a 30-6 lead after just 24 minutes of action.
But the Sharks found a way to get back into the game, scoring three unanswered tries in the back half of the opening 40 minutes, to make it 30-24 at halftime.
Both sides were trading set for set in the opening stages of the second half, until the Sharks began to put on a show, running in three straight tries to take a 12 point lead.
The Blues scored in the 72nd minute making it 42-36, giving the Seiffert Oval crowd a nail-biting finish.
But the Sharks were able to keep the Blues out and were awarded a late penalty goal to take their total out to 44 points.
The Sharks will host the first placed Rams in round 16 while the Blues travel to Goulburn with plenty on the line in that clash.
Yass Magpies 22 d Queanbeyan Kangaroos 18
The Yass Magpies registered their first win since April with a 22-18 win over the Kangaroos at Walker Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Magpies got off to a great start scoring three tries in the first 25 minutes to take an 18-0 lead with star players Bayley Maher and Joshua Fattore scoring early four-pointers.
A penalty goal on the stroke of halftime for Yass gave them a comfortable 20-0 lead and were in the box seat to win the match.
The Kangaroos were forced to play with 12 men after one of their players was sin-binned, but the Queanbeyan side still managed to score two tries during that period to make it a 10 point game with ten minutes remaining.
Queanbeyan slipped through for another two late tries to keep their hope of a comeback alive but were unsuccessful with Yass holding on to win.
Yass will face West Belconnen in a fortnight’s time in round 16 while the Kangaroos host Gungahlin at Seears Workwear Oval.
Tuggeranong Bushrangers 26 d West Belconnen Warriors 12
The Tuggeranong Bushrangers have leapfrogged the Warriors with a 26-12 victory in Belconnen to get into second place on the ladder with only few games remaining.
The win has tied the Bushrangers and the Warriors on 19 competition points with for and against the only separating factor.
The Bushrangers were first to score but there was a quick response from West Belconnen to tie the game up after ten minutes of play.
The two sides exchanged tries for the remainder of the first half with Tuggeranong ending the opening 40 minutes with an 18-12 lead.
But it was all Tuggeranong in the second half, with the Bushrangers scoring a converted try and slotting a penalty goal to give them the 26-12 victory.
The Bushrangers will have the next two weeks off due to the wash-out round and then having a bye in round 16. They will play the Bulldogs at home in round 17 while West Belconnen take on Yass next weekend.
