The Raiders lower grade sides had mixed results over the weekend, with the NSW Cup team coming from behind in a courageous victory, while the Jersey Flegg side went down to the Knights.
NSW Cup
The Raiders NSW Cup side recorded a courageous victory over the weekend, coming back to defeat the Newcastle Knights 20-18 at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The ladder is now all square from first through to sixth position in the NSW Cup, with the Raiders currently sitting in sixth position but remain on equal points with the Bulldogs in first place.
The Knights were first on the scoreboard on Sunday with Dominic Young scoring in the 13th minute, and a missed conversion giving the Knights a 4-0 lead.
Second rower Jordan Martin scored first for the Raiders thanks to a well weighted grubber by Brad Schneider. Jarrod Croker comfortably converted the try to give the Raiders a 6-4 lead.
The home side scored again in the 31st minute, regaining their lead thanks to winger David Armstrong scoring on the left edge.
With the Raiders trailing 8-6 with 10 seconds remaining in the first half, five-eighth Joshua James slotted a two point field goal to level the scores heading into the break.
It was the Knights who came out firing in the second half, running in two more tries to take their lead to 18-8 in the 70th minute.
Clay Webb took matter into his own hands, burrowing through the Newcastle defence and crashing over the line in the 74th minute.
Croker converted the try to make the score 18-14 with four minutes remaining.
This momentum shift continued as the Raiders scored again in the 78th minute with prop Trey Mooney spinning off the Newcastle defence to score his first try of the match, levelling the score at 18-all.
It was Jarrod Croker who made the difference on Sunday, converting three from three as he converted the Raiders final try to seal a 20-18 victory over the Knights.
The Raiders will look to carry this momentum into their next clash against the Panthers on Saturday 1st of April at BlueBet Stadium.
Match: Knights v Raiders
Round 4 -
home Team
Knights
11th Position
away Team
Raiders
6th Position
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Jersey Flegg
The Raiders Jersey Flegg side were defeated 24-12 by the Newcastle Knights on Sunday, after finding their feet too late in the game to bounce back.
The Knights opened the scoring in the eighth minute with fullback Logan Jones giving Newcastle an early 6-0 lead.
Raider’s prop Eneseli Kamuta hit back with a strong run and line break resulting in his first try of the match. Noah Ryan made the conversion to level the score at 6-all.
Newcastle took the lead once again with interchange Harry Reid scoring to give the home side a 10-6 lead at half time.
Edward Hampson scored for Newcastle four minutes into the second, with Liam Sutton making the conversion to extend the Knights lead to 16-6.
Newcastle ran in another two tries, taking their lead to 24-6 with 10 minutes remaining.
The Raiders began to find their feet toward the end of the game, but it was too late. Kamuta completed his double and Ryan converted the try to end the game 24-12.
The Raiders take on the Panthers next Saturday 1st of April at BlueBet Stadium.
Match: Knights v Raiders
Round 4 -
home Team
Knights
9th Position
away Team
Raiders
11th Position
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
