Canberra Raiders Cup: Round 14 Wrap

Round 14 of the Blumers Lawyers Canberra Raiders Cup saw plenty of action, with a late win and a dominant victory on display as each side fights for finals contention.

Belconnen United Sharks 24 d Goulburn City Bulldogs 16

This week’s match of the round saw the Sharks bite back late to steal the win in Bruce on Saturday against the Bulldogs.

The Sharks took a 6-0 lead by the 14th minute thanks to a strong run by front rower Rob Aratangi, bumping off the Goulburn defence to cross over the chalk.

Goulburn replied with two unanswered tries through Angus Marshall and Jonathan Cotterill, where they took a 10-6 lead heading into the break.

Resuming from the break, the Bulldogs pounced first with Mitch Cornish finding a gap in the Sharks defence off the back of a scrum to score in the 41st minute and extend their lead to 16-6.

With the game slipping away from the Sharks, Belconnen half Matt Woolnough took matters into his own hands, assisting back-to-back tries for winger Josh Webb to score in the 54th minute, and centre Jay Slavin to score in the 60th minute.  

Jack Beagley didn’t miss from behind the tee on Saturday, converting from the sideline and giving the hosts a 18-16 lead as they began to take control of the game.

With the game coming to an end, a Jake Hawkins 40-20 for the Sharks saw the side march down the field once again, with Josh Webb completing his double to seal a 24-16 victory.

Queanbeyan Kangaroos 26 d West Belconnen Warriors 16

The Roos defeated the Warriors at Raiders Belconnen on Saturday, continuing their undefeated run for the season and cementing their spot in the finals.

The hosts got a head start, with winger Brandon Withers scoring off the back of an intercept and a 70m foot race for the Warriors to lead 6-0 by the 15th minute.

In the 25th minute the Warriors were granted a penalty for an offside tackle, where they opted to take the two and extend their lead to 8-0.

In the 31st minute the experienced Sam Williams danced down the left side, squeezing through the Warriors defence to score and reduce the deficit to 6-8 at halftime.

Queanbeyan came out firing in the second half, scoring three unanswered tries to take a convincing 24-8 lead by the 50th minute, with Sia Soliola, Robert Sheffield, and Steven Numambo all scoring.  

The Warriors ran in two late tries through Kylan Edwards and James Gardner, but it wasn’t enough to take back the lead, resulting in a 26-16 loss to the top of the table Roos.

Woden Valley Rams 28 d Queanbeyan Blues 26

Woden hit the road this week, narrowly defeating the Blues to keep their third-place spot on ladder with finals edging closer.

The Rams charged out of the sheds, scoring two unanswered tries through Stratton Kris, and Mitchel Souter to take a 10-0 lead by the 13th minute.

It wasn’t until the 25th minute that Queanbeyan put their first points on the board, with winger George Morseu scoring the Blues first try of the day to bring the score back to 4-10.

Woden didn’t let the Blues breathe for long, with Sean Maloney putting Scott Swanson through a hole to score in the 35th minute, extending their lead to 16-4.

Right on halftime the Blues snagged a try thanks to a quick dash out of dummy half from Charlie Woolford in the 40th minute, leaving the score settled at 16-8 at halftime.

The second half proved to be a back-and-forth battle with a total of five tries as the Blues tried to claw their way back into the game.  

The Blues tried to fight back late in the game, scoring in the 73rd minute through Woolford, but it was too little too late, with the Rams holding on to defeat the Blues 28-26.

Tuggeranong Bushrangers 32 d Gungahlin Bulls 16

The Bushies got a convincing win over the Bulls on Saturday, earning their second-place spot on the ladder as they remain undefeated over their last five games.

It was clear Tuggeranong wanted to prove why they should be top of the table contenders, scoring four unanswered tries to open the game through Joshua Eppelstun, Jack Heyman, Michael Mitchell, and Liam Oakley to take a 22-0 lead by the 33rd minute.

The Bulls first try came in the 37th, with Robert Roberts kicking for Jesse Croker on the right edge to score in the corner, leaving the scoreboard reading 4-22 at the break.

Tuggeranong were first to score after the break, with Mitchell completing his double in the 51st minute to extend the visitors lead to 26-4.

The Bulls were quick to reply, with Albert Watego scoring in the 56th minute, but this shift in momentum didn’t last long with Darby Medlyn scoring for the Bushies in the 64th minute for Tuggeranong to lead 32-10.  

Croker completed his double for the Bulls in the 80th minute, but it was merely a consolation try with the Bushies locking in another dominant 32-16 win. 

Image by Trisha Sullivan