The Canberra Raiders have suffered a 36-22 loss against the Cronulla Sharks at Pointsbet Stadium.
Both the Raiders and the Sharks took to the field with a hunger for redemption following round three losses to the Warriors and the Tigers respectively last week. Shark Park was packed to capacity, with fans eager to witness the showdown.
The match got off to a slow start, with the first 10 minutes marred by errors from both sides.
It was the Raiders who broke the deadlock with powerful back-to-back tries from wingers James Schiller and Xavier Savage.
The Raiders were on fire in the Shire as they were quick to build on this momentum when an outstanding 40/20 kick from Jamal Fogarty opened the doors for Danny Levi to score the Raiders’ third try of the match at the 23rd minute mark.
All three Raiders tries were successfully converted by Fogarty bringing the score to 18-0.
The Sharks quickly picked up the pace as Braydon Trindall finally broke through and scored the Sharks first try of match, followed shortly after with back-to-back tries from Ronaldo Mulitalo and Blayke Brailey.
All Sharks tries were successfully converted by Nicho Hynes which brought the score to an even 18-all at half-time.
The second half started off slow and steady, with both teams playing set for set as they searched for an opening.
The Raiders were dealt an early blow as they were forced to continue the match with a 16-man squad after Zac Hosking was ruled out due to a Category One HIA.
Despite the Raiders best efforts, the Sharks dominated the second half as Kayal Iro and Mulitalo scored back-to-back tries within four minutes of each other.
Both tries were successfully converted, bringing the score to 30-18 with 15 minutes to go.
The Raiders were desperate to bounce back with Schiller scoring the Raiders’ first try of the second half, with an unsuccessful conversion, bringing the score to 30- 22 with 10 minutes to go.
The Sharks managed to hold onto their lead until the final whistle, with Sione Katoa scoring the final try of the game with 30 seconds to go. Followed by a successful conversion from Hynes, the final score of the game was brought to 36-22.
The Raiders will be hungry to redeem themselves in round five as they return home to play the Parramatta Eels next Sunday 7th April at GIO Stadium Canberra.
