Raiders fight for tight victory over Warriors

GIO Stadium was filled with excitement as Raiders fans welcomed duo Zac Hosking and Jamal Fogarty, who have been out since round six and seven with injuries.

Raiders came on the field determined, being the first to cross the line as second rower Hudson Young fought to plant the ball five minutes into the match.

Warriors attempted to answer and were looking dangerous on the left edge, but were unable to break through the Raiders strong goal line defence.

A penalty from the Warriors gifted the Raiders valuable metres, which Fogarty capitalised on, flicking to Young as he crossed the line to score his second of the night.

The returning halfback showcased his strong kicking game as he added the extras to both tries, bringing the score to 12-nil at the 12-minute-mark.

Both sides continued to play set for set, until the Warriors lost their Captains Challenge off the back of a ball strip from Wayde Egan.

The Green Machine increased their lead to 14-nil as Fogarty made the penalty shot. 

With three minutes remaining in the second half, New Zealand crossed the line for the first of the night as winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck made the break.

Following a successful conversion from centre Adam Pompey, and a missed two-point field goal attempt from five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita, the score was narrowed to 14-6 as the Raiders headed into the sheds.

The Warriors were quick to tighten the margin in the second half, as second-rower Kurt Capewell crossed to score. An unsuccessful conversion from Harris-Tavita left the Raiders with a four-point advantage.

Raiders were looking dangerous in the left edge as winger Jordan Rapana crossed the line, however this was ruled to be no try due to a knock on.

A try from New Zealand prop Mitchell Barnett closed the gap, bringing the score to 14-all, as halfback Te Maire Martin was unable to add the extras.

It was a back-and-forth contest for the next ten minutes, as both teams played set for set until the Raiders were gifted a penalty off the back of a Warriors dangerous tackle.

Canberra capitalised off of this penalty as Xavier Savage chased a grubber and planted the ball in the corner. Jamal’s kicking game was on fire, as he added the extras giving the Raiders a six-point lead.

The Warriors were quick to respond, as Addin Fonua-Blake broke through to score. However, a missed conversion from Harris-Tavita meant that Raiders still had the two-point edge with six minutes to spare.

In a nail biting final six minutes, the Raiders officially broke their losing streak as the final score of the match came to 20-18.  

The Green Machine will look to carry over this winning momentum at home next weekend as they face the Rabbitohs at 6:15pm on Sunday night at GIO Stadium, Canberra.