Canberra Raiders

Hammer time in Redcliffe as Dolphins go back-to-back

With heavy rain falling throughout the second half it was the forwards who led the way for the Dolphins, laying the foundation for halfback Sean O'Sullivan and Tabuai-Fidow to work their magic.

The Raiders were first to strike in the 14th minute when Jack Wighton took a pass from Danny Levi and powered over from close to the line.

A loose offload by Tesi Niu in the slippery conditions handed the Raiders a chance to extend their lead but Dolphins skipper Jesse Bromwich came up with a one-on-one steal on Hudson Young to defuse the situation.

Match Preview: Dolphins v Raiders

The Green Machine showed plenty of positive signs against the premiership heavyweight Cowboys, coming back from an 18-0 lead at halftime to fall just one point short but a big challenge awaits at the boutique ground that is Kayo Stadium.

Spending the week training in sunny Queensland, Ricky Stuart will be hoping his side can use the time to tidy up some key areas after errors (11) and missed tackles (39) put the Canberra side on the back foot early in their opening clash.

Cowboys withstand classic Canberra comeback

It was a typical 'game of two halves', with the Raiders forced to do a mountain of defence in the first half, on the back foot early with the home side heaping on the pressure.

After defending their own goal line gamely, with a few try-saving intercept attempts denying the Cowboys their opening points, the pressure finally told, with Murray Taulagi scoring in the 25th minute after being denied only moments early by Nick Cotric swiping the ball from his hands as he was running for the line.

Match Preview: Cowboys v Raiders

Both sides were part of the finals action in 2022 but came up short of the ultimate prize with the grind of a long season taking its toll on Ricky Stuart's Raiders particularly, who dealt with a number of injuries throughout the year.

The Cowboys have lost Tom Gilbert to the Dolphins and are also without Heilum Luki (knee) and Luciano Leilua (stood down) but they still boast a strong pack which includes rep stars Reuben Cotter and Jeremiah Nanai.

Comeback win keeps Raiders' finals dream alive

Down by 14 at half-time, the Raiders dominated the second half and struck the telling blow seven minutes from time when representative props Josh Papalii and Joseph Tapine combined for a long-range break, which ended in Jack Wighton scoring in the corner. 

Jordan Rapana then had to make a try-saving intervention 30 seconds from time when Edrick Lee flew into the corner for what would have been his third try, with Rapana doing enough to force Lee to put the ball down on the sideline in attempting to ground it. 

Knights v Raiders: Best, Tuala stood down; Tapine, Cotric return

The Raiders almost let the Dragons off the hook in a frantic finish but the two-point win keeps them hot on the heels of the Roosters with three games to play.

The occasion will be an intriguing trip for the visitors, who haven't played the Knights at home for five years. Jack Wighton, Nick Cotric, Jordan Rapana, Elliot Whitehead and Joseph Tapine are the only current Raiders who featured in the 2017 game.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are reeling after five defeats from their past six matches, finding themselves in 14th position on the ladder.

Raiders v Dragons: Guler in for Tapine; Ramsey returns

Currently ninth on 22 competition points, the Raiders meet the Dragons (11th), Knights (13th), Sea Eagles (10th) and Wests Tigers (15th) in their last four matches and will need at least three wins as well as a significant boost to their for-and-against which sits at -33.

The Dragons' narrow loss to Cronulla leaves them two games outside the eight with a points differential of -130, meaning they would need four massive wins to have any hope of sneaking in.

When these sides met six weeks ago and it was the Dragons prevailing 12-10 in a controversial finish at WIN Stadium.

Happy 100th! Panthers win big for Edwards in milestone game

Edwards looked to be in pain with a shoulder injury for much of the match but he continually turned up in defence and grabbed a try as the Panthers racked up their 18th win of the season.

The Raiders drew first blood in the ninth minute when their inspirational forward leader Josh Papalii powered over from close range for his third try of the season. Jamal Fogarty's conversion made it 6-0.

It took Penrith just three minutes to hit back after a Raiders error handed them their first attacking opportunity and hooker Api Koroisau burrowed over.

Raiders v Panthers: Hopoate replaces Savage; Kikau ruled out

The loss of star playmakers Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai leaves a huge hole for Penrith and Ricky Stuart's men get a golden opportunity to knock off the tallest poppy and announce themselves as genuine contenders.

There's plenty like about the way the Raiders are playing their footy at the moment but they will be aware they need to go up another couple of notches to beat a side that has only two games all season.

Raiders overpower Titans to make it three in a row

The only sour note was the loss of influential forward Adam Elliott to a hip injury in the second half, after he had looked on track to join Josh Papalii and Joseph Tapine in running for over 150 metres at Cbus Super Stadium.

Tapine's total haul of 173 metres was all the more impressive given he spent 10 minutes in the bin after throwing a punch in a first-half melee with Titans hooker Aaron Booth.