The Canberra Raiders have suffered another disappointing loss, with the New Zealand Warriors smashing the Raiders 54-12 at Eden Park.
The Raiders will need to reassess where their season is heading over the next few days and regroup for their home match against the Penrith Panthers next Sunday at GIO Stadium.
The Warriors were the first to score after nine minutes through Ben Matulino, when he breezed through a flimsy hole in the Raiders defence. Shaun Johnson converted for the early 6-0 lead.
It didn’t take long for the Warriors to extend their lead when Konrad Hurrell used his size and strength to brush over the Raiders defence out wide, with Johnson’s conversion making it 12-0.
The Raiders looked to push the ball coming out from their own end, but a short pass from Glen Buttriss was intercepted by Johnson who raced away to score and it was 18-0 when he converted.
A cross-field kick from Terry Campese gave the Raiders their first points of the afternoon, when Jarrod Croker climbed above the Warriors defence to grab the ball and score the try. He converted and it was 18-6 to the Warriors.
But the Warriors hit back soon after when the Raiders made another error in their own half, with Ngani Laumape scoring from a simple Warriors scrum move. When Johnson kicked his fourth conversion it was 24-6 and it remained that score until half time.
The Raiders had the best of the attacking opportunities to open the second half but it was the Warriors who scored first, when Shaun Johnson scooped up a loose ball from a Terry Campese cross-field kick to run 80m to score. Johnson converted and it was 30-6 after 47 minutes.
The Warriors punished the Raiders again in the following set when Shaun Johnson made another break, this time linking up with Laumape, who tossed the ball in field to Jason Bukuya to find Sam Tomkins. When Johnson converted it was 36-6.
Manu Vatuvei was the next man to score for the Warriors when Sam Tomkins threw a cut out pass down the short side, with the Beast adding to the Raiders misery and a 42-6 lead when Johnson converted.
The Raiders had some chances to score in the next few sets, but the Warriors defence held firm as they continued to frustrate the Raiders.
Sam Tomkins showed his worth with a pass to put Hurrell away for another run, which resulted in the Warriors eighth try this time to Jason Bukuya. Johnson converted for a 48-6 lead.
Manu Vatuvei finished the game with a double when he scored with six minutes remaining, as Johnson’s ninth conversion made it 54-6 to New Zealand.
The Raiders scored a try on fulltime when Jarrod Croker grounded a Josh McCrone kick, with the score finishing at a disappointing 54-12.
