The Kangaroos thumped the Bushrangers while the Warriors, Magpies and Rams all edged out narrow wins in Round Nine of the Austbrokers Canberra Raiders Cup.
Yass Magpies 20 defeated Belconnen United Sharks 14
The Magpies claimed their second win of the season with a spirited performance in defeating the Sharks 20-14.
Yass five-eighth Scott Naughton was pivotal to the win, scoring a double that gave his side a crucial win and saw them jump up to 7th on the ladder.
West Belconnen Warriors 28 defeated Gungahlin Bulls 26
In the match of the round, a try to Tevita Aroha with two minutes remaining clinched a thrilling win for the Warriors over the Bulls.
Aroha's try capped off a heated clash between the two top four sides, with Warriors coach Troy Thompson declaring his side still has a long way to go despite the victory.
"It was pleasing, but we've still got a lot to work on. The Bulls probably deserved to win that, they played really well," saod Thompson.
"It was probably a tale of two halves again. We were a bit ordinary in the first half, and they were ordinary in the second half. It was good to get a win, but we've got a lot of work to do."
Halfback Jacob Graham starred for the Warriors after being called up from reserve grade, bagging two tries and showing he belongs in the top flight.
The Warriors keep outright third place on the ladder, while the Bulls maintain a solid buffer to the rest of the pack in fourth place.
Queanbeyan gave their points differential a valuable boost with a thumping 58-8 victory over the Bushrangers.
The Bushrangers were never in the game as the Kangaroos ran riot, with Bryan Cronan and Adam Pearce both notching doubles.
Woden Valley Rams 12 defeated Goulburn Workers Bulldogs 10
In atricious conditions, the Rams capped off Round Nine with a narrow two point victory over the Bulldogs.
The win keeps the Rams in touch with the top four, currently four points adrift of the fourth placed Bulls.
A try to the Bulldogs with 15 minutes remaining cut the scores to two points and provided an exciting finale for those who braved the torrential rain, however the Rams were able to survive the scare and hold on.
Canberra Raiders Cup: Late West Belconnen Warriors try sinks Gungahlin Bulls in derby
Caden Helmers
West Belconnen coach Troy Thompson played 64 NRL games alongside Gungahlin mentor Lincoln Withers, and co-coached the Bulls just last year, but it certainly didn't make Saturday's Canberra Raiders Cup victory over his good mate any sweeter.
Tevita Aroha swooped on a bouncing ball with two minutes remaining to snatch West Belconnen a 26-24 victory in a heated clash with arch-rivals Gungahlin, but Thompson was quick to put a dampener on the occasion.
Wests players celebrate after Tori Freeman-Quay scores a try. Photo: Elesa Kurtz
Despite being the only team to defeat the ladder-leading Queanbeyan Blues this season, Thompson believed his Warriors still had a "long way to go".
"It was pleasing, but we've still got a lot to work on. The Bulls probably deserved to win that, they played really well.
"It was probably a tale of two halves again. We were a bit ordinary in the first half, and they were ordinary in the second half. It was good to get a win, but we've got a lot of work to do."
Canberra Raiders Cup: Late West Belconnen Warriors try sinks Gungahlin Bulls in derby
Caden Helmers
West Belconnen coach Troy Thompson played 64 NRL games alongside Gungahlin mentor Lincoln Withers, and co-coached the Bulls just last year, but it certainly didn't make Saturday's Canberra Raiders Cup victory over his good mate any sweeter.
Tevita Aroha swooped on a bouncing ball with two minutes remaining to snatch West Belconnen a 26-24 victory in a heated clash with arch-rivals Gungahlin, but Thompson was quick to put a dampener on the occasion.
Wests players celebrate after Tori Freeman-Quay scores a try. Photo: Elesa Kurtz
Despite being the only team to defeat the ladder-leading Queanbeyan Blues this season, Thompson believed his Warriors still had a "long way to go".
"It was pleasing, but we've still got a lot to work on. The Bulls probably deserved to win that, they played really well.
"It was probably a tale of two halves again. We were a bit ordinary in the first half, and they were ordinary in the second half. It was good to get a win, but we've got a lot of work to do."
Canberra Raiders respect and honour the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.
