The Canberra Raiders broke a two-year hoodoo against the Panthers as they defeated the Penrith side 30-12 at McDonalds Park in Wagga Wagga.
The Raiders were strong for the entire eighty minutes, despite only raking up 44% of the possession. From 39 sets they managed to complete 31 for a 77% completion rate, while the Panthers only. Managed 27/41 for a 66% completion rate.
Overall the team registered 1,331 metres from 159 runs, with Josh Papalii the leading man with 144 metres.
Wighton, Williams and Hodgson managed the game effectively as the Green Machine had 612 kick metres compared to the Panthers 372. The Raiders also managed to force three dropouts throughout the match.
In defence, the Raiders made 315 tackles, just 39 less than what the Panthers made, with an 85.4% completion rate.
The home side could only manage six offloads to the Panthers 16, yet the losing side ended up making 12 errors throughout the match while the Raiders had nine.
In a heated match between the players, the Raiders conceded ten penalties compared to the Panthers 12.
Individual Statistics:
It was a big game for the forwards, as both Josh Papalii and Ryan Sutton managed to make 131 hit-up metres from 14 hit-ups, with Sia Soliola next with 113 from 14.
The English led the way in the tackle count, with Hodgson and Whitehead making 47 and 42 respectively, whilst Ryan Sutton managed to make 27.
Jack Wighton took control of the game, mustering up 54% of the kick metres with 329 throughout the game, one line break and also scoring a try.
Captain Jarrod Croker nailed all 7/7 of his conversion attempts, taking his season’s point tally to 70 and making him equal second in the NRL.
