Canberra Raiders Cup Wrap 2022: Round 8

Round eight of the Blumers Lawyers Canberra Raiders Cup is in the books, with all top four sides collecting important victories over the weekend.

West Belconnen Warriors 16 d Queanbeyan Kangaroos 10

The top of the table Warriors had a thrilling match against the Queanbeyan Kangaroos on Saturday afternoon, winning a tight contest by six-points at Raiders Belconnen.

The Warriors were the first to score in the fifth minute off a line break from fullback Ryan McQueen who drew in the final defender to put Leonaitasi Tuionetoa over next to the posts.

It was followed only minutes later with halfback Robert Roberts busting his way through four tackles to get to the line in a brilliant display of individual talent.

In the 13th minute the Kangaroos got their afternoon underway, their hooker Rhys Elton darting out of dummy half and burrowing his way over for their first four-pointer.

A late first half try from the visitors brought the game closer going into halftime with the scoreboard reading 12-10 in favour of the Warriors.

But a try in the 80th minute from William Peace secured the victory for West Belconnen and shattering Queanbeyan after a hard-fought match.

Both sides will be rewarded with a week off due to the long weekend and will return in round nine to host home matches.

Queanbeyan Blues 62 d Yass Magpies 18

The Queanbeyan Blues dismantled Yass at Seiffert Oval on Saturday afternoon by a whopping 44-points, helping the Blues to now hold the second best for and against in the competition.

A costly error from Magpies fullback Liam Grame provided the Blues with their first scoring opportunity, with his opposing number Matthew Parsons, scoring immediately off the scrum.

Parsons had an incredible first half with the crafty fullback scoring a hat trick in the opening 40 minutes and four in total for the afternoon.

Yass found themselves a long way back after a couple of late first half tries to the home side, needing to overcome a 30-point deficit in the second half.

However, Queanbeyan were too good, running in 26 points to 12 in the second period to win the game outright 62-18.

Woden Valley Rams 22 d Gungahlin Bulls 14

Woden Valley have cemented their second position on the ladder after a gritty 22-14 win over Gungahlin at Phillip Oval on Sunday afternoon.

The match didn’t start ideally for the Bulls with one of their players knocking the ball on off the kick off, inviting the Rams down into their end.

They were able to hold Woden Valley out on that occasion but six minutes later it was a different story, with winger Antonio Macarlino forcing his way over in the right corner.

The Rams ran in two more tries before Gungahlin hit the scoreboard in the 22nd minute through trusty winger Earldric Pehara.

On the stroke of halftime, Bulls bench forward Noah Saddler was sent off for a shoulder charge leaving his side with only 12 players for the remainder of the match.

But surprisingly the Bulls scored the first two tries of the second half, giving them a slight two-point advantage.

But a late onslaught from the Rams took the win, with the home side breaking out to an 8-point lead after a late try in the 78th minute.

Tuggeranong Bushrangers 24 d Goulburn City 12

The Bushrangers have continued their recent form, collecting their fourth win of their last five matches over a struggling Goulburn City Bulldogs side.

Goulburn have fallen to their fourth straight defeat, struggling to find the winning form that sat them atop the competition ladder after the opening three rounds.

Following a tight opening 15 minutes of the match, Tuggeranong were able to break through for the first four-pointer. It was followed up eight minutes later with their second try of the half, taking them out to a 12-0 lead after 25 minutes.

But two tries in the final 10 minutes of the half to the Bulldogs tied the game up going into halftime, setting it up for an entertaining final 40 minutes.

But Tuggeranong’s defense was able to deny the Bulldogs on multiple occasions, keeping the game close heading into the final stages.

The Bushrangers then got their attack rolling, crossing over for two late tries, going on to win the match 24-12 at Workers Arena.