After a rocky start, the Toyota Forklifts Canberra Raiders kept the Dolphins scoreless in the second half to seal a commanding 40-28 win at home at GIO Stadium Canberra.
High stakes surrounded the ANZAC Round clash as both the Raiders and Dolphins came in riding the momentum of big wins, but a sea of fans in the nation’s capital helped give the home side the edge.
A high shot by Dolphins five-eighth Kodi Nikorima on Raiders winger Savelio Tamale resulted in Nikorima being sent to the sin bin just seven minutes into the first half, opening the field for the Raiders early on in the match.
At the nine-minute mark, Tamale himself struck at the line and opened the scoring for the Raiders deep in the right corner after a last-minute offload from Raiders centre Sebastian Kris stopped the ball from going into touch.
The conversion was unsuccessful, but Tamale’s try gave the Raiders a four-point-lead over a Dolphins side still a man down.
The visitors were quick to respond however, with Dolphins fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow capitalising off multiple set repeats to score under the posts. The conversion from Dolphins winger Jamayne Isaako puts the Dolphins in front 6-4.
Holes in the left edge saw the Dolphins come up with another try after a short ball from Nikorima put Dolphins centre Herbie Farnworth through a gap and over the line. Isaako converted to give the Dolphins an eight-point lead.
28 minutes in the Dolphins found another try through prop Daniel Saifiti, who levelled a short-range charge across the line. Isaako’s kick put the Dolphins 14 points in front.
Not out yet, a play-the-ball error from the Dolphins gave the green machine a shot at the line and furious charge from Raiders prop Ata Mariota was popped up to fullback Kaeo Weekes who reeled the ball in and spun past the Dolphins line to bring Canberra back into the contest. Fogarty’s kick brought the score to 10-18 Dolphins.
But the Dolphins were quick to strike again, with two more quick tries before half-time to put the visitors at 28 points.
There were lots of positives for the Raiders to take from the game so far, but the boys had their work cut out for them in the second half.
Wasting absolutely no time getting the Raiders into gear in the half, Weekes brought in the kick off and crashed through the Dolphins front line, storming up the field towards the tryline.
Multiple Dolphin errors awarded the Raiders a couple of set repeats on the line and a strong run from Raiders second rower Hudson Young almost put Canberra back on track, but the Dolphins managed to hold out.
If Ricky Stuart was looking for a response from the Raiders, he got it. Following a set restart, interchange second-rower Zac Hosking powered over to score the first try of the half, giving the Raiders a breath of fresh air. Fogarty had no issues with the kick and the Raiders were back in the game.
Building on the momentum, the Raiders found the line again in the 60th minute after a charge through the centre of the ground found them in the Dolphins 10.
Looking for a gap in the line, Raiders captain Joe Tapine found Ethan Strange for the short ball after a seven-tackle set put the Raiders in position. Jamal Fogarty’s kick will put the Raiders within six points of the Dolphins, 22-28.
Well and truly back in the contest, the Raiders ran in their third unanswered try through a magnificent tackle bust from centre Matt Timoko who had second rower Matty Nicholson running with him through the centre. A simple draw and pass saw the Englishman cross the line and Fogarty’s kick levelled the scores at 28-all.
With 10 minutes remaining, the game looked to be set for a grandstand finish; reminding us of the Dolphins v Raiders golden point shootout in round 13 last year which saw the Raiders edge the win up in Redcliffe.
But a fourth straight try from a Canberra side with all the momentum gave the Raiders the lead with less than seven minutes of play left. An offload from impact hooker Owen Pattie revived the ball on the fifth tackle before a grubber from Fogarty was unable to be swatted away by the Dolphins and Seb Kris grounded it. Fogarty missed the kick, but the Raiders werere in front for the first time this game; 32-28.
Putting the nail in the coffin and sealing the comeback, Jamal Fogarty threw a dummy to create a gap in the Dolphins line before stepping across to score a last minute try to lock down the win.
With his conversion and a last second penalty goal in the final play of the game, Fogarty capped off a 30-point half and brought the final score to 40-28.
With this marking Canberra’s fourth win in a row, they’ll spend the week preparing for their Magic Round clash against the Melbourne Storm, no doubt looking to make a big statement against one of the premiership favourites.
