The Canberra Raiders land their first win of the season in a narrow 20 - 16 victory. With two Warriors sent off in the first half, the Raiders ran in four tries to seal the win, not letting the rainy conditions hold them back.
Only two minutes in, a knock on from the Warriors gave the Raiders an early opportunity. On their last set, a knocked back catch from the Warriors landed Jordyn Preston her first NRLW try. Zahara Temara successfully kicked the conversion giving the Raiders a 6 – nil lead.
A superb tackle by Relna Wuruki-Hosea handed possession back to Canberra. A New Zealand penalty awarded the Raiders a kick in front, which Temara successfully converted.
Another penalty put the Raiders 30 metres from the line, allowing them to gain valuable field position. Sereana Naitokatoka then darted down the right edge to add four more points for the green machine.
An illegal tackle on Chloe Saunders in the 22nd minute reduced the Warriors to 12 players for the remainder of the game with the play resulting in a send-off.
New Zealand nearly scored, but a hip drop tackle on Raiders’ Monalisa Soliola led to another Warriors player being sent off and a disallowed try.
Capitalising on the Warriors’ reduced squad, the Raiders struck again, this time with Mackenzie Wiki breaking down the left edge after some slick hands from the Canberra side.
Despite being two players down, the Warriors scored their first points of the night, with Payton Takimoana squeezing through the left edge five minutes before half time. A missed conversion left the score 16 – 4 at the half time siren.
Early in the second half, New Zealand found themselves in the red zone off the back of a penalty. They took advantage, with Lavinia Tauhalaliku easily planting the ball on the outside. A missed conversion kept the Raiders in the lead at 16 – 8.
A swift tackle break by Elise Simpson granted her a maiden try in the NRLW and the Raiders their fourth try of the night.
Soon after, the Warriors scored through Takimoana after a brilliantly placed grubber kick.
With ten minutes remaining, both sides continued their end-to-end battle, each pushing to extend their lead.
An unsuccessful Raiders challenge returned possession to the Warriors, with Takimoana crossing for her third try of the night five minutes from full time.
The missed conversion sealed a 20–16 win for the Raiders following desperate defence to close out the match.
