Raiders break Panthers hearts in Golden Point thriller

A missed Nathan Cleary field-goal attempt turned into a full-field try, lead by Ethan Strange and finished by Kaeo Weekes to win the game.

A season defining defensive effort and a dynamic performance from the backlines gave the green machine enough to topple the reigning premiers.

Mudgee got its own slice of finals footy on Friday night, with the Raiders and Panthers clashing on neutral turf at Glen Willow Oval.

The first quarter of the match saw little movement in the red zone, as unflinching defensive efforts from the Raiders kept the Panthers quiet.

But it was Penrith who opened the scoring in the 14th minute after a wayward grubber from five-eight Blaize Talagi pinballed off the Raider’s defensive wall and was scrapped up by Casey McLean who crawled into the endzone. A straight shot from Nathan Cleary put the Panthers up 6-0.

A dominant response from the Raiders saw them wrestle back momentum as the green machine bombarded Penrith’s line across the next fifteen minutes.

Eventually, Canberra’s efforts were rewarded with a try as a short ball from hooker Tom Starling out of dummy half found skipper Joe Tapine who crashed through Penrith’s front door to put the Raiders on the board. Jamal Fogarty made the equalising kick to make it 6-6.  

Firing back, a Raiders error off the following kick-off would leave Canberra vulnerable as the Panthers shot the ball across to the right edge to find Casey McLean who slipped through a gap to score his second try. Cleary skewed the kick to the right to put the Panthers up 10-6.

Despite a couple of lethal cracks at the line from Canberra, the Panthers managed to hold out until halftime and sent the Raiders to the sheds four points behind.

The Raiders hit the second half with Simi Sasagi off the bench, stepping in for Xavier Savage, who soldiered through most of the first half with an AC joint injury.

The Panthers came out screaming after second rower Liam Martin marked a high ball which was chipped over the top for him by Cleary and crashed through to score. A shot from in front put Penrith up 16-6.

The Raiders struck back in the 58th minute after Dylan Edwards spilled the ball, handing Canberra a fresh set right on Penrith’s line and a golden chance to close the gap.

Not a minute later, a quick shift to the left from Jamal Fogarty found Sasagi on the overlap who crossed the line for a crucial try. Despite the tough angle, Fogarty slotted his kick to bring the score to 16-12 to the Panthers.               

A grinding final quarter saw the Panthers and the Raiders butt heads in the centre of the ground with neither side giving an inch.

But with the game on the line, five-eight young gun Ethan Strange wrapped around the right shoulder of Fogarty to receive a short pass and slipped through the tackle of Casey Mclean to bring the scores level. Fogarty’s kick curved to the right of the posts, locking it up at 16-all.

Canberra’s fullback Kaeo Weekes and Penrith’s Nathan Cleary each had a shot to seal it in regulation, but Weekes’ drifted wide and Cleary’s didn’t get the height, sending the clash into golden point.

Marching out into overtime, the Raiders conceded a penalty for a high tackle, allowing Penrith to storm up the field and set Cleary up for a one-point-shot 35 metres out from the sticks.

But Cleary’s kick hit the uprights, ricocheting into the lap of Raiders’ winger Jed Stuart who sent Ethan Strange bolting up the field to link up with Weekes for a screaming 100 metre try to ice out the game.

The red-hot Canberra Raiders stare down the barrel of a minor premiership and will hold down the fort against the Tigers next weekend at GIO Stadium in Canberra.