The Toyota Forklifts Canberra Raiders NSW Cup team went down to the Newtown Jets 34-26 on Sunday after a massive comeback effort.
The Raiders were geared up to face the Newtown Jets at GIO Stadium Canberra as they looked to win their first game of the season. Both teams were ready to bounce back from narrow losses last week in an exciting match up.
The Raiders kicked off the NSW Cup game at 1:45pm following a massive 42-20 win for Raiders Jersey Flegg squad against the Sharks.
Both teams were off to an impressive start as the Raiders worked to defend their line early with Ethan Alaia getting under the ball to save a try in the in goal.
The Jets continued to push, creating an opportunity for Micheal Gabrael to score in their second attacking set down the left edge. The try was converted by Mawene Hiroti to give the Jets an early 6-0 lead.
Minutes later Riley Jones bounced off the Raiders to dive into the right corner and score the second try of the game. The conversion was unsuccessful, giving the home side hope as they focused on building pressure down the field.
Owen Pattie kicked a beautiful 40/20, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Newtown as Jayden Berrell scored off the back off a grubber and earn the Jets six more points once converted.
Off the back of two successful conversations, it was Hiroti’s turn to slice through the Raiders line and score. After converting his own try, Hiroti secured the Jets a 22-0 lead.
10 seconds before the siren sounded for half-time, Alaia scored the first try for the Raiders. Chevy Stewart's kick bounced off the post, sending the Jets into a 22-4 lead at half-time.
Behind by 18 points, Canberra had a lot of work to do going into the second half.
They were faced with a tough defensive fight early on that ultimately resulted in Felix Faatili planting the ball next to the post. This set Hiroti up nicely for an easy two points in front.
The Raiders winger Mark Tuialii was next to score in the corner, building points for the home side. It was another missed conversion, but the Raiders didn’t show signs of stopping.
Two big runs from Kain Anderson and Michael Asomua left the Raiders in scoring range. A quick pass from Stewart was all Timoko needed to slip clean through the Jets defence and provide the Raiders their second try for the half. A successful conversation by Stewart put the Raiders back in the game with a score of 28-14.
The next try went to the Jets, as Taj Ford used his speed to break free down the field and score four more points. The successful conversion put Newtown 20 points clear of the home side.
With less than five minutes left, the Raiders didn’t give up hope as Jordan Uta dived over the line to score another try. The try was converted by Stewart, who went on to score another four points to mirror Uta’s in the final two minutes. After a quick conversation, Canberra looked hopeful for a last-minute comeback.
After an impressive effort to narrow the score, the Raiders went down to the Jets 34-26.
The home team will continue to work for their first win in their battle against Newcastle Knights for an Easter Sunday showdown.
Meanwhile the Newtown Jets are back home next week against the New Zealand Warriors for another fierce match up.
