The Canberra Raiders NRLW team have advanced to the preliminary finals after their victory against the West Tigers 6-0 at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
The Raiders defence was the star of the show, with the Green Machine holding the Tigers to no try's, with the middle forwards laying the foundation for a famous victory.
In their first final series since the team was established in 2023, the Raiders were hungry to advance to next week’s preliminary finals, but the Tigers weren’t going to make the job easy.
After an opening period of conceded penalties for both sides, the Raiders struck first on the left edge, with Isabelle Waterman scoring in the corner off a long pass from Zahara Temara.
With only a few minutes left in the first half, both sides were fatigued but holding out strong.
But a drop-out over the dead-ball line saw the Raiders take the opportunity through Chante Temara to score just next to the posts; however, this was reversed when the ball was knocked on in-goal.
With the second half getting underway with only one try from the Raiders on the scoreboard, both sides came out hard with the hopes to secure possession early.
With a strong run from Zahara Temara, Shenai Lendill ended this abruptly with a drag down on the halfback and the ball being stripped.
The Green Machine decided to attempt a penalty goal and were successful through Temara who has now amassed 300 career points by giving the Raiders the 6-0 lead.
With a 6-0 scoreline favouring the Raiders, the Tigers were desperate to put some points on the board but short tempers were not helping as the game threatened to erupt in the later stages.
With a second half full of hard tackles, high bombs and high-quality runs from the Raiders, the final score read 6-0.
The Raiders will continue the inaugural finals campaign next weekend and will await the result of Saturday's match between the Broncos and Knights to see who they face in the Preliminary Final.
It will either be a trip to Sydney to take on the Roosters, or a flight to the Gold Coast to play the Titans.
