The Raiders caused an upset on the Gold Coast in Round 2 earlier this season, beating the Titans 24-12. The away team entered the match battered, bruised and heartbroken following an ultra-tight loss the week prior against the Storm, but the Raiders’ pain was put on the back-burner following a committed team performance at Skilled Park.
Despite being level at 12-all at the break, Canberra always seemed like the team likely to crack their opponents, with John Cartwright’s men consistently failing to build pressure on the back of poor handling and discipline.
It was the Raiders’ backs that caused the point-scoring damage, with Jarrod Croker (two), Josh Dugan and Joel Thompson all crossing for tries. Rookie winger Jake Wighton was particularly influential and athletic on debut, threatening with the ball in hand and setting up one try in his first NRL match. Dugan (169 metres) and prop David Shillington (196 metres) were too tough to handle for the home side.
