Raiders produce second half blitz to down Dolphins
Canberra have again toppled the Dolphins, roaring home in the second half to secure a 40-28 win in their Sunday afternoon NRL clash.
The past two battles between the teams had been decided in golden point - both in the Raiders' favour - but in their first meeting at GIO Stadium the green machine came up with the goods in emphatic style.
Kristian Woolf's visitors looked in great shape at halftime with a 28-10 lead, appearing on track to set a new club benchmark of four successive wins.
Instead it was the Raiders who snared their fourth straight, rolling past their rivals in scoring the last five tries unanswered to cement the victory.
Canberrra's winger Savelio Tamale opened the scoring but the Dolphins hit back with two almost identical tries through Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Herbie Farnworth, picking holes in the Raiders' right edge.
The Queensland side kept piling on the points with another three first half tries with Jake Averillo scoring his team's fifth in the 39th minute to leave the large crowd shell-shocked.
But the second half told a different story, with the Raiders building their way back into the match while holding the Dolphins scoreless.
A converted try scored by English second-rower Matty Nicholson locked up the scoreline at 28-28 and the signs looked ominous for the Dolphins as errors continued to take their toll.
The home side hit the front in the 71st minute when Jamayne Isaako fumbled a grubber and Sebastian Kris pounced to score
Halfback Jamal Fogarty, reportedly lured from Canberrra to Manly for the next season, iced the win after throwing a huge dummy and gliding through for the Raiders' last try.
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Tigers coach Benji Marshall was fuming at two referee calls that went against Jarome Luai that he believes prevented the players from deciding the result of their 18-14 loss to the Panthers. Luai was pinged for a late tackle on Blaize Talagi when the scores were 10-10, which gave the Panthers a 12-10 lead and then Penrith scored off an escort penalty that went against the Tigers skipper. Marshall was pleased with his side's effort but lamented the referees not letting the players decide an enthralling contest. 'I thought it was one of our best performances of the year,' Marshall said. 'We're playing against quality opposition that play at a really good level. 'They test you with their attack. Probably got the best kicking game in the competition. And we went toe to toe with them. And I honestly thought we were the better side tonight. 'The game is so hard and demanding. And I actually feel sorry for our players because they didn't actually get to decide tonight. 'I thought two calls, the first one on Jarome, on last, making a tackle. I thought it was outrageous. That decision took them to 12-10. 'And the second one, he got done for an escort, which I thought was bad too. And then they scored off the back of that set. Just let them decide. Let them play. 'The game is actually hard enough. So I'm proud of our boys and proud of the effort. And we'll keep fighting and turning up like that the way we did tonight and keep improving.' Marshall was pressed on whether the game has gone too far in protecting kickers. 'It was a wrong call,' Marshall said. 'I agree with protecting the kickers, but he didn't take his legs out. They didn't put him in a dangerous position. It was simultaneous when he kicked it and he made contact there. Like, that's not a penalty. 'I'm all for protecting kickers. Don't get me wrong. OK, I just I thought it was the wrong call. And I thought it actually cost us because we're in a cycle there where they got field position, kicked the goal, got the ball back, went down, got a penalty and then scored, so anyway, I've had my rant.' Marshall was blunt when pressed if he would take up his concerns with the NRL. 'Absolutely,' Marshall said. Luai played a straight bat when asked about the contentious penalties that went against him. 'I think you can sort of see from my reaction what my thoughts were,' Luai said. 'I think the ref gave me the explanation of it was a bit careless. So, I understand the rules and in that moment, you know, I understood what I was doing. He's just in the rules.' 'He's saying he doesn't want to make any comments,' Marshall interjected. Jahream Bula nearly pulled off two late match winners, but Marshall paid tribute to the Panthers scrambling defence. 'It took some special plays from some of their players,' Marshall said. 'Birdie caught a bomb and gave it to Jahream and I think Sorenson came from the other side of the field to shut that down, which speaks volumes of the type of player he is and the effort they have too. 'And then again at the back end, Jahream went up for a bomb again and we had some opportunities. 'But I've said it every week, our group doesn't stop fighting. And as a coach, that's all you want to ask for. 'I asked for a few things tonight and they gave everything we asked for and we just couldn't manage to get the result in the end.' Despite four losses in a row, Marshall is confident his side is heading in the right direction. 'Yeah, every loss hurts,' Marshall said. 'We're competitors. We want to win everything. We want to win every game. So as a club, we're building our process. Obviously, we've made a few changes in our halves and changed the way we're playing a little bit in our style. 'And again, those things don't happen overnight. We know it's going to be a process, although we know we should have probably won a few more games to now, too. 'But at the end of the day, we've just got to keep improving and I'm seeing that improvement. I'm seeing that drive. I'm seeing the players keep believing and trusting in what we're doing. And you keep doing that and you keep working hard. It'll turn.' Luai was pressed on how he felt coming up against his former teammates, who he won four titles with. 'There were no real different emotions for me to be honest with you, I sort of understood it early throughout the week that I was coming up against some old friends,' Luai said. 'But at the end of the day, I've got brothers here now, and this Tigers jersey and my pure focus is just to do my job for these guys. 'It was just a great feeling to compete against the best. 'They're the premiers, so it was a good test for us as a team to see where we're at. 'And like Benji said we went toe-to-toe with these guys, so we're going to take a lot of confidence out of this game.' Luai had a running battle with Nathan Cleary and is looking forward to their next meeting. 'It was a great challenge,' Luai said. 'I've been in the back seat seeing other guys come up against him and they relished that challenge and I was the same tonight. 'I want to play the best. I'm a competitor first and foremost and I can't wait to play him again.' Luai was disappointed with a few areas of his game, but paid tribute to Marshall for helping him develop his craft as a halfback. 'I feel I was locked in, you know, throughout the 80 a few touches I'd like to have back and execute a bit better,' Luai said. 'But that's what I'm loving about most is that challenge and the learning and the growth and at the end of the day it's not about the destination, it's who you become along the journey. 'I feel like I'm getting better. This guy's (Marshall) helping me so much and we're working hard every day of training. So I promise to this guy and to my team that I'm going to be better.' Latu Fainu was also impressive in his return from injury and could come into the halves for Heath Mason after the bye. 'I thought he was outstanding, mate,' Marshall said of Fainu. 'I thought given he plays in the halves, to play in probably the toughest position on the field in the middle and hold his own. 'And I thought he changed the game with his energy when he came on. He probably freed up Jarome a little bit to play a bit more too. 'Took some of that ball playing pressure in the middle and defended really well. 'But he's a work in progress. We love what he does, and we'll just keep building on what he's done.'
