In the last round of the regular season the Canberra Raiders SG Ball team were looking to wrap up their season with a victory.
Fans flocked to Raiders Belconnen to witness the under 19s side take on the Western Suburbs Magpies.
A win for the Raiders would secure them a spot in the top four and a huge advantage for their finals campaign, but the Magpies were looking to spoil their plans.
The Raiders began with plenty of attacking football. However, in the first five minutes of the game, Denzel Viekune was forced from the field for a head injury assessment.
The Magpies re-grouped and stripped the Raiders’ right defensive line to score the first points of the match, planting the ball over the line. Their conversion was unsuccessful but they led 4-0 in the 7th minute.
Canberra quickly switched the momentum and broke through the Magpies’ defensive line, running the length of the field and almost reaching the try line. This set up by Cooper Johnston paved the way for a perfect path for Luke Tuialii to score directly under the post. Braydon Darmody added the extra two points, giving the Raiders a 6-4 lead.
Moments later, Johnston made another line break, sprinting down the field before passing to Sylas Simon who scored under the post, giving the Raiders a 12-4 lead halfway through the first half.
The Raiders then capitalised off a penalty ten metres from their own line. Chaev Kolone ducked through the defence, adding another four points for the Raiders.
Canberra then fumbled a high bomb giving Magpies possession. After being held up at the line, the Magpies didn’t give up, breaking through the Raiders’ defence to score their second try of the game, with a successful conversion making the score 18-10.
Continuing their attack, the Magpies secured another try to narrow the score to 18-14 at the 26th minute.
With only one minute left in the first half, the Raiders were determined to put more points on the board before the break. They squeezed their way through the Magpies’ defence awarding Simon his second of the day. A tricky sideline conversion by Darmody was successful and the Raiders finished the first half ahead 24-14.
At half-time, Raiders’ coach Rourke O’Sullivan encouraged his team to regain their discipline and continue their strong performance in the second 35 minutes of the game.
“We just had to keep sticking to the things that were working for us, completing our sets and making our tackles, he said. “We gave away a fair few penalties and it was something we addressed at half time.
“All year, the boys have been competing hard, and that has been a real strength of ours.”
The Raiders came out strong in the second half. Only three minutes in a Magpies’ forward pass gave Canberra the perfect opportunity to grab the first try of the second stanza.
A grubber kick by halfback Jamie Cowling granted Simon his third try of the match. Darmody easily converted, putting the Raiders further in front at 30-14.
Canberra was not done with Darmody converting his own try just a couple of minutes later.
The game turned fiery with a mid-game scuffle between players halting play for a few minutes.
The Raiders were not thrown by this and continued to place pressure on the Magpies’ attack, forcing a raft of errors by the visiting side.
It was a back-and-forth contest for the next 15 minutes, with the Magpies breaking the cycle. With only 15 minutes left on the clock they scored two tries in two minutes, narrowing the margin 36-24.
Determined to not let their opposition back into the game, the Raiders’ Luke Cannon found a gap to put his side ahead by another four points. This time, Cooper Johnston successfully kicked the conversion.
Cannon’s work was not done, spotting a weakness in the Magpies’ line and running down the field to score his second try with only six minutes left in the game. The Raiders’ score blew out to 48-24.
The Magpies didn’t give up, scoring the last try of the match, but it was too little too late.
The Raiders were victorious with an impressive 48-30 final scoreline, booking a spot in the finals.
Canberra’s number 15, Chaev Kolone, was proud of his team’s effort throughout the season.
“We created a strong bond together,” he said. “I reckon that’s what’s been keeping us going, making us top four. And I reckon if we keep that up we’ll be able to win this comp.”
Coach O’Sullivan talked up his team’s effort and their ability to perform against even the top sides.
“We came under pressure at certain times, but the boys were able to keep competing, which was really pleasing.
“We still need to keep working hard because we want to keep getting better. The boys are excited about the opportunities ahead and have been training hard.”
Photos by Ella Colquhoun