The Canberra Raiders have continued their impressive NRLW debut season with a 19-18 golden point victory over the Dragons at WIN Stadium on Saturday.
With Simaima Taufa and Apii Nicholls showing the way, the Raiders made it three wins from four games thanks to a Zahara Temara field goal in the 74th minute.
In a seesawing clash the Raiders managed to hold off a spectacular late surge from the home side in Wollongong and could now move into the top four for the first time this season.
The Dragons struck first in the eighth minute when fullback Teagan Berry delivered the final pass for Bobbi Law to score.
A mistake by the Dragons when they let the kick-off go into touch and the Raiders made them pay when Cheyelle Robins-Reti put Shakiah Tungai over with a superb flick pass.
Zahara Temara wins it for the Raiders
The Raiders hit the front in the 16th minute when Chante Temara dived over from dummy half and with sister Zahara's conversion the Green Machine led 12-6.
A stunning effort from Australian and New South Wales representative Taufa continued the charge for the Raiders.
Taufa’s heroics extended across the park, with almost 200 run metres and 44 tackles, including a try-saver on Dragon Roxy Murdoch just before half-time to keep Canberra ahead 18-6.
Bobbi Law try 7th minute
Two disallowed first-half tries to the Raiders left the door ajar for the home team, but points didn’t come until the 55th minute.
Berry broke the game open for the Dragons in a stunning display of football, picking up a Raecene McGregor chip kick to score, before a Margot Vella try and sideline conversion through McGregor forced the game into extra-time.
Chanté Temara try 15th minute
Berry’s efforts were heroic for her side, with 243 run metres, eight tackle breaks, two line break assists and a try assist, but they weren’t enough in the end as Zahara Temara calmly iced Canberra's third win of the season.
After Raiders debutant Ua Ravu was held up over the line by desperate Dragons defence, Temara slotted in first pass off the ruck and nailed the one-pointer in the 74th minute for a 19-18 win.
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Match Snapshot
- Simaima Taufa had 197 run metres, five tackle breaks and 44 tackles in a powerful display for the Raiders.
- This was just the third time an NRLW game has gone to golden point.
- Fullback Apii Nicholls clocked up 18 runs and 197 metres for Canberra.
- The Raiders lost their captain's challenge in the 49th minute when they challenged a knock on call against Apii Nicholls and were unsuccessful.
- Dragons fullback Teagan Berry is the NRLW's all-time leading tryscorer with 15 and ran for 243 metres.
- 31-year-old Sarah Riordan made her NRLW debut for the Dragons, after switching codes from Rugby Union where she was a Wallaroos representative.
Plays of the Game
Simaima Taufa left Dragons defenders in her wake with a powerhouse 45-metre burst in the 18th minute as the Green Machine went into overdrive. One of the NRLW's most respected players, the former Rooster and Eel is racking up big run metres in 2023 and leading the way for the competition newcomers.
Simaima Taufa scores a solo screamer
Teagan Berry’s chip and chase six-pointer is a true contender for try of the season. After having just saved a try up the other end of the field, the Dragons fullback burst through the middle of the field to pick up a Raecene McGregor chip kick, before a dummy pass fooled the defence and cleared the way for a try under the post.
Teagan Berry does it all!
What they Said
"I don’t want to take the win away from the girls, but we did make it hard for ourselves. We didn’t score any points in the second half apart from 'Z' (Zahara Temara) getting us out of trouble in the end, but we found a way to win again and I’m really happy for the group but moving forward we have to be better and we’ve got to learn to close out games and not give teams a sniff to get back into it." - Raiders coach Darrin Borthwick
Raiders: Round 4
"We were soft in the first half. It sucks to lose that way. It’s exciting for everyone at home, but in the first half we weren’t good enough. In the second half we were resilient, had pride in what we were doing and put ourselves back in the game. I’m happy with the second half, but I have to pick the right people to be in that first half.” - Dragons coach Jamie Soward
Dragons: Round 4
What's Next
The Dragons face Wests Tigers at CommBank Stadium in Round 5 while the Raiders host the Eels at GIO Stadium on Sunday to close out the round.