The Raiders have overcome a spirited Cowboys outfit to keep their finals hopes alive with a 34-12 victory on Sunday.
A dominant first half display from the Green Machine laid the foundations for their fifth win of the season with the Raiders the fight to play finals in their inaugural season going down to the final game of the season next week.
However, the Round 8 victory could prove costly for the Raiders with forward Hollie Mae-Dodd (knee) and Mackenzie Wiki (ankle) both ruled out of the match with injuries.
The Cowboys started the better of the two sides having the clearer chances in the opening fifteen minutes however Canberra were able to break the early deadlock through Sophie Holyman who beat two defenders and carried another over the line.
In the ensuing set Zehara Temara went over untouched with a beautiful right foot step after an Apii Nicholls line break saw her dragged down a metre short from the try line.
Canberra held 60 per cent of the possession and they were taking advantage of that on the scoreboard with Shakai Tungai finishing off a slick backline movement after her intercept had provided the attacking opportunity.
Shakiah Tungai Try
A handling error from Tallisha Harden provided another opportunity for the Green Machine which they took full advantage of with an instinctive piece of play from the Raiders superstar five-eight who chipped in behind and regathered before putting Barnes over next to the post.
The second half saw Canberra continue to dominate proceedings with winger Maddison Bartlett crossing over in the left hand corner.
North Queensland needed to be the next to score and they were through a well worked short ball from dummy half Emma Manzelmann to a barnstorming Tiana Raftstrand-Smith who was too strong for the Canberra defence.
Tiana Raftstrand-Smith Try
However, any chance of a potential Cowboys comeback was quickly evaporated after Temara laid on another try this time with a perfectly weighted pass for Monalisa Soliola who ran twenty metres downfield before carrying multiple defenders over the line.
Manzelmann provided Cowboys fans with some late joy when she took advantage of one marker, getting in behind the ruck and beating the fullback on her way to the try line.
Kerehitina Matua crossed right on the stroke of full time after standing to claim her first NRLW try but that's as close as the Cowboys came to reducing the deficit.
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Match Snapshot
- Raiders backrower Hollie Mae Dodd left the field in the 14th minute and did not return after suffering a suspected knee injury.
- Cowboys fullback Francesca Goldthorp failed to finish the game due to a hyper-extended elbow injury she suffered in the first minute of the contest.
- Canberra centre Mackenzie Wiki suffered a lower leg injury in the second half.
- The Raiders completed at 82 per cent whilst the Cowboys sat at 60 per cent. Canberra dominated possession with 60 per cent of the ball.
- Shakai Tungai had a day out in the No. 5 jersey, running for a game high 205 metres.
Play of the Game
The pick of the Canberra tries in the first half was a beautiful piece of individual brilliance through their five-eighth Zehara Temara who on the last would put a perfectly weighted kick in behind which was regathered before bouncing off a Cowboys defender and putting over interchange utility Emma Barnes untouched.
Emma Barnes Try
What They Said
“We are trying to instil some traits into them about being resilient and rugby league is a tough game, it's a contact sport and this is why we play it and only certain players who can play at an elite level. We are young group and we are learning some really hard lessons at the moment. But I was pleased with the fight in the second half but obviously the first half hasn't been great in the last two weeks." - Cowboys coach Ben Jeffries.
Raiders: Round 8
"The Cowboys are good side, you give any team a sniff in this competition it will come back to bite you but I was really proud with the girl's effort...it was a good win. We had a lot of family in there that's what it's about and I thought Zahara (Temara) was really good today and Emma Barnes coming back this week after four weeks off, she was good for us in and around the ruck." - Raiders coach Darrin Borthwick
Cowboys: Round 8
What's Next
The Canberra Raiders head home to GIO Stadium for a must win clash against the Gold Coast Titans, whilst the North Queensland Cowboys travel to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium to face the high flying Sydney Roosters.