A Jamal Fogarty field goal snatched a 21-20 golden point victory for Raiders against a spirited Titans side at GIO Stadium on Sunday night.
After a crucial Ethan Strange linebreak handed Fogarty field position, the Raiders veteran slotted the ball through with just nine seconds of extra-time to spare after an earlier attempt from Kieran Foran was charged down by debutant Chevy Stewart.
Down 20-10 with less than five minutes to play, Alofiana Khan-Pereira came up with two late tries before Brian Kelly kicked a career-first goal from the sideline to level the scores and send the game to golden point.
After absorbing plenty of early pressure, the Raiders opened the scoring in the 18th minute after James Schiller brought down a pinpoint Fogarty kick in the right corner.
James Schiller Try
Canberra extended their lead in the 25th minute with Strange setting up Hudson Young in space on the inside who crashed over the line from close range. Fogarty converted for a 12-0 lead.
The Titans got a crucial try on the stroke of half time through Jaimin Jolliffe, who stormed onto a Kieran Foran pass and cross left of the upright to reduce the deficit 12-6 at the break.
The Gold Coast carried that momentum into the second half and were right back in the contest when the raiders fumbled a Foran grubber in the in goal before Harley Smith shields planted it down to score against his former club.
Harley Smith-Shields Try
A blow for the Raiders came early in the second half when Zac Hosking was ruled out with a dislocated shoulder but a Brian Kelly penalty handed Fogarty a chance to knock the ball over for a 14-10 lead.
The Titans showed great resolve to defend several consecutive sets in their red zone but Canberra's mountain of pressure and possession prevailed in the 69th minute when Ata Mariota pounced on a loose ball before flicking the ball to Schiller in support who crossed for a double.
But the Titans refused to lie down and Khan-Pereira scored a double in the final four minutes to give Kelly a chance to convert from the sideline who sent the game to golden point with a career-first goal.
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Match Snapshot
- 18-year-old Chevy Stewart had a fine NRL debut in the No. 1 jersey, proving safe under the high ball and dangerous in attack with 205 metres off 23 runs.
- Raiders forward Zac Hosking was helped from the field just after half-time with a shoulder injury.
- The Raiders dominated possession in the first half, with 61 per cent of the football.
- Chasing their first win for the season, the Titans dug deep in defence to stay in the contest with Chris Randall and Beau Fermor making over 60 tackles.
We're going to Golden Point!
- Raiders prop Joseph Tapine churned out an incredible 303 metres for the Green Machine to go with his 33 tackles.
- Titans forward Jaimin Jolliffe was placed on report in the 9th minute for a high shot which sent Zac Hosking for a HIA.
- The Titans made 491 tackles compared to the Raiders' 335.
- Following Tannah Boyd's withdrawal, AJ Brimson returned to the Titans' halves for the first time since Round 25 of the 2022 season.
Play of the Game
Without Ethan Strange's sweeping run from the back field the game was destined to be a draw. With just seconds of extra-time remaining on the clock before the rookie five-eighth took the ball over 40-metres, dancing and weaving his way downfield to hand Fogarty a shot from close range.
Strange with a huge run deep in golden point
What They Said
"We played well tonight. We lose that game over the last 12-18 months where our frustration would have turned into panic. The whole performance from us was pretty professional from a discipline point of view and we didn't get frustrated. There was a lot of opportunity out there tonight where we could have got really frustrated and lost our opportunity of staying on process. That game tonight will be a positive learning curve for our younger boys." - Raiders coach Ricky Stuart
Raiders: Round 6
"I thought they showed a lot of resilience and a lot of grit today. We made almost 500 tackles and they scored two of their tries off kicks so I think it's fair to say it was a pretty good defensive effort. But we didn't get the points so we've got to learn from it and play smarter in some parts. It was heartbreaking but we learned a bit out of it and we'll dust ourselves off and get ready for next week. We're playing a Manly side that are playing really good footy. I think there was merit to review it (charge down), I think it was probably a good one metre offside." - Titans coach Des Hasler
Titans: Round 6
What's Next
The Raiders head to Brisbane to meet with the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday while the Titans host the Sea Eagles at Cbus on Saturday.