Raiders open account with rout of Wests Tigers
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The Raiders have made a roaring start to their second season in the NRLW, running in six tries in a 32-12 hammering of the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Sunday.
Three Canberra four-pointer inside the opening 10 minutes became five before the game was even 25 minutes old, with veteran half Zahara Temara converting all but one for a 28-0 lead.
It marked a dream start for Darrin Borthwick' side after they finished just two points outside of the finals last season with wins in five of their nine games, and now sets up a mouthwatering clash against defending premiers Newcastle on Saturday.
The big win started with a powerful carry from Mackenzie Wiki that saw her pop a late offload to Madison Bartlett for the opener, before Alanna Dummett added another in the opposite corner minutes later.
Alanna Dummett Try
Wiki then got one of her own following a break from Monalisa Soliola and after Simaima Taufa burrowed over from close range the Wests Tigers were facing a serious hill to climb.
When they finally did get over the line it ended up being ruled out by the Bunker, with Temara instead crashing over for Canberra's fifth a short time later.
A strike from Rikeya Horne reduced the deficit to 28-6 at the break.
Rikeya Horne Try
Harmony Crichton blew a golden chance to get another back for the Wests Tigers early in the second spell when she dropped the ball over the line, and almost straight afterwards Bartlett made no such mistake with her second in the corner.
Botille Vette-Welsh's try, coupled with Pauline Piliae-Rasabale's second conversion, gave the hosts a sniff heading into the final quarter, but they couldn't build enough pressure to truly trouble Canberra.
Match: Wests Tigers v Raiders
Round 1 -
home Team
Wests Tigers
10th Position
away Team
Raiders
1st Position
Venue: Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Sydney
Match Snapshot
- With a double on Sunday Madison Bartlett took her NRLW career tally to 20 tries.
Madison Bartlett 2nd Try
- The Wests Tigers made 10 errors and completed just 64 percent of their sets.
- Zahara Temara, the NRLW's all-time leading point scorer, took her career tally up above 150 career points during the win in which she had 12 points from a try and four conversions.
- Simaima Taufa churned through 131 run metres and made 28 tackles for the Green Machine.
Play of the Game
A monster carry from Mackenzie Wiki was followed by a clever late offload to set up the opening try. It was Madison Bartlett's 19th try at NRLW level and an example of how lethal this Canberra backline can be when they turn it on.
Madison Bartlett 1st Try
What They Said
Wests Tigers: Round 1
Raiders: Round 1
