Raiders end dramatic week with golden point win over Dolphins

A golden point field goal from Jamal Fogarty, which secured a 31-30 win over the Dolphins, provided a fitting end to a dramatic week for the Raiders on Saturday afternoon.

Days on from confirmation that key player Jack Wighton would be departing the club for the Rabbitohs at the end of the season, the Raiders picked up their fourth victory of the year in front of a vocal crowd in Wagga Wagga. 

After a dream start which saw them up 10-0 after an opening eight minutes in which they didn't have to make a single tackle, the Raiders came close to being overrun by the Dolphins, who looked set to produce a stunning comeback for the second week in a row. 

Early tries to Jarrod Croker, Wighton and Jordan Rapana saw Canberra out to an 18-0 lead, before the Dolphins hit back through Euan Aitken and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.

A Sebastian Kris try right on half-time restored a 22-12 lead for the hosts, and it proved key as the Dolphins stormed back in the second half with a four-minute double to Connelly Lemuelu and a late Jesse Bromwich try. 

In between that Fogarty scored a try which Croker converted, with the Raiders failing to take advantage of a glut of possession in field goal range in the dying minutes of regular time. 

But back-to-back sets in golden point, which came after the Dolphins were ruled to have played at a loose ball, ended in Fogarty calmly stepping back inside the advancing kick pressure to nail the one-pointer and seal victory. 

Match Snapshot

• Jack Wighton emerged from a week in the headlines following his signing with the Rabbitohs to score a try, lay on two line break assists and run for 128 metres in the win. 
• On the back of 58 percent possession, Canberra ran for 668 metres more than their opponents, with fullback Sebastian kris leading the way with a personal haul of 247.
• Jeremy Marshall-King played the full 84 minutes for the Dolphins and made 55 tackles, while Elliott Whitehead played the full game for Canberra and led their tackle count with 41. 
• The Dolphins made 13 errors to the Raiders' five. 
• Dolphins centre Brenko Lee was ruled out of the game with a hamstring injury suffered nine minutes into the second half, while Ray Stone left the field for a HIA in golden point. 
• Raiders winger Jordan Rapana was placed on report for a late tackle in the 71st minute. 
• The Dolphins have now failed to hold a team to under 20 points since Round 2, which ironically was against the Raiders. 

Play of the Game 

After missing an attempt right at the end of regular time, Jamal Fogarty made no mistake on his second chance, kicking a memorable first career field goal to win the match. 

What They Said 

"At half-time we spoke about them being a football team that never dies, and we spoke about that we had to be good for another 40 minutes because they wouldn't go away. We wanted to reveal a bit of character this week and I reckon we did... the way we started that game revealed the character in the joint, and then the ability to hang on under intense pressure on the back end there is why I love coaching them." – Raiders coach Ricky Stuart. 

"Our start, same as last week, we let ourselves down there. We just seemed to lack energy and desire I guess. That's just an attitude thing for me and we have got to, as a group, not look for any excuses but probably look within [ourselves]." –Dolphins captain Jesse Bromwich. 

What's Next

The Raiders open Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium with a Friday night clash against the Bulldogs, while the Dolphins will be the away team at a familiar venue when they take on the Sharks on Saturday.