A spirited first half performance ultimately wasn’t enough for the nib Newcastle Knights, with the Canberra Raiders lowering the visitors’ colours with a 44-18 scoreline at GIO Stadium.
Played on a chilly afternoon in the Nation's Capital, the Knights fought hard from the opening whistle but were ultimately over-run by the top-of-the-table Raiders.
With their final bye coming next week, the Knights will now look to reset and recharge ahead of the final five games of the regular season.
How it played out:
In front of a small but vocal crowd at GIO Stadium, the Knights were forced to work hard for their points against the current ladder leaders.
Having played out a close and entertaining contest just four weeks ago, this game was always set to include a few unexpected twists and turns.
The Raiders proved as much in the 9th minute, with a slick backline play sending Kaeo Weekes over to open the scoring.
The Knights hit back just minutes later, with Kai Pearce-Paul surging over untouched from close range.
Pearce-Paul gets our first
The teams continued to trade four pointers as the half progressed, however it was the Knights who saved the best for last.
With just seconds remaining in the first half, Fletcher Hunt snatched onto a loose Jamal Fogarty pass to score right on half-time, ensuring the scores remained locked at 18-all at the break.
Hunt on the bell!
The bizarre scoring pattern continued after the break, with the Raiders crossing first through Tom Starling after managing to keep the ball alive on the last tackle.
The lead was extended to 12 just moments later, with Matt Timoko scoring to push the advantage out to 30-18.
A Fogarty penalty goal soon after extended the home side’s lead to 14.
Late tries to Noah Martin and Timoko sealed the convincing win for the Raiders, with the Knights left to lick their wounds ahead of next week's bye.
What’s next:
Following their week off, the Knights will then return home in Round 23 to face the Panthers at McDonald Jones Stadium.
