Game Summary
The Canberra Raiders produced one of the performances of the season, running out dominant 44-16 winners over the St George Illawarra Dragons in Round 13 of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup at GIO Stadium in Canberra.
The tone was set inside the opening 10 minutes when Coby Black's pinpoint kicking game created the opening opportunity. A high ball from allowed Kain Anderson to leap unchallenged and flick the ball back for Ethan Alaia, who touched down for his seventh try of the season. Black added the conversion to give the Raiders a 6-0 lead.
The second try came from another moment of Black-inspired aerial pressure. His spiral bomb caused confusion in the Dragons' back three, with the ball bouncing straight into Anderson's hands. Anderson unselfishly offloaded to Sione Finau, who crossed against his former club to extend the lead to 10-0.
Black's kicking continued to wreak havoc on debuting fullback Wesley Pring, and when a set restart handed the Raiders a fresh six tackles deep inside Dragons territory, Mark Tuialii produced a blistering right-foot step from an early ball beating Nick Quinn and Pring en route to the line to make it 16-0.
Myles Martin then crashed over from close range to push the margin to 20-nil, and with the half approaching its final stages Regan Carr dived over down the short side after a slick interchange involving Anderson and Alaia.
Shaun Packer took advantage of the short-side defence shortly after, sending Anderson through the line before backing up inside to score his maiden try of the season. Right on the stroke of half-time, debutant Luke Cannon collected a Tuialii flick pass and grubber from Roman Tuaimau to score in just his eighth minute on the field. The half-time score read 40-0, leaving little doubt of the final outcome.
The Dragons showed more intent in the second half and were eventually rewarded when Nathan Lawson chased an O'Neill kick to claim a try. Haele Finau and Wesley Pring also crossed in the closing stages, giving the scoreline a more respectable look.
However, Roman Tuaimau scored in the final seconds for the Raiders, and Black's conversion wrapped up a 44-16 final scoreline.
Talking Points
Coby Black was the architect of Canberra's dominance, relentlessly targeting the Dragons' back three with his kicking game.
Kain Anderson was a constant menace in the air, winning multiple contests under the high ball and creating two tries from kick returns.
Mark Tuialii's footwork to score the Raiders' third try was one of the individual highlights of the afternoon, a two-step sequence through Quinn then Pring that drew comparisons to Benji Marshall.
Luke Cannon's debut was a fairytale moment. On for just eight minutes, the Griffith junior scored to cap off a perfect first half and was mobbed by celebrating teammates.
Key Moment
With the Raiders already leading 10-nil, another Black spiral bomb caused a split-second of hesitation between Wesley Pring and Toby Rumble, allowing the ball to bounce into Anderson's arms. Rather than take the points himself, Anderson found Sione Finau in space on his outside. The resulting try got the momentum building for four more unanswered tries before half-time, putting the game beyond any doubt.
What's Next?
The Raiders remain in 12th position as they head into the bye for Round 14, while the Dragons travel to Henson Park to face the Newtown Jets.
