Knights hang on again! Great clash.
Austin tries a chip and chase and gets a favourable bounce, however the Knights come up with it, just 40 seconds left.
Pearce almost gets a 40/20, Rapana knocks the ball back infield and then regathers. Raiders still in it.
Raiders run it on the last but the Knights keep them out.
PENALTY RAIDERS - Raiders get into the Knights half with 3 minutes left.
SCRUM RAIDERS - Pearce finds touch with a grubber, 20m from the Raiders line.
Ponga unable to convert from out wide.
Pearce holds up a short ball for Mata'utia who hits the gap between Croker and Cotric to score.
SCRUM KNIGHTS - Papalii makes a meal of the play the ball. Knights will get a set inside the Raiders 30m.
Ponga with a break on the left edge and throws the ball infield but its hits the ground and the Raiders dive on it.
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Ponga takes a great catch and is hit high in the tackle.
Ponga curls his kick between the sticks
Second time lucky for Watson. ROss with another run down the sideline and grubber infield for Watson. This time Watson holds the ball and falls over the line for a try.
Wighton attempted a short side grubber but kicks it out on the full.
Gubb looks like he's suffered a groin injury here. Staying on the field though.
Croker from right in front makes no mistake.
Croker with a good try after Havili gets a good offload away to Sezer. He passes to Austin who weaves through the broken middle defence before putting Croker over for the try.
PENALTY RAIDERS - Knights chasers offside
SCRUM KNIGHTS - Austin finds touch with a good kick.
Croker slots the panelty goal from right in front to give his side the lead again.
PENALTY RAIDERS - Knights giving away a ton of penalties
PENALTY RAIDERS - They get another set 10m from the Knights line. Taking the tap.
Williams kicks a 40/20.
SCRUM RAIDERS - Watson knock-on.
Ross with a run down the sideline, grubbers infield but Watson is unable to regather in time and knocks on in the process of grounding the ball.
Ponga converts and we're level again.
Ponga gets another try assist as he sends Moga over for a gift 4 pointer.
Raiders cannot keep the ball from a Knights kick, Knights regather and get 6 again deep in the Raiders half.
Croker converts from just to the right of the posts.
Whitehead scores his second after spotting an offload from Paulo and strolls over to score another soft try.
SCRUM RAIDERS - Williams kicks for Cotric, but SKD gets it first, however he drops the ball on his way to the ground.
PENALTY RAIDERS - Raiders get another set of 6 inside the Knights 10m zone.
PENALTY RAIDERS - Knights making a mess in the ruck. Raiders 10m out still.
PENALTY RAIDERS - Canberra gets to go on the attack straight away.
Back underway.
15m in from the right sideline and Croker is succesful.
PENALTY RAIDERS - Just as the siren sounds for halftime. Croker will line up to try and level the scores.
Austin makes a break but is eventually brought down by Ponga
Ponga nails the penalty goal
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Late tackle on Pearce.
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Raiders penalised for not packing the scrum in time.
SCRUM KNIGHTS - Raiders find touch with a tidy grubber
Croker from out wide on the right side again, is unable to add the extras.
Williams kick finds Rapana who produces a stunning leap, catch and pass back to Whitehead, who scores an easy try.
SCRUM RAIDERS - Knights turn it over on the second tackle.
SCRUM KNIGHTS - Raiders dropped ball. Crowd not happy with what looked like a trip by Ross on Rapana.
Injury update - Early reports suggesting Leilua has an ankle sprain.
Ponga from just to the left of the posts, makes no mistake.
Ponga with a lovely short ball to Fitzgibbon who cuts through the defence close to the line and scores.
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Williams with a high tackle.
SCRUM KNIGHTS - Cotric has tried to play the ball too quickly and he's tripped himself up and made a real hash of it.
Connor Watson drops a pass cold late in the set.
Leilua is bent back awkwardly in the tackle and has injured either his knee or ankle. He can't put any weight on it. Doesn't look good.
Pearce kicks for Ross, but Rapana was equal to the task
Croker from right in front nails the gift two
PENALTY RAIDERS - Moga flies up out of the line way too fast and is offside. Raiders 10m out and have opted to take the two.
PENALTY RAIDERS - Pearce with a high tackle.
Croker from the sideline converts.
A good passage of passing by the Raiders right side results in a try in the corner for Rapana.
SCRUM RAIDERS - Ross tried an intercept and dropped the ball. Raiders 30m out now.
SCRUM RAIDERS - Pearce with a good kick finds touch 10m from the Raiders line.
Ponga slots the goal
Watson with a great ball to Guerra running back in on a great line and he scores.
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Raiders again pinged for holding down in the tackle. Knights with a fresh set inside the Raiders 20m
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Boyd holding down too long in the tackle.
Austin with a dummy and step and almost gets to the line. Next play and Papalii very nearly powers over as well.
PENALTY RAIDERS - Cotric catches the Knights offside. Raiders 40m away from the tryline now.
SCRUM KNIGHTS - Soliola knock on.
Barnett coming off for a HIA after trying to tackle Boyd.
Short ball to Soliola very close to the line and he can't hang onto the ball. Knights.
PENALTY RAIDERS - Knights inside the 10. Raiders get to start their set on halfway.
SCRUM RAIDERS - Raiders will have to work it out from their 10m line.
Moga goes close but on the next passage of play Barnett drops it cold.
PENALTY KNIGHTS - Knights will start their set 37m out from the Raiders line.
Conservative sets from both sides early on.
And we're underway in Canberra! Raiders kick off
Referees & scorers:
Referee: Ashley Klein, Matt Noyen
Touch Judges: Rickey McFarlane, Belinda Sleeman
Video Referee: Steve Chiddy, Bryan Norrie
CANBERRA RAIDERS (28)
Tries: Jordan Rapana, Jarrod Croker, Elliot Whitehead (2)
Field Goals:
Conversions: Jarrod Croker (3/4)
Penalty Goals: Jarrod Croker (3/3)
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS (30)
Tries: Aidan Guerra, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Tautau Moga, Connor Watson, Sione Mata'utia
Field Goals:
Conversions: Kalyn Ponga (4/5)
Penalty Goals: Kalyn Ponga (1/1)