Raiders inflict more pain on ravaged Sharks

The Canberra Raiders have consigned the wooden spoon to the Cronulla Sharks after a 22-12 victory at Remondis Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The clash was billed as the battle of the wooden spoon and the title was certainly lived up to in the first half with a host of errors and penalties plus only one try scored meant it was a first 40 minutes that were totally forgettable and very uneasy on the eye.

The first half was highlighted by Raiders winger Edrick Lee who dropped the ball metres away from opening the scoring in the corner untouched in the 25th minute. Josh McCrone was taken off the field after he made an extraordinary five errors in just 20 minutes. The stats before the first points were scored are staggering: Seven penalties, 13 errors and 30 missed tackles. Sosaia Feki was the only try scorer of the first half when he dived over with just a few minutes left in the half. The 2nd half began a bit quicker than the first when in the 48th minute.

Matt McIlwrick levelled the score, diving on an Anthony Milford grubber, and the Raiders were in again four minutes later when Jarrod Croker went in for his 17th try of the season off another Milford assist. The roles were reversed in the 59th minute when the ball was spread wide by Milford and Croker made a break and passed back on the inside back for Milford to score under the posts.

The men from The Shire got back into it when prop Tim Robinson dived over from close range from some dodgy Raider on line defence. With the score line at 16-12 it was anyone's game at this point. The green machine iced the game with 10 minutes to go when Milford scored his 2nd of the day after a pin point Mitch Cornish grubber into the in goal.

The winner of the dreaded wooden spoon now looks to have gone to the Cronulla outfit. With Cronulla's awful points difference they seemingly need a miracle to avoid last position on the table and the wooden spoon as they would need to win both their remaining games away to the Cowboys and the Wests Tigers. They would then need Canberra to lose both their remaining games at home to the Tigers and the Eels.

CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS (12)
Tries: Sosaia Feki, Tim Robinson
Conversions: Michael Gordon (2/2)

CANBERRA RAIDERS (22)
Tries: Matt McIlwrick, Jarrod Croker, Anthony Milford (2)
Conversions: Jarrod Croker (3/4)

Game on at Remondis - Canberra first possession. They wear green today, the Sharks are in an indigenous version of their traditional strip.

2: Team changes going into this - Canberra are as per program. The Sharks lose Paul Gallen and Anthony Tupou to those ASADA-enforced suspensions meaning Sopoaga and Ayshford start in their places. The debutants on the bench are Sione Masima and Scott Sorensen.

2: Two early penalties have Cronulla hot on the attack at the southern end.

3: UNFORCED ERROR CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS
Matt Prior makes an unforced error.
Tackle two... Prior spills it. Ordinary.
Did we mention this game all but decides who "wins" the wooden spoon?

5: UNFORCED ERROR CANBERRA RAIDERS
Josh McCrone makes an unforced error.
Andddd McCrone kicks it out on the full.

6: UNFORCED ERROR CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS
Jonathan Wright makes an unforced error.
This is gonna be a long afternoon. Jono Wright tries and offload but manages somehow to knock on.

12: UNFORCED ERROR CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS
Sosaia Feki makes an unforced error.
Hands go out wide and another error, Feki can't handle it.

15: Tilse held up for Canberra. Sharks now work it away

18: Feki trapped in goal. Drop-out Sharks, Raiders piling on the pressure.

32: Not a lot happening in this game folks. It's still nil-all after 32 minutes. It's almost like neither side wants to not win the wooden spoon...

36: TRY CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS
Scored by Sosaia Feki. Kick to come.
Breakaway... knocked down by the Raiders and Feki picks up the scraps and mercifully breaks the deadlock...

37: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS
Conversion attempt by Michael Gordon successful.
Gordon realises he'll have to attempt the conversion, and does so perfectly.

39: UNFORCED ERROR CANBERRA RAIDERS
Jack Wighton makes an unforced error.
If you needed further evidence as to why these two teams are 15th and 16th, Wighton just showed us. Jack's stuffed up catching a very simple kick in-goal. It's now a line drop out... the Sharks with a chance to double their advantage before the break.

40: Thankfully it's now halftime. 6-0 to Cronulla, but the error count is somewhere in the thousands. Join us for the second half some time soon...

40: We are back underway in the 2nd half.

41: Penalty Cronulla with Canberra offside.

43: Robson's kick to the corner is dropped by Tupou over the dead ball line and Cronulla will have a drop out and will look to heap the pressure on the Raiders.

44: Sharks have their chances during the set with Robson's grubber picked up by Croker on the try line. Sharks chasers all offside and the Raiders have a pressure relieving penalty.

44: Another penalty for the Raiders with Cronulla not square at marker. Roqica the offender.

47: TRY CANBERRA RAIDERS
Scored by Matt McIlwrick. Kick to come.
Matt Mcllwrick goes into score after Milford's grubber finds him in the in goal and he dives on it under the posts.

47: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION CANBERRA RAIDERS
Conversion attempt by Jarrod Croker successful.
Croker adds the extras simply from in front.

51: TRY CANBERRA RAIDERS
Scored by Jarrod Croker. Kick to come.
Croker has 18 tries for the season as the Sharks defence collapses. McCrone started it with his break, he finds Wighton who's tackled a metre short and Milford's pass from dummy half finds Croker on the short side who strolls over to score.

52: UNSUCCESSFUL CONVERSION CANBERRA RAIDERS
Conversion attempt by Jarrod Croker unsuccessful.
Croker misses his attempt to the left and the Raiders have the lead for the first time in this match.

54: Cronulla make a mini break and they spread it on the last and Wright inexplicably knocks it on with Canberra short on the right side.

56: Cronulla have a penalty on their line with the Raiders holding on in the tackle. Cronulla lead the penalty count by 6 to 5.

57: Wighton does well to catch a high bomb and the Raiders work it away from their line.

58: TRY CANBERRA RAIDERS
Scored by Anthony Milford. Kick to come.
That is just dreadful defence from Cronulla. Croker makes a break stepping inside Brown and then he offloads to Milford who fends off Holmes to go back first over the try line between the posts.

59: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION CANBERRA RAIDERS
Conversion attempt by Jarrod Croker successful.
Croker converts simply from in front.

61: Brown is forced back into the in goal from some good defence from the Raiders. McCrone, Papalli and Croker contributing.

61: Croker is dumped on his head by Wright and he goes on report.

62: Lee can't hang onto Wighton's pass and he lets Cronulla off the hook.

64: Brown kicks and Milford knocks it on.

65: Both of these teams today showing why they are both the worst sides in the comp. Some very ordinary rugby league being played today.

66: TRY CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS
Scored by Tim Robinson. Kick to come.
Cronulla are back in it after Robinson goes through a massive hole in the Raiders defence.

67: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS
Conversion attempt by Michael Gordon successful.
Gordon adds the extras from in front. Game on.

68: Heighington knocks it on on his own 30 metre line and the Raiders have a chance to extend their lead.

69: TRY CANBERRA RAIDERS
Scored by Anthony Milford. Kick to come.
Mitchell Cornish grubbers in behind the line for Milford and he gets to the ball first to score.

70: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION CANBERRA RAIDERS
Conversion attempt by Jarrod Croker successful.
Croker can't miss from there. Raiders back out to a 10 point lead.

72: Raiders go the length of the field with Brown taking Cornish's bomb in the in goal for a 20m restart.

72: Now Prior has lost the ball in the tackle trying to offload on the first tackle and the Raiders have a scrum on their opposition's 20 metre line.

74: Canberra go high on the last with the ball knocked backwards. The ball goes to Lee who is then taken into touch aiming for the corner.

74: Matt Prior has once again knocked in his own half and the Raiders will have a scrum.

75: Croker has lost the ball now and the game is traveling towards its conclusion to the joy of all people watching.

76: Brown is tacked on the last and loses the ball and he stays down.

78: Robson goes to the air into the sun and Tupou takes it well.

78: Lee has knocked on again in the play the ball.

80: That concludes what has been an extremely forgettable game of rugby league with the Canberra Raiders getting the chocolates away from home over the Cronulla Sharks. Sharks look destined now to pick up the dreaded wooden spoon.