Raiders knock
over Bulldogs in thriller

Round 14
Canterbury Bulldogs 26 v Canberra Raiders 28
at Telstra Stadium
Referees: Gavin Badger

Match Summary:
A gallant Canberra Raiders side have downed their more fancied rivals the Canterbury Bulldogs by 28-26 in a thrilling contest at Telstra Stadium.

The Bulldogs came to Homebush with most of the league world expecting a victory and began the match as per the program but were missing four Origin stars in Mark O?Meley, Willie Mason, Nate Myles and regular club captain Andrew Ryan, yet they still seemed the stronger list. The Raiders were not so lucky with strike player Tom Learoyd-Lars out through a late injury and centre Adam Mogg on rep duty for Queensland after a belated call-up.

The unsettled nature of their line-up was reflected on the field as Canberra allowed Canterbury to dominate possession early and the Doggies skipped out to a 10-nil lead with tries to Matt Utai in the 4th minute and Chris Armit in the 10th.

As if things weren?t bad enough for the visitors already, hooker Simon Woolford (shoulder) and prop Michael Hodgson (ankle) both sustained game ending injuries reducing the Raiders to a two-man bench for the remaining 70 minutes of play.

This only seemed to challenge the rest of the forward pack with big props Jason Williams and Michael Weyman standing up to the Bulldogs and giving rousing displays. Trevor Thurling from the bench and unsung hero Alan Tongue also contributed well.

The Raiders began their resurgence through fullback Clinton Schifcofske in the 15th minute, scoring one of his typical tries by crabbing across-field before finding a gap and crossing the chalk. With the tide was changing late in the second half Canberra three-quarter David Howell scored an amazing try where he was completely airborne whilst planting the ball in the corner despite opposite Matt Utai doing his best to shove him over the sideline.

As Canberra gained the ascendency in the remaining minutes before the break, rampaging forward Weyman took the pill metres out from Canterbury?s line and bashed his way through under the posts. This took the score to 16-10 in favour if the Green Machine as both sides headed to the sheds.

As is generally the case, the 10-15 minutes after halftime had a big impact upon the result with Canberra scoring in the 43rd , with Schifcofske adding to his earlier effort, and 52nd minutes of the game, an opportunistic runaway try to Phil Graham, opening up the biggest lead of the match at 28-10.

This must have woken up the Bulldogs as they unleashed a 15-minute onslaught of their own which saw them come to within 2 points of the Raiders.

Utai completed a neat play in the 56th minute before Dallas McIlwain stayed alive for Roy Asotasi to deliver the final pass to cross again in the 63rd. Then a great try in the 68th minute saw Sherwin, Holdsworth and Maitua combine to send fullback Luke Patten sailing over for his first of the day.

This set the game up for an exciting finish and although there was no further score the final stages of the match certainly had you on the edge of your seat as the Raiders repelled wave after wave of attack by Canterbury.

When considering several players including Jason Smith, Tom Learoyd-Lars, Kris Kahler, Andrew Lomu and Josh Miller were injured plus the two sustained during the game and the unavailability of Adam Mogg through rep duty, the Raiders had enough excuses to turn up their toes and lose today but they showed plenty of heart and never chucked in the towel.

The only sour note was the reporting of Rothery and Howell for a lifting tackle. Woolford also appears to be out for a few weeks with the shoulder injury he sustained, although Hodgson should be fit for next week to take on the Storm in Melbourne.

For the Bulldogs it was a disappointing loss after so much early control of the game. Holdsworth looked in good touch and combined well with Sherwin. Maitua also continued his recent good form but Asotasi, Utai and Sonny Bill had indifferent games. They?ll be looking to reverse that next Sunday against the Cowboys on the Gold Coast.

Fittingly, it was two sharp-shooters of the game that decided the result, with evergreen fullback Clinton Schifcofske out-pointing his opposite Hazem El Masri in a sub-plot between two players who mean so much to their respective clubs yet never seem to figure at the representative discussion table.


Scorers:
Canterbury Bulldogs: 26
Tries: Chris Armit, Dallas McIlwain, Luke Patten, Matthew Utai(2)
Goals: Hazem El Masri 3/5
Canberra Raiders: 28
Tries: Phillip Graham, David Howell, Clinton Schifcofske(2), Michael Weyman
Goals: Clinton Schifcofske 4/5

Halftime: 16-10 Raiders

By the Clock:
Cool but sunny day out here at Telstra Stadium. The ground is very wet and soft underfoot. There are many patches that are a bit muddy.

Changes for the Raiders: Mogg is out on duty with the Maroons, pushing Howell to centre with Purtell into the side on the wing. Tom Learoyd-Lars is injured, with Rothery starting the game in his place.

The Bulldogs are as per the program.

1 min: NEWS The Raiders kick-off in the first half.

4 min: NEWS The Bulldogs are taking early possession and making good inroads to the Canberra defence. A near miss for the home team as Holdsworth took on the line only for Patten to be cut down on the last close to the line.

6 min: TRY Canterbury Bulldogs
Utai opens the scoring out wide for the Dogs as they stretch the Raiders defence the width of the park. Holdsworth delivered a long ball to Patten who gave the last pass for the Kiwi winger. El Masri misses from the sideline.
Bulldogs 4-0

8 min: NEWS Michael Hodgson and Simon Woolford have both left the field injured. Woolford's appears to be his right arm/shoulder.

10 min: TRY Canterbury Bulldogs
Armit scores for Canterbury as Hughes goes the blind and catches them napping. The Bulldogs are hoarding possession at the moment with Holdsworth and Sonny Bill both looking in good touch. El Masri lands this conversion.
Bulldogs 10-0

13 min: NEWS Phelps cops a nasty hit from Chalk but continues on.

15 min: TRY Canberra Raiders
Schifcofscke scores for the Raiders as he lopes across-field evading players and scores in the corner despite the attention of El Masri. He then gives the goals posts a wink and puts the conversion over from out wide.
Bulldogs 10-6

23 min: NEWS The Raiders have had a sloppy passage of play for the past few minutes, turning the ball over and the Bulldogs now look to go on the attack.

27 min: NEWS The Raiders are staying in this game very well given their injuries and the amount of possession Canterbury are enjoying.

30 min: TRY Canberra Raiders
An unbelievable effort from David Howell has equalised the scores. The Raiders push it wide with the Dogs looking skinny on the eastern flank. Howell got on the outside of Utai and launched himself at the line, planting the ball just before being bundled into touch with his entire body in the air. Schifcofscke fails to kick a second goal from the sideline and we're locked up here at Telstra.
10 all.

37 min: TRY Canberra Raiders
Big Canberra prop Weyman barges over from close range to amazingly put the Raiders ahead just before the break. Schifcofscke converts and the Green Machine are pumping away.
Raiders 16-10

40 min: NEWS This game has taken a huge turnaround from the opening 15-20 minutes. The Canterbury club would be very disappointed with the way they have performed after dominating the early stages so well. But once the Raiders gained some possession and played with cool heads they were able to get back into the contest. This game is still anyones, but I think each coach will have very different messages for their players in the sheds.

41 min: NEWS And Canterbury restart play.

43 min: TRY Canberra Raiders
The Canberra custodian does it again as the Bulldogs look shell-shocked. The Schif drifted across field and picked a gap close to the line to hit after a series of strong hit-ups. He kicks it from the sideline and extends the lead to 12 points early in the second half.
Raiders 22-10

45 min: NEWS Rothery and Howell on report for a lifting tackle.

52 min: TRY Canberra Raiders
Speedster Phil Graham picks up a loose Canterbury ball and dashes 50m unopposed to plant the ball under the sticks. Schifcofske makes short work of the conversion and the Raiders are starting to embarrass the Doggies.
Raiders 28-10

56 min: TRY Canterbury Bulldogs
The Bulldogs hit back through winger Matt Utai who runs off the end of a neat backline movement to score in the corner. El Masri fails from out wide but there's still enough time in this one to make a game of it.
Raiders 28-14

63 min: TRY Canterbury Bulldogs
The Bulldogs have applied the blowtorch to the Raiders through continued pressure and have come up with a try. Asotasi fed the ball to McIlwain close to the line and the Dogs are coming home with a wet sail. El Masri converts and closes the gap. Canberra are looking tired, but that's to be expected given they're two players short.
Raiders 28-20

68 min: TRY Canterbury Bulldogs
The Dogs are in again with a great running play. Sherwin fed Holdsworth who held up a ball for Maitua. The stocky lock found Patten lurking inside and he ran 20m to score next to the posts. Great try. El Masri converts and we've got a 2-point ball game.
Raiders 28-26

80 min: NEWS The Raiders have repelled wave after wave of Canterbury attack to hold out for a thrilling victory.
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Leagueunlimited.com players of the match:
3 - Clinton Schifcofske (Raiders)
2 - Michael Weyman (Raiders)
1 - Daniel Holdsworth (Bulldogs)
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