Broncos bounce rusty Raiders

Embed from Getty Images

Canberra Raiders v Brisbane Broncos

A flashy second half from the Brisbane Broncos ended with a 30-20 win for the visiting Queenslanders over the Raiders at GIO Stadium in front of nearly 16,000 fans at GIO Stadium.

The Broncos started the better, throwing the ball around early. Persistence paid off in the sixth minute when Marshall set up Corey Oates for the opening points.

Jack Wighton hit back for the Raiders four minutes later, scoring off a crafty offload. Jarrod Croker doubled the fun for the Raiders. They went ahead 12-6 before the Broncos hit back through Alex Glenn at the 20-minute mark.

A Brisbane error was costly seven minutes from halftime - trying to build down the right side of the field before a dropped ball was swooped on by Canberra winger Nick Cotric. He palmed off defenders and sprinted away for a 16-12 lead going into the break, which was dented in a small way on the siren when the Broncos put over a penalty goal.

Trailing 16-14 at the break, the Broncos hit the accelerator when play resumed, Matt Gillett scoring a powerful try in the 51st minute before Joe Ofahngaue busted open the defence alongside the posts in the 58th, putting the Broncos eight points ahead.

To keep things interesting, the Raiders got back within four to force a tense final ten minutes. BJ Leilua's try reduced the margin back to four, but that was as close as the Raiders got. Gillett bagged his second with fulltime looming, getting the Broncos home by ten.

Next week Brisbane head home to host the Storm at Suncorp Stadium, while the Raiders have another home game when they host the Cowboys at GIO.