The Raiders survived a Dragons comeback to seal a crucial 24-22 win at GIO Stadium to keep their finals hopes alive.
It was a thrilling finish that was almost identical to the controversial finish in Round 16, only this time it was the Raiders who benefited.
Mat Feagai made a break and struck as he rose to play the ball. Corey Harawira-Naera made the tackle and the Dragons begged the referee for a penalty but to no avail.
The home side struck first with a try in the opening minute, only for the Dragons to hit back five minutes later thanks to youngster Talatau Amone, who bagged a hat-trick and set up a try in the 75th minute to keep the game alive.
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DEJA VU IN CRAZY FINISH
The end of Sunday’s game will be the talk of the town for the next few days after the Raiders were saved by the whistle in an “almost identical” situation to how they lost in Round 16.
With less than a minute to go, Ben Hunt moved the ball to Mat Feagai, who raced upfield before he was eventually brought down by Corey Harawira-Naera.
Harawira-Naera appeared to have tried to contain Feagai and the Dragons struck when he stood up to play the ball.
The Dragons players appealed to referee Adam Gee for a penalty but were not so lucky.
“It’s almost identical … Round of 16 all over again,” Fox League commentator Brenton Speed said.
“The Dragons are thinking ‘where is our penalty?’ that the Raiders didn’t make it to Wollongong But Adam Gee says it’s full-time and Canberra’s season is alive and well.
“The Dragons are over in 2022. They’ll be talking about that ending for a while…almost the miracle.”
It was only six weeks ago that Raiders coach Ricky Stuart took umbrage at a controversial call in Round 16, the last time these two teams met.
As the clock wound down, two Dragons players looked to hold a Raider to slow the game down and as a result, the Raiders were given a six again. But there was a belief that it should have been a ruck penalty, especially as Ben Hunt was not framed on the scoreboard.
THE MAJORITY OF THE YOUNG DRAGON
Fresh off a contract extension, Dragons youngster Talatau Amone had his best NRL game to date.
Amone bagged a hat-trick and set up a try in the closing minutes in a huge turnaround from his unhappy performance against the Sharks just over a week ago.
The 20-year-old scored a brace in the opening 20 minutes to quickly put round 21 behind him.
“I don’t think he ran three or four times last week, but he’s already scored two tries and had about five carries, a big difference in the young man,” Fox League’s Shane Flanagan said.
He then scored his third in the 67th minute to keep the Dragons in the game.
“He had an unhappy week last week but today he was dangerous every time he touched the ball,” Flanagan said.
“We know what talent he has, he’s going to be an NRL player for a long time and he’s showing that today.”
But Amone wasn’t done. The rising five-eighth, who signed a one-year extension on Thursday, delivered a pinpoint pass with five minutes remaining to set up a grandstand goal.
It was that moment of impressive play from the youngster that Flanagan believes could set him up for the future.
“This young man has had a day out,” he said.
“He’s scored three tries and then in the last half he comes down the right wing and comes up with a beautiful pass to two of his teammates to hit Tautau Moga in the chest.
“This could be Junior Amone’s creation.
“We’ve always known how talented he is, but to put in a full 80-minute performance like he had today will give him massive confidence going forward.”
Along with his three tries and one try assist, Amone notched seven tackle busts, three line breaks, a line break assist and one offload.
WILD ‘X-FACTOR’ STARS FOR RAIDERS
Xavier Savage’s injection is exactly what the Raiders needed with the elusive defender setting up two tries in their crucial win on Sunday.
Savage missed last week with an ankle injury, but was on a mission in his return match.
The 20-year-old’s skill was on display early on when he sent veteran Jordan Rapana into the corner in the 27th minute with a slick ball.
“Xavier Savage’s deft touch … had the Dragons spellbound,” Fox League commentator Brenton Speed said.
Shane Flanagan added: “Xavier’s Savage’s speed makes Tautau Moga of two minds.”
Savage then set up another try in the first minute of the second half with a clearance for Albert Hopoate to score.
He finished the game with 158 rushing metres, three tackles, two line-breaking assists and one offload to go with his two try assists.
“Savage has added a real x-factor, as we thought he would, for the Raiders,” Michael Ennis said.
TEAMS
Raiders: 1. Xavier Savage 2. Albert Hopoate 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papali’i 9. Zac Woolford 10. Emre Guler 11. Hudson Young 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Adam Elliott 14. Tom Starling 15. Ryan Sutton 16. Corey Horsburgh 17. Corey Harawira-Naera. Substitute player: 18. James Schiller
dragons: 21. Cody Ramsey 2. Mathew Feagai 1. Moses Mbye 4. Zac Lomax 5. Tautau Moga 6. Talatau Amone 7. Ben Hunt 8. Jack de Belin 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Josh Mcguire 12. Jaydn Su ‘A 3. Jack Bird 13. Michael Molo 15. Aaron Woods 16. Tyrell Fuimaono 17. Billy Burns. Substitute player: 20. Jaiyden Hunt
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