The Raiders have delivered another statement with a near perfect performance at home to beat the Broncos 32-22 in Canberra.
After a tight first half, the Raiders clicked into gear in the second 40 as the Green Machine scored six tries to four off the back of a blinding performance by the pack.
Josh Papali’i made 135 metres from 16 runs, while Corey Horsburgh looked reborn in making 121 metres off his 17 carries, while fellow forwards Hudson Young and Zac Hosking also made more than 100 metres.
English recruit Matty Nicholson scored a double on debut for the Raiders, who were without suspended prop Joe Tapine, although they barely missed him.
The Broncos made 14 errors but were punished for every single one, Reece Walsh in particular having a poor game as he made four individual errors.
Earlier, the injury-ravaged Rabbitohs came from 12-points down to steal a victory from the Dragons in Wollongong.
The Rabbitohs claimed a famous victory. (AAP Image: Dean Lewins)
A field goal from Jamie Humphreys with four minutes remaining sealed the comeback, as Val Holmes missed three conversions in the 24-25 defeat.
“I just backed myself to do it,” Humphreys told ABC Sport as the Rabbitohs raced to an unlikely 2-0 start to the season.
“The boys around give me that confidence.
“I knew I had to do it and I got it done.”
Holmes meanwhile, said it was a tough result to take.
“We wanted to try and bounce back, and I thought we kind of stuck in there,” he told ABC Sport.
“We got a pretty good lead, then we let in two soft tries through the middle.
“It’s disappointing seeing that happen, because it happened last week as well.”
Meanwhile, the Cowboys were thrashed for a second-straight week, this time 36-12 at home by the Sharks.
Cowboys’ left side defence was a shambles. (Getty Images: Ian Hitchcock)
The Cowboys have now conceded an eye-watering 78 points in the opening two NRL rounds, with pressure mounting on Todd Payten.
“Every time we got in an arm-wrestle we come up with an error or a penalty and then they’d score a try, so that’s not going to win you games,” Payten said in the press conference.
“We’ve played two contenders in the past two weeks and we’re a fair way off.
“We’re going to find out what we’re about over the next little period.”
Look back on how all the action unfolded in our live blog.
Key Events
Live updates: Raiders vs Broncos
Thanks for being with me folks!
Many thanks Simon for your marathon footy blog effort today. Going to get my engine running for Michael Doyle’s expert Formula 1 blog tomorrow.
– KB
Thanks Simon, a marathon blogging effort on your part although, just between you and I, I’m growing tired of Rugby League winning on the day…
– Mike
Rugby league was the winner.
But so were Canberra.
The Green Machine has clicked into gear and is purring along very nicely.
Don’t you think this is the end of the weekend’s action though, oh no.
We have two more games tomorrow, starting at 4:05pm AEDT with the Eels hosting Wests Tigers before the Bulldogs take on the Titans to end the weekend’s action.
I look forward to bringing you all that action tomorrow.
Ciao!
Full time: The Raiders continue impressive start to blast Broncos
The Canberra Raiders have continued where they left off in Las Vegas, delivering another statement victory to start the NRL season by powering past Brisbane 32-22.
The Raiders scored six tries in a near flawless performance against a Broncos side that had no answer to the power of the Raiders forwards.
Matty Nicholson scored a double on debut, with the hugely impressive Josh Papali’i also crossing in the first half.
Jesse Arthar’s had two tries in that first half for the Broncos to make it 16-10 at the break, but after half time the Raiders ran away with things.
Tom Starling, Matthew Timoko and Savelio Tamale all scored as the Broncos faltered, Reece Walsh in particular having a shocker at fullback.
The impressive Selwyn Cobbo and Arthar’s scored consolation tries thanks to pin-point kicks from Adam Reynolds, but the Broncos were well beaten in the capital.
78′ That is incredible from Reynolds!
Astonishing kick from Reynolds, a kick pass that any AFL player would have been proud of, finding Jesse Arthars in stride who dots down.
It’s a hat-trick from Arthars.
The kick is, once again, magnificent from Reynolds from the sideline off the tee too.
The score is 32-22.
Surely not…
76′ Deine Mariner is denied a try
So close from Deine Mariner!
He makes a superb linebreak, but there is no support for him to give the ball away to, so he tries to crash himself through two tacklers.
He has managed to get the arm free, grounded the ball, bounced towards the line, but is still short and at that point he promotes the ball to give away a double movement.
73′ Another horrible error from Reece Walsh
Oh my, this is truly poor from Reece Walsh.
The Broncos have great field position. They earn a six again call. The ball is shifted to the left side, Reece Walsh inserts himself into the line, and then throws a shocking forward pass away from everyone.
He is having a shocker.
71′ Intercept costs Brisbane another chance!
It’s lovely from Tamale, who manages to get in the line and intercepts a Ben Hunt pass.
However, it was backed up by a very strong run from Seb Kris to take the Raiders out of their own danger zone.
69′ The Broncos butcher another chance!
Deine Mariner
does brilliantly to burst through into the backfield.
He needs support after blasting past two defenders, offloading to Hetherington, but then his pass to Xavier Willison is knocked on.
66′ Walsh knocks on
Cobbo takes off down the right side as the Broncos look to go from a long way out.
Ethan Strange is chasing hard so Cobbo has to throw the ball back inside and Walsh drops it.
Another error from the high-profile fullback.
65′ COBBO SCORES IN THE CORNER!
That is superb from Selwyn Cobbo and just as good from Adam Reynolds.
A magical cross-field kick on the last tackle, Cobbo catches the ball in stride with his right arm and then dots down.
That is magic.
THE KICK IS GOOD!
The Broncos are back in with the slimmest hope, trailing 32-16.
64′ Brilliant 40-20 from Reynolds
One of the best to do it in the NRL, Reynolds gives the Broncos the slightest whiff of hope.
Walsh has been desperately poor today
Walsh has been MIA all game.
– KB
Just eight runs, 57 metres, 10 post-contact metres.
Only two tackle breaks, he’s missed four of the seven tackles he’s attempted in defence, made two errors and given away a penalty.
Really poor.
62′ HAS COBBO SCORED A MIRACLE TRY!?
HAS COBBO SCORED A MIRACLE TRY!????
I DON’T KNOW!
If he has, it’s the finish of the decade.
It looks like he has just got the ball down but did it hit the sideline before it hit the try line?
SIMULTANEOUS! That’s hard on Cobbo but the right call. It’s almost a miracle finish, but simultaneously hitting the sideline and the tryline and it’s no try.
That was very close.
59′ The Raiders have another!
The Broncos are in tatters!
The Raiders go straight up the field off the back of a penalty.
Starling opted to go down the blind side, Seb Kris takes the ball, he passes to Savelio
Tamale
who crosses for his first NRL try!
The Raiders are running rampant!
Send a statement in Las Vegas? Tick.
Send a statement on home soil? Double tick!
The kick is good and the score is 32-10.
57′ Walsh loses the ball
Oh that’s not great from the fullback, who has been virtually anonymous so far.
The Broncos earn back-to-back sets on the Canberra line, with a penalty too.
Off the penalty, Walsh takes the ball wide and then loses it in contact.
He’s furious with himself but he’s not been good at all tonight to be honest.
52′ THE RAIDERS GO OVER AGAIN!
All off a turnover from Pat Carrigan, who tries to offload.
It was Corey Horsburgh managed to leap on the ball to steal it for the Raiders.
Then, as the Raiders pressed the Broncos line, it was Horsburgh again who had the ball in his hands, offloading super late to Matthew
Timoko
who dives over.
Fogarty nails this kick and the lead is out to 26-10.
47′ THE RAIDERS HAVE ANOTHER!
Tom Starling with a brilliant try!
The grubber kick was bouncing around off the boot of Starling,
It has ricocheted off Ben Hunt and Matty Nicholson though so this might come back and should come back.
BUT IT HASN’T!
Starling gathered and managed to bounce through.
I am certain that should have been accidental offside though…
The kick is misses again from Jamal Fogarty – that was huge in out first game today between the Dragons and Rabbitohs.
Will it be important here?
The Raiders lead 20-10.
43′ Ben Hunt with a try saver
It’s a phenomenal line from the two-try hero Matty Nicholson, at pace at a serious angle, but Ben Hunt is there with the legs tackle to stop a certain hat-trick for the Englishman.
Then the kick goes up and Cobbo leaps, takes the ball and tosses three defenders away from him before he’s scragged.
42′ Cory Paix on report
Tom Starling is down and in a spot of pain.
It looked like he got put into an awkward position by Cory Paix and it will be a penalty to the Raiders 40m out from the Broncos line.
41′ We’re back underway
The Broncos have the first use of the ball as the Raiders kick off.
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