The Rabbitohs and Cowboys clash in Sydney, while the Sharks celebrate beating the Bulldogs, and the Raiders move into the top eight after beating the Sea Eagles.
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Nicho Hynes helped the Sharks overcome the Bulldogs. (AAP: Dean Lewins)
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Raiders beat Sea Eagles, move into NRL top eight
Tom Starling was one of the Raiders’ try scorers against the Sea Eagles. (Getty Images: Jason McCawley)
Canberra are inside the NRL’s top eight for the first time since round three after taking care of business against Manly in a sweeping 48-6 win.
Making the most of Brisbane’s capitulation against Parramatta, the Raiders secured their biggest win of the campaign against the lackluster Sea Eagles, building a comfortable cushion on the Broncos in the finals race.
It means they will go into their clash with the Wests Tigers with a 43-point advantage over Brisbane, who play St George Illawarra.
Sensing the opportunity that had presented itself with Brisbane’s heavy loss, the Raiders arrived at GIO Stadium and piled on five tries in the first half, cutting through a fragile Manly defense at will.
“It was probably our best performance for the longest period,” Canberra coach Ricky Stuart told reporters.
“Every single person contributed to this performance and it was a high standard of football from the boys.
“To win at this end of the season, fighting for a place in the eight, is exactly what we need.”
Canberra captain Elliott Whitehead said his team received a mental boost from seeing their final chances boosted by the Broncos’ defeat, but it was no distraction from the task at hand.
“We still have to win next week, we’re not there yet,” he told reporters.
“It was helpful to see Brisbane get the points the other night but we still had to win…it didn’t matter if Brisbane lost by 50 or 20 we still had to win and we did and we did impressively” .
It continued the Sea Eagles’ woeful finish to 2022, now having lost six games in a row, including their last four, by a total of 112 points, as speculation mounts over the future of manager Des Hasler .
They narrowly avoided being held scoreless for the second time this season with Ethan Bullemor sneaking in to score a try on 64 minutes.
Hasler insisted his team’s effort level had not dropped, but admitted they were a long way off the pace of their opponents.
“We’ve played some good pockets of footy and it’s about sustainability, we’re just not up to it at the moment,” he said.
“In one aspect, it’s a good learning curve, but it’s not a good situation to be in.”
Veteran Canberra winger Jordan Rapana ran up the clock with a prolific outing, finishing with 175m, three assists, four tackles and three line breaks to go with a try.
Second rower Hudson Young continued to press his case for Kangaroos selection with a brace, now on 11 tries for the season in his career-best campaign.
A pinpoint pass from Jack Wighton set up Rapana’s first try in the corner before full-back Xavier Savage finally got a chance to show his open-field speed, dashing 40 meters to give the Raiders a 10-point cushion.
The Raiders were then humming and found tries to Young, Tom Starling and Jamal Fogarty on the run to take a 28-0 half-time lead.
Young doubled early in the second stanza with a half-fancy barge exposing Manly’s soft line, before Albert Hopoate, Seb Kris and Corey Harawira-Naera each netted after Bullemor’s try as the Raiders failed to show mercy
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