Wests Tigers have battled on gamely but gone down 27-12 in the end to the Canberra Raiders in their Round 25 clash on Saturday evening at GIO Stadium.
The visitors were boosted with the news before kickoff that young guns Asipeli Fine and Brenden Santi would be making their NRL debuts — along with the inclusion of Pat Richards following the winger’s late fitness test on his hamstring.
However, that good news would quickly turn sour, as a cross-field kick from Mitchell Cornish ended up in Bill Tupou crossing the line after just two minutes.
Jarrod Croker added the extras from the sideline to push the lead to 6-0.
The visitors threatened to hit back shortly after when they were awarded repeat sets on the Raiders’ line, but efforts from both Robbie Farah and Bodene Thompson were repelled well by the hosts, leaving the score at 6-0 after 15 minutes of play.
A 40/20 from Farah in the 23rd minute gave Wests Tigers another chance to draw level, but it was met with an error that saw the chance evaporate.
