A thrilling second-half surge has seen the Western Suburbs Magpies claim a gutsy 22-18 win over the Canberra Raiders in Round 18 of the Knock On Effect NSW Cup at GIO Stadium.
Match: Raiders v Magpies
Round 18 -
home Team
Raiders
9th Position
away Team
Magpies
8th Position
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
Trailing 12-6 after a challenging first half, the Magpies rallied with three tries in the final 20 minutes to snatch a valuable victory on the road; their second win in as many weeks.
The Raiders came out of the blocks quickly, with Mitchell Prest and Myles Martin both scoring early through clever play from veteran hooker Danny Levi, giving the home side a 12-0 advantage.
Wests clawed their way back into the contest on the half-hour mark when Jaxson Rahme scooted from dummy half and crashed over under the posts; a well-earned reward following a sustained period of pressure inside the Raiders’ red zone. Kurt Falls converted to cut the margin to six at the break.
Canberra re-established their buffer soon after halftime through Jordan Martin, who sliced through to extend the lead to 18-6, but it would be the Magpies who owned the final quarter.
Spotting an opportunity with a Raiders player down in back play, Wests attacked the left edge in the 61st minute, with Heamasi Makasini and Izaac Tu’itupou combining to allow the dynamic winger to go over for his twelfth try of the season.
The comeback gathered momentum in the 72nd minute when Alex Lobb soared above the pack to collect a bomb and offload to Elie El-Zakhem, who sprinted his way to the line to bring the visitors within two points.
With the match on the line, it was Lobb again who delivered the decisive blow; this time finishing it himself. After a well-placed kick from Falls on the last, Lobb rose high, gathered cleanly, and scored the match-winner with just five minutes remaining.
The win was built on resilience and awareness, with key contributions from across the park. Royce Hunt was a handful through the middle, Joe Lovodua and Falls steered the team with composure, and Lobb proved the difference-maker in the air.
The 22-18 result marks a statement win for the Magpies, who continue to build momentum as the finals race heats up.
Magpies 22 (Rahme, Tu'itupou, El-Zakhem, Lobb tries; Falls 3/4 goals) defeated Raiders 18 (Prest, M. Martin, J. Martin tries; Cook 3/3 goals) at GIO Stadium.
