Wests Tigers have claimed a dramatic 26-24 victory over the Canberra Raiders in Round 18 of the Jersey Flegg Cup, with winger Tino Tavana scoring a last-minute try and calmly slotting the match-winning conversion in a tense finish at Raiders Belconnen on Sunday afternoon.
Match: Raiders v Wests Tigers
Round 18 -
home Team
Raiders
2nd Position
away Team
Wests Tigers
7th Position
Venue: Raiders Belconnen, Canberra
In a game delayed by an hour due to wild weather, the Tigers overcame an early deficit and several momentum swings to steal the two points in the dying moments, showing impressive composure and grit in tough conditions.
The Raiders struck first through Malachi Smith, who pounced on a smart short-side grubber to give the home side a 6-0 lead. But the Tigers hit back soon after when Tavana intercepted a wayward pass on the edge and sprinted 70 metres to score the first of his two tries for the day.
Canberra regained the lead late in the half through Sylas Simon, but the Tigers levelled scores before the break with a powerful solo effort from Mitch Taotua, who crashed over out of dummy half. It was 10-all at half-time in a game that had already swung both ways.
The Raiders opened the second half strongly, with Simon bagging his second try but Wests Tigers weren’t done yet. Solomone Saukuru muscled over in the 54th minute after a six-again call, however, Luke Tuialii went on to finish a sharp right-edge movement for the home side.
Tariq Tanner's try then pushed Canberra out to a 24-16 lead with eight to go.
From there, Iverson Matai crossed off the back of a strong charge and offload from Saukuru to keep the Tigers within striking distance.
With the clock winding down and the Tigers trailing 24-20, it was Tavana who stepped up again. With less than two minutes remaining, he sized up the defence, stepped through and planted the ball down under pressure to lock the scores.
And with the game on the line, the winger calmly nailed the conversion of his own try to deliver a 26-24 win, the Tigers’ first since Round 15 and one of their most thrilling of the season.
Interim Head Coach Shane Sultana will be proud of the side’s resilience and execution under pressure, particularly in the final 10 minutes. With standout performances from Tavana, Saukuru, and the Taotua brothers, the Tigers will now look to build momentum heading into the final seven rounds of the regular season.
Wests Tigers 26 (Tavana 2, Mi. Taotua, Saukuru, Matai tries; Tavana 3/5 goals) defeated Raiders 24 (Simon 2, Smith, Tuialii, Tanner tries; Johnston 1/4 goals, Cacciotti 1/1 goal) at Raiders Belconnen.
