Raiders blow golden finals chance with collapse

Canberra has fto a gilt-edged accidental to compression itself into the apical 8 spell begging aft blowing a double-digit pb against a Tom Trbojevic-less Manly side.

Coming into the lucifer successful ninth presumption connected the ladder, Ricky Stuart's broadside could person leapfrogged the eighth-placed Gold Coast Titans with a win, but were overrun successful the 2nd fractional arsenic the Sea Eagles held connected for a 19-18 win astatine Suncorp Stadium.

With the Sea Eagles starring by six points, a Daly Cherry-Evans tract extremity looked to person sealed the lucifer successful the 78th infinitesimal earlier a grandstand finish.

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad scored Canberra's archetypal points of the 2nd fractional with a effort successful the 79th minute, which was converted by Jordan Rapana.

With Tom Trbojevic sidelined, Manly's different experienced campaigners stood up successful the 2nd fractional (Getty)

Clinging onto a one-point lead, the Sea Eagles kicked disconnected with conscionable 23 seconds near connected the timepiece and were fixed a large scare erstwhile Josh Schuster was sent disconnected for holding successful a tackle, giving Canberra 1 much play.

However, the much-anticipated last play that followed was an anti-climax arsenic Rapana scuffed his two-point tract extremity effort aft the hooter arsenic the Sea Eagles held on.

It is simply a monolithic missed accidental for the Raiders, peculiarly with the Titans having mislaid to the Storm connected Thursday night, anterior to Canberra's Round 23 clash.

After coughing up a 12-0 half-time lead, it was the seventh abstracted juncture that Stuart's broadside gave up a double-digit pb successful a lucifer this season.

The Raiders were near to rue what could person been aft letting yet different double-digit pb effect successful a nonaccomplishment (Getty)

The triumph was besides a monolithic boost for Manly, who are attempting to shingle the presumption that they are a one-man squad that is incapable to grind retired results erstwhile Trbojevic is not successful the line-up.

Manly came retired of the main interruption with each guns blazing, with tries to Haumole Olakau'atu (42nd minute), Morgan Harper (57) and Curtis Sironen (63) flipping the lucifer connected its head.

Manly moved up into 4th spot connected the ladder with the win, though it could descent backmost down to 5th if the Roosters flooded the Dragons connected Sunday.

The nonaccomplishment means the Raiders indispensable triumph some of their last 2 matches of the play against the NZ Warriors and Roosters, portion hoping different results spell their mode if they are to marque the finals.

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