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Josh Dugan couldn't turn the Dragons' fortunes against the Raiders. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited
CANBERRA captain Terry Campese glanced down at his mobile phone on Saturday and smiled to himself, knowing that one of the most remarkable hoodoos in the game wasn't about to be broken.
| 3 Tries 4 | |
|---|---|
| Jack Stockwell 36' | Joel Edwards 7' |
| Bronson Harrison 54' | Reece Robinson 39' |
| Brett Morris 72' | Shaun Berrigan 42' |
| Anthony Milford 63' | |
| 3 Conversions3 | |
| Chase Stanley 37' | Jarrod Croker 9' |
| Chase Stanley 56' | Jarrod Croker 43' |
| Chase Stanley 74' | Jarrod Croker 65' |
Remaining unbeaten against St George Illawarra since 2007 with a gutsy win in Wollongong last night, the Raiders notched their ninth consecutive win over the famous Red-V.
It's such a damning curse that Dragons coach Steve Price could consider naming a voodoo doll on his bench when the two teams meet next.
And while the Dragons were never going to accept that the lengthening hoodoo impacted their erratic performance on Saturday night, Campese was in no doubt his rivals were second-guessing themselves well before kick off.
"I think it worried their players more than us ... putting on Twitter, today the hoodoo is gone, or whatever," Campese said.
"I loved reading that before I'd played the game, definitely.
"I didn't tell the boys about it, but it's just one that I looked at and had a little giggle to myself and thought, we're already on top of them.
"I was just glad (we were) because it was a great, committed team effort."
The Raiders victory was built on desperation in defence, the amazing skill and attacking prowess of 19-year-old fullback Anthony Milford and hanging tough when the home side bridged the gap from 22-12 to 22-18 with eight minutes remaining.
They had been in control of the scoreboard the entire match, leading from the seventh minute when Joel Edwards opened the scoring.
But the Dragons, as inconsistent as they were, just wouldn't go away. A classic Brett Morris touchdown set the match up for a thrilling finish, but in the end the calm heads of Campese and halfback Josh McCrone ensured the hoodoo would continue.
"We didn't talk about the hoodoo at all we just focused on was winning away," Furner said.
"I'm pleased more about that than anything. It was the right win at the right time."
While not the prettiest game to watch, with dropped ball and soft defence from the Dragons all too evident at times, it was a performance that the sixth-placed Canberra will value greatly in the run home to the finals.
"It was a must-win game for us," Campese said.
"I thought the boys played well, we put ourselves under a bit of pressure, but every time we went up their end we were pretty close to scoring a try, which was a big improvement on how we've been attacking so far this year."
Adding further gloss to only the Raiders' second away win this season was a 7-11 penalty count against them and their ability to weather the comeback of the Dragons pleased Canberra coach Dave Furner no end.
In his first match against the club that sacked him only 79 days ago, St George Illawarra fullback Josh Dugan did everything possible to inspire the Dragons. However, an accidental knee from teammate Jason Nightingale ended Dugan's night prematurely.
Complaining of a stiff neck and heavily concussed, Dugan was too ill to drive home after the match.
Instead, it was his opposite, Milford that came up with the magic to inspire the Raiders.
His involvement in the lead-up to Reece Robinson's 39th minute try was similar to the timing, speed and support play of a young Ben Barba.
He then delivered his own try in the 63rd minute, displaying brilliant footwork to give the Raiders valuable breathing space at 22-12.
"For a young kid to be tested like that tonight with the NSW fullback coming down on him all night, I thought he handled himself well.
"He's definitely mature for his age and he put our team in a lot of good positions. That try right before halftime was a real big step forward for the young fella."
Price was again left disappointed by the Dragons' ability to switch on and off throughout the match.
Just when they looked like they were getting the better of the Raiders, they came up with a loose pass or poor defensive read.
Veteran Raiders hooker Shaun Berrigan wouldn't have scored an easier try, barging through some soft defence for a 16-6 lead.
"We put ourselves in positions to win the game but that crucial defensive lapse after halftime, was really frustrating," Price said.
"At the moment we're not quite good enough to handle those situations and setbacks.
"Teams make errors but you've got to be able to back that up and eliminate points scored in that next set and I think there were three errors and tries scored straight afterwards."
The Raiders face Melbourne next Sunday and on Saturday night they had already shifted their focus to building more confidence by knocking over the premiers.
"If we want to compete with the best side and play semi final football, we have to start winning away from home and also beat the best teams in the competition."
Furner said he would make a decision though the week on whether he would bring Blake Ferguson, who played NSW Cup on Saturday, back into first grade.
"If you ask Fergo, he went really well," Furner said.
"But I'll have to look at the big picture. I'm not going to say yes, I'm not going to say no."
