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They may have suffered a third straight loss to Canberra, but it’s clear the Warriors haven’t given up on their season.
Despite falling out of contention last week, the Warriors took the fight to the Raiders on a physical and sometimes fiery affair at GIO Stadium before the ‘Green Machine’ walked away to claim a 26-14 victory.
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Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck left the field in the second half with a suspected hamstring injury.
The Kiwi team gave fifth-placed Ricky Stuart a big scare in the first half when star center Peta Hiku doubled for a 14-6 lead, which perhaps should have been more.
It took two spectacular counter-running attempts to get Canberra back in the competition, but in the end, his class shone to stay in pursuit of the top four.
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So after five months away, the Warriors end a season like no other next Sunday against Manly on the Central Coast before finally being able to return home.
However, inspiring captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will be a spectator for the final game after leaving the field in the 60th minute with a hamstring injury.
Heading into Sunday’s clash, interim coach Todd Payten admitted that the players were counting the days before they could fly back to Auckland after last week’s loss to the Sharks.
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Hudson Young celebrates his odd first-half attempt for the Raiders.
To make matters worse, he was also forced to travel to Canberra with a depleted squad after losing Parramatta’s loaned pair, supporting Jamayne Taunoa-Brown to suspension and impressive rookie Eliesa Katoa on the eve of the match.
But any fear of players throwing in the towel was quickly over.
The Warriors pushed back Josh Papalii, the leader in form of the competition, at the first tackle and led by a fiery Lachlan Burr, rocked the Raiders with their aggressive defense.
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Warriors center Peta Hiku doubled in the first half.
They went on to dominate the first 30 minutes, with Kodi Nikorima’s fifth-eighth combining twice with Hiku to take advantage of Canberra’s poorly disciplined start.
With Jack Wighton sent to the trash for repeated infractions, the Warriors had another chance to increase their lead.
Instead, two incredible plays turned the game around as the Raiders took a two-point lead at halftime.
First, Fijian midfielder Semi Valemei picked up a whimsical volley as the Warriors had open numbers and raced across the field.
And the second attempt came straight out of the Warriors’ bizarre playbook, with two kicks by Elliot Whitehead and a dropout before a juggler Hudson Young finished off the impressive move under the posts.
The fact that the Raiders, who lost running back George Williams to a blow to the head early on, were able to regain the lead with 12 men, demonstrated the strength they will have in the finals.
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Warriors mainstay Lachlan Burr took the fight to the Raiders pack on a sometimes fiery adventure.
The Warriors refused to get into their shell in the second half.
They continued to worry the Raiders down the middle and spent a lot of time in the opposition red zone.
But they just couldn’t freeze their sets and again had to pay when another interception, this time by Whitehead, set Valemei up for his second try.
A Jarrod Croker penalty goal gave the home team an eight-point cushion and when Tuivasa-Sheck escaped, the Raiders’ victory seemed almost assured.
To their credit, the Warriors made them work for everything, fighting repeatedly to keep Canberra out before winger Nick Cotric put the result out of the question.
Raiders 26 (Semi Valemei 2, Jarrod Croker, Hudson Young, Nick Cotric tries; Jarrod Croker 3 goals) Warriors 14 (Peta Hiku 2 attempts; Chanel Harris-Tavita 3 goals) HT: 16-14.
