Raiders upset Manly 24-22

Canberra have snapped a four-match losing streak with a 24-22 upset win over Manly
at Brookvale Oval to remain within reach of the NRL's top eight.
After a first half arm-wrestle, captain Terry Campese showed great leadership in the
second 40 minutes to help the Raiders close it out.
He scored in the 45th minute, powering over the line from a near-stand-still start
to give his side a valuable eight-point lead.
A pair of precision kicks into the in-goal area and a huge 40-20 then allowed
Canberra to dominate field-position and close out the win.
With Manly deep on the attack with 16 minutes remaining, Campese came up with
another huge play, when he put a big hit on Sea Eagles battering ram Tony Williams
close to the line to keep him out.
Fullback Josh Dugan came up with a similar effort on the opposite side of the field
a couple of plays later to stop Ben Farrar.
Campese was also the one who put the Raiders in the lead shortly before halftime
when he hit a hard-running Joe Picker with a brilliant short-ball.
Canberra suffocated Manly out of the match, and despite a late try to Farrar off a
Kieran Foran kick and some anxious final moments, the home side were outplayed.
The Raiders opened the scoring in the seventh minute when winger Joel Monaghan took
an intercept off Farrar and sprinted 90 metres to score.
The Sea Eagles fought back when monster winger Williams showed what pure strength
can do for you, jumping to take an ordinary pass before barging over the top of
three defenders to reach out and touch down right on the stripe.
In the 25th minute, the Sea Eagles looked a chance to score themselves when NSW
second rower Anthony Watmough broke through the line and sprinted past halfway.
He found Kieran Foran in support but as the five-eighth caught the pass he was
stripped of possession by Raiders' centre Adam Mogg, who then set off 40 metres back
towards Manly's line before executing a delightful one-handed off-load for Daniel
Vidot to finish.
Not to be outdone, the Sea Eagles hit back with their own piece of brilliance 10
minutes from the break, following two Trent Hodkinson kicks.
After first putting up a towering bomb, the halfback got the ball back, kicked again
for the in-goal area, where a friendly bounce saw Steve Matai touch down on the
left-hand side.
The moved the Raiders to within four points of the top eight.