KEY POINTS:
Raiders 26
Warriors 24
There will be no flogging for the Warriors in training this week despite a lacklustre performance in Canberra and a fall from fourth to sixth on the NRL ladder.
Their attack faltered and defence let them down late as Raiders halfback Todd Carney danced through, then prop Scott Logan followed him under the posts to turn around a 24-14 scoreline in the last eight minutes.
They have only minor injuries: Evarn Tuimavave a neck strain, Sam Rapira an eye that closed after early contact.
So the team named tomorrow for the sell-out contest against Manly next Sunday is likely to have just the one change - fullback Wade McKinnon will return.
McKinnon travelled to Canberra but his ankle problem meant he was ruled out late.
"If it was a grand final last night he plays," coach Ivan Cleary said yesterday. "Now it's down to crunch time. Wade should be fine."
The Warriors might expect another "explanation" from the NRL this week after match reviews are completed. The officials missed the Raiders punching the ball from Sam Rapira's hands in a multiple tackle close to the end of the game - as they did with Steve Price against the Roosters a fortnight ago - awarding the ball incorrectly to the Raiders. The Warriors never got it back in good field position. It was more a touch judge's failing than that of referee Jared Maxwell. By the time the big screen replay had confirmed the error Price was asking Maxwell whether the ball should be theirs.
"Possibly," Maxwell replied to the captain as he put his arm out for the Raiders to feed.
"It was a crucial call. It's blatantly obvious and it's a really bad call," said Cleary.
For the third away game in a row, the Warriors received no second-half penalties.
There may have been a hint of looking forward to the Manly game after all the ticket sales hype during the week, Cleary said. The visit to Canberra was "opportunity lost", Cleary not denying the Raiders their win despite bad calls.
"We didn't play well enough. They came out with nothing to lose and we got the backlash of the week before [Raiders' 52-4 loss to the Bulldogs].
"We had the feeling we just had to get through the game and get out and I thought we were going to do that," Cleary said. "There's nothing to do now but forget Canberra and get on. It [the Manly game] is now crucial." They need to win that and beat the Panthers away the following weekend to rejoin the top-four.
Cleary said he was disappointed but the loss was not the end of their momentum.
"I'm not doubting anyone's efforts."
There would be little change at training, no increase in workload.
"At this stage of the year flogging them is not going to help anyone."
Manly play the Rabbitohs in Sydney tonight.
The Warriors looked off their game from the first minute on Saturday when a long pass was almost intercepted by Carney and from the resulting scrum Simon Mannering was forced over the sideline.
The two team's game plans became obvious early on - the Warriors attacked David Milne on the Raiders' right wing because of his dislike of the high ball while the Raiders went for Michael Crockett on the Warriors' right. It worked for both - Raiders left wing Brett Kelly had a hat-trick by half-time and the Warriors the lead after scoring two tries from kicks against Milne to add to the opening try from Crockett.
Unlike previous weekends, the Warriors could not break the defensive line, not even after long spells of possession in the second half during which they forced repeat goal-line drop-outs.
"We weren't at out best, for whatever reason, we didn't have the flow and connection we've had the previous weeks," Cleary said.
Up 18-14 up at the break and 24-14 after Nathan Fien finally notched the next try after a second fumbled Raiders intercept attempt, they should have gone on with it. But there were ominous signs - Simon Mannering was caught with the ball on the last tackle and last-tackle kick balls were sent to Tuimavave and Lauaki.
It was the third quarter before the Raiders had attacking ball in good position.
"We knew we had to dominate possession and we knew we'd get at [them] the back end of the half," said Raiders captain Alan Tongue. "We didn't have much to play for, it was just pride. We just hung in and hung in and never gave up and it paid off in the end."
