Canberra Raiders outmuscle Penrith Panthers with superb finishing

Penrith 24 Canberra 34

Mountain raid: Canberra prop Paul Vaughan looks to offload in Penrith. Photo: Renee McKay

As it happened: Panthers v Raiders

After going try-for-try for almost three-quarters of the game, Canberra have pulled off a 10-point win over the Panthers thanks to an 85-metre runaway try to Raiders winger Edrick Lee with five minutes remaining.  

Having traded blows all afternoon and the Raiders leading 28-24, Peter Wallace put in a short chip kick that was charged down by the 196-centimetre winger. 

Fortunately for Lee the ball landed in his bread basket before he sprinted 85 metres to score under the posts and keep his team's finals hopes alive.

Penrith and Canberra  were both within striking distance of the top eight, and with season's end approaching far more quickly than they would like, beating teams on the same amount of points is imperative at this time of year.

Bookies offered even money and tipsters were divided, but if history was anything to go, two six-point wins last year to Penrith should have given them the belief they could win at home, on a Sunday afternoon, in auspicious rugby league conditions.

It was a first half of highlight reels with six tries and six conversions,   Canberra taking an average of four minutes to respond to Penrith's three tries in the opening half.

There were line-breaks, copious offloads and a controversial decision from the video referee.

A try Jared Maxwell awarded to Isaah Yeo appeared to go forward off the hands of Waqa Blake in the moments before, which infuriated a boisterous home crowd who saw the replay on the big screen. But Canberra prop Paul Vaughan made sure four minutes later the balance of fairness would be restored as he used brute strength to run over the top of three hapless Penrith defenders to level the scores at 12-12.

Penrith's James Segeyaro put his name on the scorers sheet as did Canberra's Shaun Fensom courtesy of a brilliant team try orchestrated by Blake Austin who squeezed his way through the middle of a fatigued Panthers line. 

Earlier, a repeat set brought about the opening points in the sixth minute as Penrith back-rower Elijah Taylor, who also made 32 tackles in the first half and 58 for the match, crashed over for his first try of 2015 and fittingly, in his 100th NRL match.

A lapse in concentration from Penrith's left edge defence then gifted Raiders winger Jordan Rapana a try courtesy of some quick ball movement from dummy half Josh Hodgson to the short side.

A scrappy and ill-disclplined start to the second half was made worse for Penrith when Nigel Plum was knocked out after a head clash with defender Josh Papalii. Bizarrely, a penalty was awarded because of an apparent shoulder charge when the two forwards clearly bumped heads.

The win puts Canberra two points ahead of Penrith in ninth spot.