Melbourne Storm's defence is dubbed the purple wall. On Monday the Canberra Raiders introduced a 'green wall' in a defence-inspired 22-8 win which stamps them as the real deal.
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Raiders roll Storm
The Canberra Raiders have stamped their premiership credentials with victory over the Storm.
Something special is brewing in the national capital. The 15,707 fans who turned up to Canberra Stadium — the biggest Raiders home crowd since the finals series of 2012 — can sense it after the hosts out-defended the league's best defensive team.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart implored at least 15,000 fans to turn up in the lead-up. The fans delivered, so too their team.
For years the consensus has been Canberra are pretty to watch in attack, but can't defend. That perception has now been confined to the history books.
Set after set the Storm hammered Canberra's try-line but the hosts refused to give an inch in one of the best defensive displays by any side this year.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy was already convinced the club he won a title with as a player in 1990 was a legitimate premiership contender before kick-off.
Canberra only reinforced that view and are now in third spot, five points ahead of the fifth-placed Cowboys with just three rounds remaining, all but sealing a double chance in the finals.
"They're the team [to beat] at the moment, to be quite honest. Without a doubt," Bellamy said.
"With all due respect the Raiders have been contenders for three or four weeks, I reckon. They're the team on the up. They defended really well, without a doubt. Having said that, some of our timing and passing wasn't up to scratch. When they defend that well, it made it hard.
"We all know North Queensland and Cronulla also got beat on the weekend, now we've been beaten, [those teams have] plateaued over the last few weeks and we need to find a way to get better."
It was Canberra's seventh-straight win and also snapped the Storm's six-game winning streak.
"The defence was very pleasing, we've worked hard at it but we were consistent with it tonight and I was pleased for them," Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said.
"It has been [a big improvement in our game] but it can turn around very quickly, too.
"We've got our own brand of football and that was our theme tonight, to not 'out-Melbourne' Melbourne but play the way the Canberra Raiders play. We want to set our own style of footy."
Told about Bellamy's comments their premiership rivals have plateaued, Stuart said: "Let's just hope we don't plateau. I say that in all honesty. A few of those teams have plateaued out but they've been up a long time and they'll bounce back.
"We have been criticised and bashed and bagged for many years. We know we'll get a rap in the paper tomorrow but we've got long memories, we just keep our head down and working hard."
Canberra has now defeated the top two teams in consecutive games after last week's win at Cronulla, ending doubts whether they could consistently beat the best.
They are only the second side in 30 years, after the Roosters, to beat the top-placed side before the round in consecutive weeks.
However, hooker Josh Hodgson was placed on report for a grapple tackle on Jesse Bromwich, and he is in danger of missing his first game since joining the Raiders last year.
Melbourne had all the opportunities in the first 55 minutes but the Raiders' on-line defence, which has improved significantly in recent weeks, conceded just one try.
Canberra got off to the best possible start by laying on a 70-metre try in the first set of the game.
English back-rower Elliott Whitehead, who re-signed until the end of 2018 on Monday, offloaded to Joey Leilua, who found Blake Austin inside before Leilua finished off the play.
Soon after Melbourne was denied again when Blake Green was ruled by the bunker to have been tackled just short of the try line.
After 12 minutes Melbourne levelled the scores when halfback Cooper Cronk took on the line himself, breaking through opposite number Aidan Sezer's tackle.
Hodgson's grapple tackle allowed Melbourne to slot a penalty goal and take an 8-6 lead.
Canberra regained the lead 12-8 when Leilua scored his second try of the game through sheer brute strength, and a Jarrod Croker penalty goal gave the hosts a 14-8 advantage at half-time.
The Raiders soaked up plenty of pressure early in the second half and wrestled back momentum when prop Shannon Boyd muscled over under the posts with 25 minutes left.
It was to to be the final try of the night as the 'green wall' announced itself to the NRL.
CANBERRA RAIDERS 22 (Joey Leilua 2, Shannon Boyd tries; Jarrod Croker 5 goals) bt MELBOURNE STORM 8 (Cooper Cronk try; Cameron Smith 2 goals) at Canberra Stadium on Monday night. Referees: Matt Cecchin and Chris Sutton. Crowd: 15, 707.