And then there were four. It's been 22 years since Canberra last found themselves within one win of the big dance, ending the premiership aspirations of Penrith in the process with a 22-12 victory at GIO Stadium on Saturday night.
The Raiders booked a date with Craig Bellamy and his Storm in Melbourne next Saturday night, holding off the resurgent Panthers to continue their golden season for at least another week.
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Canberra survive Penrith fightback
The Canberra Raiders have survived a Penrith Panthers fightback to book a Preliminary Final berth against Melbourne, 22-12.
For weeks, the return of Blake Austin had been a topic of discussion. While Sam Williams didn't let the Raiders down, Austin's return was seen as the difference between the Raiders bundling out of the finals or contending for a premiership.
And he didn't take long to show why, testing his broken hand when he slammed the ball down for Canberra's first try of the night.
The other man whose fitness had been dominating the headlines in the nation's capital leading into the contest against Penrith was influential hooker Josh Hodgson, who made a miraculous recovery from an ankle injury suffered seven days earlier.
Penrith would have been hoping to avoid the sight of the the Englishman, who tormented the Panthers with his ability to control the game.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said "nothing changes" for his team as they prepare for their clash with the Storm. "We just have to keep our routine, keep working hard play for each other and one game way from the grand final. Belief has got us through and given us extraordinary resilience against some tough situations."
Stuart paid credit to Hodgson for his courage. "Gettting over the ankle was one thing but he was in bed all day today and yesterday. He came down with a bad stomach bug. He's a tough Pom. There's no two ways about it. For him to be able to do what he did ... it's what the team is about, it's what the club is about now. The resilience in this group of players is amazing."
The greasy conditions in the nation's capital disrupted the Panthers' free-flowing brand of football, playing into the hands of the brutal Raiders side which left an imprint on everything that stood in its way. The creativity and flair of the Panthers was taken out of the game by a gigantic Canberra pack.
For 60 minutes, the Panthers had no answers. However two tries in six minutes turned an 18-point deficit to just six for Penrith, who provided a nail-biting finish for the 21,498 fans at GIO Stadium.
But in the almost identical place on the field which Elliott Whitehead gifted Cronulla the win last week with a high shot on Ben Barba, James Fisher-Harris committed the same offence on Aidan Sezer.
The unforgivable penalty, his second in as many minutes, gifted Canberra the two points and an unassailable lead with five minutes remaining to ensure Penrith would follow Brisbane out the exit doors.
A controversial refereeing decision to give Canberra an attacking scrum feed allowed the Raiders to register first points, with Austin capitalising on two Panthers players slipping over to crash over from close range. Whitehead found himself in hot water with a high shot on Isaah Yeo that was placed on report.
But just when it looked like the Raiders would fail to convert their dominance into more points, Leilua busted through and set up a try for Jordan Rapana with a deft kick and give Canberra a 12-0 half time lead.
The dominance didn't stop there, with Raiders skipper Jarrod Croker inflicting more pain on the visitors when he got around his opposite number to extend the lead to three converted tries just after the break.
A brilliant long ball from Panthers skipper Matt Moylan presented Tyrone Peachey with the Panthers' first try of the night and provided a glimmer of hope with 20 minutes remaining in the contest.
That hope turned to genuine belief soon after when Dallin Watene-Zelezniak crossed in the corner, with Nathan Cleary's sideline conversion reducing the deficit to 18-12 with 14 minutes remaining.
But all hope was lost when Fisher-Harris gifted Croker a penalty goal right in front of the posts with six minutes remaining to end his side's season on a sombre note.
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