NRL: Canberra Raiders share points with Newcastle Knights in golden point draw

• How it unfolded

Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart knows every competition point his team pockets without Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer is like gold. 

• SHARE
• Share on Facebook SHARE
• Share on Twitter TWEET
• Link

And although they left Newcastle with just one point after a frantic 24-all draw, the Raiders remain unbeaten playing with one solitary half. 

Halfback Sam Williams missed three field goal attempts in extra-time, but two of those in the second half of golden-point were into a stiff breeze. 

It is the first draw in the NRL since late 2013, when Newcastle and Brisbane drew 18-all. 

The Raiders gave up a 16-0 lead as Newcastle, buoyant after a try to debutant winger Corey Denniss on half-time gave them belief, got into the match on the back of their forwards and a superb display by five-eighth Jarrod Mullen in his 200th game. 

Stuart produced a shock by naming English international back rower Elliott Whitehead at five-eighth, and he duly laid on two tries to Sia Soliola and winger Jordan Rapana with a cut-out pass as Canberra built an early advantage. 

But with the breeze in the second half, the Knights hit back hard to grab a 24-18 lead with nine minutes left when Denniss scored in the corner. 

However the Raiders got a lifeline when a Rapana basketball pass found centre Brenko Lee. 

Kicking into a stiff wind, Jarrod Croker nailed the conversion from out wide to level things, after he did likewise in last week's 21-20 win over the Roosters. 

Croker took it upon himself to take a 52-metre penalty attempt in the first half of golden-point with the breeze, but his attempt fell short. 

Williams and Mullen couldn't find the killer touch in their field-goal shootout, but Stuart insisted the team left Newcastle content. 

They now have five points from a possible six without Sezer and Austin, who are expected to return from injury in about round six. 

"I can't believe he [Croker] kicked the goal and young [Trent] Hodkinson as well into that southerly [to make it 16-6 at half-time]," Stuart said. 

"Jarrod's kick to even the score up, they were brilliant kicks from both boys. 

"I'll have a heart attack with these blokes the way they get into close games. To get a point up here playing with one half it's no empty feeling for us.

"We're happy to get out of here with a point now and we're a week closer to getting one of those players [Sezer and Austin] back, and two soon. 

"When you're winning games and also getting a point today when you're without them, it's a bonus. But don't take any credit away from Sam, what Sammy Williams is doing at the moment is playing a position for two halves. 

"Elliott is a class player. I had no worries playing Elliott there at six, he's got wonderful ball skill." 

Croker has had plenty of experience with clutch kicks. Against the Roosters he scored a try and kicked it from the sideline to level scores, and a Williams field goal got them home. 

In the final round of last season at Parramatta, he kicked another sideline goal with time expired and the Raiders won in golden point. 

As skipper, Croker decided to take responsibility to take the long range attempt with the wind in golden-point, instead of kicking for touch.

"I just backed myself and if I can't back myself, who can I back?," he said.

"In hindsight it might have been different if we kicked for touch, but hindsight's a lovely thing."

Stuart then interjected: "Had he kicked it you'd be singing his praises and he'd be on the front page tomorrow."

Croker said he was unsure how to approach his match-levelling kick in normal time as the wind swirled around him. 

"It's a funny one because I'm probably not kicking as well as I have this year, it's a bit frustrating," he said.

"It was pretty tough conditions kicking into that breeze. To do it the last couple of weeks has been good. 

"I'm used to it now, they [rival fans on the road] boo you every time you kick whether it's a pressure or not.

"I wasn't really thinking much because the wind changed three times and it swirled out there, I ended up being against it which wasn't the worst thing in the world."

Joseph Tapine made his Raiders debut against his old team off the bench after five-eighth Lachlan Croker dropped out of the team.

"We're really proud of the guys' effort obviously," Knights coach Nathan Brown said.

"The commitment and the will to hang in there and fight back and get to the front was great. Some of the experienced guys really stood up and a lot of the younger kids did really, really well and that needs to be our standard effort.

"To have all the fans standing up and clapping at the end of the game should be quite fulfilling for the team."
 

CANBERRA RAIDERS 24 (Josh Papalii, Elliott Whitehead, Jordan Rapana, Brenko Lee tries; Jarrod Croker 4 goals) drew with NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 24 (Corey Denniss 2, Sam Mataora, Sione Mata'uita tries; Trent Hodkinson 4 goals) at Hunter Stadium on Saturday. Crowd: 13,745. Referees: Ashley Klein, Chris Sutton.