This was published 7 years ago
Talking points: Canberra Raiders sweating on Josh Hodgson injury
By David Polkinghorne
Green Machine fans will have their hearts in their mouths waiting to find out about the injury to star hooker Josh Hodgson.
Hodgson was forced off at the start of the second half with what's believed to be a bruised sternum.
He didn't return, with Adam Clydsdale filling the dummy-half duties for the rest of the night.
The England international would be a massive loss, especially since Kurt Baptiste has only just resumed running after rupturing his Achilles late last year.
Josh Hodgson suffered a suspected bruised sternum against the Broncos.Credit: Getty Images
On the positive side, Hodgson showed his ability to recover quickly last season when he hurt his ankle during the NRL finals.
The Raiders' medical staff have also shown they can get players back quickly, with forward Joe Tapine coming back from surgery on a broken finger just three weeks after it happened.
Milfordgate affects Broncos half
Former Raider Anthony Milford had a tough week after his commitment to training was questioned and it didn't get much better on Friday night.
He struggled in slippery conditions in the wake of the Milfordgate saga, where journalist Paul Kent questioned his effort on the training paddock on Fox Sports' NRL 360 during the week.
New Bronco Benji Marshall had been the source of the dirt on Milford's alleged predisposition to cutting corners in the gym.
It led to Broncos coach Wayne Bennett launching his own investigation and then claiming the story had simply been made up.
Milford's first real involvement was a loose pass that went into touch. He then struggled to hang onto the ball in the face of the Raiders' defensive pressure.
His best effort was a kick he put in and the subsequent chase where he managed to force Raiders winger Jordan Rapana in goal to get a goal-line dropout.
Brisbane and Wests hoodoo continues
Is it Brisbane or is it the Wests Tigers?
This week it was both as the Raiders have now lost nine of their last 10 games in the Queensland capital.
They've also suffered narrow losses after their last three games against the Tigers — all of which were massive wins.
Last year the Green Machine ran in 11 tries against the Tigers at Canberra Stadium in a 60-6 flogging only to follow that up with a 19-18 loss to the Penrith Panthers the following week.
It was a similar story in the 2016 season when they again beat-up on Wests with a 52-10 victory, which preceded a 16-14 loss to Cronulla in the qualifying final.
Last weekend they again thumped the Tigers, running out 48-6 winners.
Rocks outweigh the diamonds
Somehow the Raiders lifted themselves off the canvas to get back into a game they had no right to be in.
But they largely landed the knockout blows on themselves as they proved their own worst enemy against the Broncos.
They struggled to hang on to the ball all night, with their errors proving especially costly in the second half.
Both the Broncos' second-half four-pointers came off the back of Canberra errors.
But the Green Machine was also able to produce two moments of brilliance for both Rapana and Blake Austin to score tries to level the scores when all hope seemed lost.
In the end it took a Jordan Kahu drop goal to separate the sides.
Cotric continues to shine
He scored his first NRL try last week and now Raiders young gun Nick Cotric has shown what he's capable of at the defensive end of the field.
The 18-year-old, in just his fourth NRL game, is starting to get an impressive highlights reel going.
He produced a miracle interception as the Broncos pressed the Canberra line.
Brisbane second-rower Matt Gillett offloaded with a flick pass in an Aidan Sezer tackle and winger Jordan Kahu looked set to score in the corner until Cotric stepped in.
Somehow he stepped up at the perfect moment and juggled the ball before gaining a few metres to ease the pressure on the visitors.
Nothing has fazed the young Canberra product so far this season as he's looked assured under the high ball, shown his ability to finish and also hasn't been shown up in defence.