‘Trash’: Canberra Raiders blow another lead, choke against the Cowboys

The Canberra Raiders’ season is slipping away from them after they blew yet another lead in a choke job that was all too predictable.

The Raiders coughed up another lead in their loss to the Cowboys.

The Canberra Raiders’ poor start to the NRL season continued with a dismal loss to the North Queensland Cowboys on Thursday night.

It was the same old story for the Raiders, who started well but collapsed in a heap in the second half as the Cowboys claimed a 18-12 victory in Canberra.

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The Raiders got off to a flyer thanks to tries from Tom Startling and Jordan Rapana within the opening 15 minutes.

Canberra took a 12-0 lead into half time but that was as good as it got and they didn’t score another point for the rest of the game.

The Cowboys were reinvigorated after the break and piled on three unanswered tries through Heilum Luki, Valentine Holmes and Jeremaiah Nanai.

It was the same old story for Canberra as yet another lead evaporated into thin air.

The Raiders have now blown seven double digit leads since 2020 — the most out of any team in the NRL in that period.

The Raiders blew another lead against the Cowboys. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

Signature of failure. April, season shot. https://t.co/AVXju2Ast5

— Gaven Morris (@gavmorris) April 14, 2022

“The Raiders have got a history in recent times of giving up leads,” Fox League’s Matt Russell said.

“Go back to Round 1 against the Sharks they led 12-0 only to let the Sharks back into the game.”

“Nobody has blown more leads in double figures than the Raiders,” commentator Warren Smith added.

The men in lime green were booed after full-time by their own fans, while coach Ricky Stuart had steam coming out of his ears and headed straight down to the rooms from the sideline after the final whistle.

Sports journalist Christopher Rieve tweeted: "My condolences, Raiders fans. That second half was trash.

“The Raiders should’ve been up big in the first half, only put 12 on the board and haven’t fired a shot in the second 40. Imagine the spray awaiting them from Ricky Stuart.”

The Cowboys easily chewed up the Raiders’ first-half lead. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

Stuart blasted the efforts of his players in his post match press conference.

“The way we started that second half was pathetic,” he said.

“There were some individuals that didn’t start with the way they should have to get us back onto the front foot.

“I’ll deal with that when we get back to work, but it is not on and I’m sick of it.

“There is some individuals who have got to look at themselves because it is not up to NRL standard.

“That is not the standard that we want from our football team.

“We showed what we could do in the first 40 minutes and we were let down by our performance in the second half.

“Blokes have got to have a good hard look at it.”

While the season is far from over, the Raiders are currently 13th on the ladder after five rounds and with just two wins to their name, have a mountain to climb if they are to make finals.

But it was a huge result for the Cowboys, who are up into fifth on the ladder with their third win of the year.

Originally published as ‘Trash’: Canberra Raiders blow another lead, choke against the Cowboys