NRL 2021: Raiders v Warriors, Raiders rocked by injury as Warriors steal win

The Warriors grabbed an amazing come-from-behind victory but Raiders coach Ricky Stuart was full of praise for his wounded troops after they played much of the game with 14 men.

Josh Papalii is wrapped up by the Warriors defence. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty Images

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart answered just one question in the post-match media conference following his side’s heartbreaking 34-31 loss to the Warriors before he calmly got up and left journalists in stunned silence.

Stuart had just watched his side go down at the death as injuries eventually caught up with the gallant Green Machine, but chose to save his words instead of unleashing on the officials.

Ricky’s Raiders played the final 67 minutes of the match with one man on the bench after Joseph Tapine (ankle), Ryan James (HIA) and Sebastian Kris (HIA) had their afternoons ended early.

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The hosts bravely skipped out to a 31-10 lead with half-an-hour remaining, before the Warriors finally clicked into gear to take advantage of their exhausted opponents.

Stuart said it was the bravest performance he’d ever coached, but that’s where the post-game analysis ended.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is known for his blow-ups (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

He may not have referenced it, but the coach would have been filthy with a couple of late calls that cruelled his already crippled troops.

Warriors forward Ben Murdoch-Masila scored a try off a blatant forward pass by Kodi Nikorima which was somehow given the green light by referee Henry Perenara, while a crucial six-again call on the final tackle led to Adam Pompey’s match-winner with three minutes to go.

Stuart has racked up more fines than a youngster with a muscle car, and he knows another one could be coming after his short and sharp performance on Saturday.

“I came in here because it’s my job, and I respect that you (the media) have a job and I know I’ve got a $20,000 fine hanging over my head because if I don’t turn up in here, I get fined,” he said.

“If all the fine money was going to the Ricky Stuart Foundation then I’d tell you the truth because then I’d get fined and know that the money was going to the best cause I know of.

“But I can’t tell you the truth and I can’t tell you the way that game panned out because I’d get fined, so I’m not going to answer any more questions.

“I’ve done my job.”

Warriors players celebrate victory after the round three NRL match between the Canberra Raiders and the Warriors at GIO Stadium (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

WARRIORS PRODUCE AMAZING COMEBACK

The Warriors produced the biggest comeback in club history to clinch a stunning 34-31 win over a bruised and battered Raiders side that had to play the final 67 minutes of the match with just one player on the bench.

The visitors piled on the final four tries of the contest against a defensive line that was running on empty, with Adam Pompey’s 77th-minute effort enough to clinch the 34-31 result.

Incredibly, the hosts had a chance to snatch the unlikeliest victory in the dying seconds, but Jordan Rapana lost the ball over the line after a desperate diving effort by Roger Tuivasa-Sheck forced it loose.

Down 31-10 with 30 minutes remaining, the Warriors bettered their 20-point comeback from 2005 against the Knights, with Tuivasa-Sheck stealing the show with a game-high 211 metres, one try and three line-breaks.

“His second half was outstanding,” coach Nathan Brown said, adding Peta Hiku would miss some time with an MCL injury.

“Saving tries is probably more important than scoring them. Roger’s contribution in the second half was a good captain’s knock.”

Ryan James was an early casualty in the Raiders’ match after a head clash with teammate Sebastian Kris. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty Images

It was a brutal way for the Raiders to go down, and coach Ricky Stuart will be filthy after the Warriors scored a try off a blatant forward pass.

Stuart deserves a medal for not doing serious damage to a plastic chair after he watched Ben Murdoch-Masila score a crucial try off a Kodi Nikorima pass that would have made Tom Brady proud.

The Warriors forward had to stretch to reel the ball in, but referee Henry Perenara – who was in line with the pass – inexplicably allowed play to continue even though the pass went a mile forward.

PURE GUTS

The Green Machine were forced to play the final 67 minutes with just one man on the bench after injuries wreaked havoc in the nation’s capital, and it could have been even worse had centres Jarrod Croker and Curtis Scott not soldiered on.

“In all my years of coaching, I’ve never been involved in a greater team performance,” an emotional Stuart said.

“I’ve never seen a group of individuals – who were down to 14 – play so well, but yet play through such adversity and play for each other. I’ve got a winning team in there.

“We didn’t get the win, but I know what change room I’d prefer to be in, and that’s mine.”

In-form back-rower Hudson Young was a late scratching with a minor knee complaint, and the knocks kept coming as the hosts allowed the kick-off to bounce into touch before Addin Fonua-Blake got the Warriors on the board.

Hudson Young of the Raiders celebrates with his team mates after scoring a try (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Joseph Tapine was the first casualty when the representative lock went down innocuously with what appeared to be a season-ending Achilles injury.

The initial fear was an ankle injury, but replays suggested something much worse as Tapine collapsed to the turf while pushing up in defence.

However, Fox League sideline eye Matt Russell provided a far more positive update, revealing Tapine could be back within weeks and that it would “absolutely not” be a long-term injury.

“I rolled over on my ankle. It’s not my Achilles. It’s nothing too serious,” Tapine told him, with the club confirming the lock had suffered ankle ligament damage.

Tom Starling then cut a lone figure on the bench when Ryan James and Sebastian Kris were both forced off after a nasty head clash just two minutes after Tapine’s injury.

Both men failed their HIAs, with fears James had broken his jaw. However, he was quickly given the green light, although he required stitches to mend a leaking lip.

Warriors players celebrate a try saving tackle by Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

Things could have gone nuclear when Croker dislocated a finger, but the club doctor was able to pop it back in on the second attempt.

Curtis Scott somehow played on through what Russell described as a “fractured floating rib” even though he could barely move in the second half, while Warriors centre Peta Hiku will be out indefinitely after injuring his medial.

Remarkably, the Raiders piled on four tries in a 16-minute first-half blitz to blow the game wide open, before George Williams slotted a field goal to give them a stunning 25-6 lead at the break.

The Warriors hit back early through Kodi Nikorima, but a glorious team try finished off by Elliott Whitehead looked to have sealed the win, only for Canberra to run out of gas.