Canberra Raiders score tough round 22 win over Brisbane Broncos to keep their NRL finals hopes alive

THE Raiders kept their finals hopes alive with a tough win over the Broncos, whose NRL season is officially in freefall.

FED UP with losing at home, Canberra officials took the unusual step of putting up the entire team in a hotel and treating yesterday's clash against Brisbane like an away game.

The move proved a masterstroke, too, as superstar No. 1 Josh Dugan bagged a late double to help the Raiders beat Brisbane 28-12.

More importantly, it kept Canberra's slim finals hopes alive.

Coach David Furner was well aware his side had lost eight of their past 10 games in the nation's capital, and made the rash decision to haul his players on to a bus at 4.30pm Saturday.

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They made their way to the modest four-star Rydges at nearby Eagle Hawk, spent Saturday night playing cards, then caught a team bus to their own home ground.

Skipper David Shillington liked the quirky pre-match routine, which cost officials $5000, and said something needed to be done to end the embarrassing trend in Canberra.

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"I think it was a great idea, we had been playing so poorly at home, it was worth a try," Shillington said.

"I think sometimes it's a mental thing, you go away, you're in that 'preparing-for-football' frame of mind, you're hydrating, hanging out with teammates ... we rocked up with a great attitude today."

After the Dragons, Knights and Warriors all lost, Canberra went into their game against the Broncos knowing a win would keep them well and truly in the race for the finals.

They trailed 6-4 at half-time after a forgettable 40 minutes by both sides, but scored straight after the break through Jarrod Croker, only to go further ahead when Sam Williams put Josh McCrone over.

When Broncos centre Alex Glenn crossed for his second try - he later broke down with a serious hamstring injury - Canberra looked set to botch another victory.

But fullback Dugan stepped up and scored the match-winner in the 74th minute, and bagged a second for good measure, grubbering for himself in the final minute.

Dugan said the Raiders needed to build on their rare home win, starting with the road trip to Penrith next Sunday.

"We're our own worst enemy at the moment, we have a habit of winning one and then losing one, and hopefully we can make it two in a row, we go to Penrith and get the two points," Dugan said.

"We spoke about attitude all week going into this game, we had to turn our home record around and we did that, we stuck in there for the whole 80 minutes and got the points."

Dugan has had a frustrating year with shoulder and ankle injuries, and said he would love nothing more than to finish off with a September cameo.

For Brisbane, coach Anthony Griffin said his players were down on confidence after their third straight loss.

To make matters worse, the Broncos are seriously struggling in the halves. Halfback Peter Wallace is well down on form, while five-eighth Corey Norman was dumped to the bench for Ben Hunt yesterday. Hunt was later hooked after he failed to find touch with a penalty kick, which allowed McCrone to score.

Despite getting Jack Reed (leg) and Corey Parker (knee) back from injury, the Broncos look set to lose Glenn, and face tough matches against the Bulldogs, Storm and Manly.

Canberra have the Panthers, Roosters and Bulldogs, with the latter two at home, a venue they are now sure to relish.

RAIDERS 28 (J Dugan 2 J Croker S Fensom T Waddell tries J Croker 4 goals) bt BRISBANE 12 (A Glenn 2 tries P Wallace 2 goals) at Canberra Stadium. Referee: Gavin Badger, Chris James. Crowd: 9,850.