MELBOURNE STORM 18 CANBERRA RAIDERS 20
TOM SMITH, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Sunday
JAMAL FOGARTY’S golden-point penalty-goal supplied a dramatic conclusion to Magic Round, as the Raiders cemented their top-four credentials with a nail-biting win over the Storm.
Trent Loiero’s high tackle on a falling Hudson Young gave Fogarty the decisive kick, after Canberra fullback Kaeo Weekes scored an exhilarating try with two minutes left to send the game into extra time.
Before that, Ryan Papenhuyzen appeared to kick a game-sealing field-goal until the officials ruled another penalty against Loiero for elbowing Joseph Tapine in the ruck.
Ricky Stuart’s youthful Green Machine – one of the surprise packets of 2025 – have now won five on the bounce, and this gritty come-from-behind win over the premiership favourites is the pick of the lot.
Canberra captain Tapine brought up 200 towering appearances with a typically powerful performance, while injury-prone fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen and ex-Warrior Eliesa Katoa both brought up their 100-game milestones.
After speedster Sualauvi Faalogo got the Storm on the front foot, Cam Munster exploited the stretched Raiders defence by kicking cross-field to find Grant Anderson for the opener in the seventh minute.
And following a Papenhuyzen penalty-goal, the Samoa international set up an even more spectacular score nine minutes later.
Faalogo burned opposite number Savelio Tamale for pace, then launched an inch-perfect kick onto the chest of Papenhuyzen, who touched down under the sticks.
Tom Starling’s late tackle on Munster after a kick handed Papenhuyzen another two points, making it 14-0 inside 25 minutes – but Canberra refused to roll over.
Tamale overpowered Faalogo to plant the ball in the left corner and get the Raiders on the board.
Five minutes later, Matthew Timoko struck down the other flank, surging past Anderson, Xavier Coates and Munster en route to the whitewash.
The Green Machine thought they’d snatched the lead before half-time, when Zac Hosking pounced on a loose Fogarty bomb, but the Bunker correctly spotted Tamale’s interference on Faalogo in the aerial contest.
And Ethan Strange spurned another chance by failing to ground a Fogarty grubber.
Canberra sub Owen Pattie wasted another opportunity following a tense start to the second half, spilling Hosking’s offload within sight of the stripe.
Instead, Melbourne gave themselves some breathing space when Meaney popped a skilful offload to release Faalogo into the corner.
With five minutes remaining, Papenhuyzen booted a field-goal that would’ve stretched the advantage to an unassailable seven points, but referee Gerard Sutton penalised Loiero, depriving them of the vital point.
The Raiders needed one converted try in the pouring rain when Weekes manufactured his moment of magic, steaming onto a Matty Nicholson offload inside his own half then chipping to himself to score.
Fogarty made no mistake with the kick to send the game into extra time, before niggle between Stefano Utoikamanu and Starling in the ruck landed the Storm enforcer and third-man-in Josh Papalii in the sin bin.
Then Loiero conceded another vital penalty to give Fogarty the game-deciding penalty.
GAMESTAR: Canberra captain Joseph Tapine celebrated his 200th game with a trademark shift, pumping out 139 running metres and 43 tackles.
GAMEBREAKER: A controversial high-tackle penalty against Trent Loiero handed Jamal Fogarty the chance to kick the decisive penalty-goal in the first half of golden-point extra time.
MATCHFACTS
STORM
1 Ryan Papenhuyzen
2 Sualauvi Faalogo
3 Grant Anderson
4 Nick Meaney
5 Xavier Coates
6 Cameron Munster
7 Jahrome Hughes
8 Stefano Utoikamanu
9 Bronson Garlick
10 Josh King
11 Shawn Blore
12 Eliesa Katoa
13 Trent Loiero
Subs (all used)
14 Tyran Wishart
15 Alec MacDonald
16 Tui Kamikamica
17 Joe Chan
Tries: Anderson (7), Papenhuyzen (16), Faalogo (59)
Goals: Papenhuyzen 3/5
Sin bin: Utoikamanu (84) – fighting
RAIDERS
1 Kaeo Weekes
2 Savelio Tamale
3 Matthew Timoko
4 Sebastian Kris
5 Xavier Savage
6 Ethan Strange
7 Jamal Fogarty
8 Corey Horsburgh
9 Tom Starling
10 Joseph Tapine
11 Hudson Young
12 Matty Nicholson
13 Morgan Smithies
Subs (all used)
14 Owen Pattie
15 Zac Hosking
16 Josh Papalii
17 Ata Mariota
Tries: Tamale (29), Timoko (34), Weekes (78)
Goals: Fogarty 4/4
Sin bin: Papalii (84) – fighting
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 6-0, 12-0, 14-0, 14-6, 14-12; 18-12, 18-18; 18-20
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Storm: Sualauvi Faalogo; Raiders: Joseph Tapine
Penalty count: 6-9
Half-time: 14-12
Referee: Gerard Sutton
Attendance: 50,309
