CANBERRA RAIDERS 28
BRISBANE BRONCOS 29
IAN HOWE, GIO Stadium, Sunday

BRISBANE BRONCOS, inspired by Reece Walsh, won a memorable play-off game in the national capital in extra-time to edge out their hosts Canberra Raiders.

Such was the lateness of the Broncos’ last-second penalty to draw the game level that our initial report on the final hooter was made before the final penalty was awarded by referee Ashley Klein.

In front of a sellout crowd, the Broncos benefited from a harsh early play-the-ball call by referee Ashley Klein to score the first try when Tom Starling was adjudged not to have played the ball correctly.

It enabled them to build pressure immediately and Reece Walsh fed Kotoni Staggs for the first try, which Walsh converted.

As the Raiders tried to respond they were set back on their heels by a Walsh 40-20. But the Broncos wasted the opportunity when they were penalised for obstruction.

When Ben Hunt conceded a second penalty for dissent minutes later, the Raiders built a position for Jamal Fogarty to grubber into the in-goal for Hudson Young to touch down, with Fogarty’s conversion levelling the scores.

The Raiders took the lead for the first time when Young himself put a grubber to the Broncos’ line for Sebastian Kris to touch it down.

But after receiving several set restarts the Broncos replied with swift movement of the ball to the right wing for Deine Mariner to score in the corner, with Walsh’s touchline conversion levelling the scores.

The Raiders were the next to benefit from a set restart when Kaeo Weekes spotted a gap in the Broncos’ defence close to the line and sped over for a smart try to restore the Raiders’ six-point lead.

Alarm bells rang for the Broncos shortly before half-time when Payne Hass was limping badly after a tackle, but he stayed on the field to the interval, with the Broncos almost scoring when Josiah Karapani followed up a Walsh kick to get over the line but he was held up by a superb tackle from Starling.

Starling’s runs from dummy-half were causing Brisbane plenty of trouble in the second half.

Both sides were involved in an unsavoury incident that saw Young and Walsh sinbinned before Weekes picked up a Broncos’ dropped ball near his own line and ran almost 100 metres to touch down for what looked like a decisive try.

It looked even more decisive shortly afterwards when Patrick Carrigan was sinbinned for a high tackle on Smithies, leaving the Broncos with eleven men against twelve.

While he was off the field the Raiders scored again through young superstar Ethan Strange to give them a seemingly unassailable 28-12 lead.

But led by Walsh, the Broncos came surging back, scoring tries through Walsh, Josiah Karapani and Gehamat Shibasaki, with Walsh converting the final try from the touchline to make it a two-point margin.

And the Broncos fullback almost levelled the scores when he attempted a two-point field-goal that bounced back off the crossbar.

But as many fans thought the clock had played out, the referee awarded a final penalty to the Broncos, which Walsh kicked to take the game into extra time.

And in the 93rd minute Ben Hunt kicked the field-goal that won the game for the Broncos.

GAME STAR: Reece Walsh showed his full range of magic tricks.

GAMEBREAKER: The final field-goal from Ben Hunt.

RAIDERS
1 Kaeo Weekes
2 Savelio Tamale
3 Matthew Timoko
4 Sebastian Kris
5 Jed Stuart
6 Ethan Strange
7 Jamal Fogarty
8 Josh Papalii
9 Tom Starling
10 Joseph Tapine
11 Hudson Young
12 Zac Hosking
13 Corey Horsburgh
Subs (all used)
14 Owen Pattie
15 Simi Sasagi
16 Morgan Smithies
17 Ata Mariota
18 Matty Nicholson

Tries: Young (12), Kris (22), Weekes (35, 54), Strange (56)
Goals: Fogarty 4/5

Sin bin: Young (53) – fighting

BRONCOS

1 Reece Walsh
2 Josiah Karapani
3 Kotoni Staggs
4 Gehamat Shibasaki
5 Deine Mariner
6 Billy Walters
7 Ben Hunt
8 Corey Jensen
9 Corey Paix
10 Payne Haas
11 Brendan Piakura
12 Jordan Riki
13 Patrick Carrigan
Subs (all used)
14 Tyson Smoothy
15 Kobe Hetherington
16 Ben Talty
17 Jaiyden Hunt
18 Jesse Arthars

Tries: Staggs (3), Mariner (26), Walsh (66), Karapani (70), Shibasaki (72)
Goals: Walsh 4/6

Sin bin: Walsh (53) – fighting; Carrigan (56) – high tackle

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 6-6, 12-6, 18-12; 24-12, 28-12, 28-16, 28-20, 28-26, 28-28; 28-29

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Raiders: Tom Starling
Broncos: Reece Walsh

Penalty count: 7-5
Half-time: 18-12
Referee: Ashley Klein
Attendance: 25,523