The Canberra Raiders are going to their first preliminary final since 1997 and their premiership dream is still alive after a tense second half against the Penrith Panthers on Saturday night. The Raiders will play minor premiers the Melbourne Storm in Melbourne next weekend and are just one win away from their first grand final in 22 years. They showed glimpses of their absolute brilliance against the Panthers, scoring three tries to open up a 18-0 lead. But there were also plenty of nervous moments as the Panthers rallied to cut the gap to just six points with five minutes remaining. There's no doubt the Raiders can win the title. However, getting into the grand final will be an absolute mission against the best-drilled team in the NRL. The clash against Melbourne will pit Ricky Stuart against former teammate Craig Bellamy in a battle of the coaches. There will be plenty of green in Melbourne with the bandwagon certain to travel. Can they go all the way? Why not?

THE BIG MOMENT OF REDEMPTION

Jarrod Croker had a kick to potentially send the Raiders into a preliminary final six years ago but the then 20-year-old was left heartbroken when his shot against the Wests Tigers sailed wide. Older, wiser and still a sharpshooter, Croker's boot send the Green Machine into their first preliminary final in 19 years on Saturday night. Croker slotted at 75th-minute penalty to give the Raiders a match-winning eight-point lead. It will go down as a massive moment in Green Machine history after decades of pain. Croker was a broken man when he missed a long-range penalty against the Tigers in 2010 and the Raiders' season came to a shattering halt. It was the sort of kick that would give you nightmares for the rest of your career. But the fearless captain had no hesitation stepping up with the game on the line again. Canberra playmaker Aidan Sezer was hit with a high tackle and the Raiders won a penalty. Croker calmly kicked the goal and it was all but game over. His shot ended a Panthers charge after the mountain men rallied from 18-0 down to cut the gap to 18-12 in a tense finish.

RAPANA JOINS THE GREATS

The Raiders have found a rugby league diamond in winger Jordan Rapana. The Super Rugby discard moved alongside some of Canberra's greatest players when he scored in the first half against Penrith. Rapana has scored 22 tries this year and his four-pointer just before half-time gave the Raiders breathing room before the break. His 22 tries puts him level with excitement machines Noa Nadruku, Brett Mullins and Jason Croker for the most tries in a single season. It's a remarkable turnaround for a man who was cutting hair and pouring beers just a few years ago after failing to win an ACT Brumbies contract. Rapana is one of the most exciting players in the competition and has formed a dynamic duo with centre partner Joey Leilua. It was fitting that Leilua put in a neat left-foot kick for a flying Rapana to score the record-equaller. Rapana is a certain contender for the NRL winger of the year and has to be a part of New Zealand's Test squad for the end of year internationals. Not bad for a guy who moved to Canberra to work with Wallabies great Stephen Larkham.

BURYING THE INJURY DEMONS

Blake Austin and Josh Hodgson needed until the final hour to be cleared for kick-off after recovering from injuries, but they showed no signs of sore bodies when they ran out against the Panthers. Austin scored the first try with some superb play that left his former Penrith junior teammates looking like fools. Austin threw one of the biggest dummies you'll ever see and Panthers defenders were looking for the ball in the carpark when Austin put in a giant right-foot step. Two defenders slipped over and Austin slipped through two more to slam the ball down with his busted left hand. He came to the sideline immediately, sparking fears he'd reinjured the hand that now has two screws in it. But the playmaker only needed more strapping tape. Hodgson was equally as good, scooting out from dummy-half and putting his left ankle to the test. Hodgson joked he'd spend his nights during the week icing his ankle and feeding his first child.

ROAD-TRIPPIN' RAIDERS LEAVE CANBERRA

Just after the Viking clap and as you were about to take the first bite of your pie at Canberra Stadium, a Raiders trio were driving up the Hume Highway and away from the spotlight. If you've ever wondered what happens to the players who go through the pre-match warm up but don't play, here's an insight to what Jeff Lima, Adam Clydesdale and Brenko Lee went through on Saturday night. All three were on standby as injury cover for Ricky Stuart's squad for the clash against Penrith. They ran out to a mighty Green Machine cheer and worked up a sweat before returning to the change rooms. When the rest of their teammates ran on to the field to be greeted by the Viking clap, Lima, Clydesdale and Lee snuck out a back door and jumped in a car to drive to Sydney. There was no pie or Coke for the road trip either. It was instead straight into preparation mode for NSW Cup duties with Raiders feeder team Mounties ahead of a semi-final against Wests at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday. Stuart called Paul Vaughan on to the bench to replace the injured Clay Priest. But spare a thought for the other three on the cusp of first grade who spent Saturday night listening to the game on radio.

AT A GLANCE

CANBERRA RAIDERS 22 (Blake Austin, Jordan Rapana, Jarrod Croker tries; Croker 3 cons, 2 pens) bt PENRITH PANTHERS 12 (Tyrone Peachey, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak tries; Nathan Cleary 2 convs) at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night. Referees: Ben Cummins and Gerard Sutton. Crowd: 21,498.