Raiders fans were hoping another date with the Tigers might spark Canberra's right edge pairing of Joey Leilua and Jordan Rapana back into their devastating best. They left more than happy.
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The pair combined for nine tries and over 700m as the Raiders put 112 points on the Tigers in two games last year. Rapana picked up where they left off, scoring two tries and running for 192m in the 46-6 win.
The Kiwi winger was in the action again as the first half drew to a close, sprinting down the wing and putting a kick back on the inside for five-eighth Blake Austin to score and ultimately push the Raiders 12 points clear.
Rapana soon added another try assist to his name when he sliced through the Tigers' defence and sent Jack Wighton over untouched.
An early Leilua pass was picked off by Wests winger David Nofoaluma, who dashed down field to open the scoring for the visitors, but that was the only real blip on an impressive outing for Canberra's favourite bromance.
HODGSON HAMPERED
Just how fit is Raiders hooker Josh Hodgson?
The English international had ice on his ankle following Canberra's round two loss to Cronulla, and he finished Canberra's pre-game warm-up around five minutes earlier than the rest of the squad, before finishing the game on the bench.
A Canberra trainer was hard at work late in the first half strapping Hodgson's ankle, suggesting it could be a reason for his slow start to the season after he finished 2016 recognised as one of the competition's best players.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE COAL TRAIN
There is no denying the fact Dave Taylor's is a career that has not yet reached the heights it should have.
The latest addition to the competition's biggest forward pack, Taylor's first stint in lime green was a tough one to gauge, with coach Ricky Stuart opting to play him on limited minutes.
Taylor played 28 minutes and quickly racked up 61 metres from six carries. Stuart doesn't expect Taylor to find his feet for half the season, but early impressions suggest he will fire when he does.
CROKER'S STEADYING INFLUENCE
Returning Raiders captain Jarrod Croker was a steadying influence on an outfit that had seemingly lost its way for much of the opening two rounds.
While Elliott Whitehead did an admirable job in Croker's absence, the return of the Canberra captain made left winger Nick Cotric look far more at ease in attack, scoring the first try of his NRL career.
Croker's return also allowed the right-edge to rediscover some defensive cohesion with Whitehead shifting back into the second row.
The State of Origin hopeful scored a try and was almost perfect in his return to goal-kicking, nailing plenty of attempts from the sideline.
PLENTY TO WORK ON
For the first 35 minutes of the game, the Tigers were the better team — but they went in to the half-time break trailing by 12 points.
The Tigers squandered a number of opportunities deep in Canberra's half, with veteran Chris Lawrence spilling the ball on several occasions.
Both teams were guilty of making errors or throwing wayward passes at crucial times. The Tigers finished with 14 errors and a poor 57 per cent completion rate, while the hosts made 10 errors for a completion rate of 73 per cent.
