WINNING STREAK COMES TO A HALT
It will be back to the drawing board for the Raiders after suffering their first loss in their past four games. The Raiders didn't have any answers for the Dragons in attack and were guilty of giving away too many penalties in their own end. The Raiders are still an even 5-5 for the season after 10 rounds and inside the top eight. Their next challenge is against an Origin-depleted Bulldogs side at Canberra Stadium on Sunday. It was also just the second game this season the Raiders have lost away from home. Their only other defeat came to the Sydney Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium.
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CROKER NO TRY DENIES FAST START
The Raiders appeared to have made the ideal start when captain Jarrod Croker crossed the try-line after just two minutes. But the play was over-ruled with the video referee agreeing with the on-field official's original call that Croker was held in a tackle and should have played the ball. It was a tough call given Croker didn't appear to have had a hand on him when he went to the ground. The try would have given the Raiders all the momentum away from home.
DRAGONS MAKE RAIDERS PAY FOR COSTLY MISTAKE
When Josh Papalii crashed over the try-line in the 44th minute, the Raiders were back in the ball-game down 20-18. But a knock on from Croker in the first carry off the kick-off gave the Dragons the chance to strike back straight away. They did exactly that, with second-rower Joel Thompson making his former teammates pay to put the hosts back on the front foot. The Dragons didn't look back from that point on to keep the Raiders at bay.
MARSHALL AND WIDDOP SHOW
The Dragons halves combination of Gareth Widdop and Benji Marshall were in absolutely everything and gave the Raiders' defence nightmares. First, it was Marshall who set up a four-pointer with a grubber into the in-goal in the first half. Widdop turned from recepient to provider with a great kick of his own to find Marshall on his lonesome under the posts to put the Dragons up by 14 points. The pair did a great job at exploiting holes in the Raiders' kick defence.
SHILLINGTON GIVES POTENTIAL CLUB SNEAK PEEK
Former Test and Queensland prop David Shillington played his first game of the year for the Raiders as a late replacement for Mark Nicholls, who has a fractured cheekbone. Shillington is off contract at the end of the season and has had interest from the Dragons. There has been speculation he could move before round 13, but the Raiders would be unlikely to release him mid-season. Shillington had a steady performance in his comeback in a tough contest against a solid Dragons pack.
