The Canberra Raiders continued their charge up the Toyota Cup ladder with a 40-12 thumping of the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium last night.
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Second-rower Michael Chee-Kam scored a hat-trick as the Raiders cruised to their fifth victory from seven games this season.
The Raiders have been an attacking force in their three-game winning streak, averaging 38 points a game, while their defence has gone up a notch since the early stages of the under 20s competition, which takes a break for next weekend's inaugural representative match.
Several Raiders players will come into contention for the State of Origin-style encounter at Penrith's Centrebet Stadium. Halfback and captain Mitch Cornish is a strong chance for a place in the NSW side, while second-rower Edrick Lee is in the running for Queensland.
In a rematch of the 2008 Toyota Cup grand final, the Raiders dominated the Broncos, sprinting to a 24-0 lead within the opening half hour.
When the Broncos scored, Jeremy Hawkins finished off a great break from Jeff Lynch to regain momentum for the Raiders.
The second 40 minutes were just as lop-sided, the Raiders running in another two tries to complete their best victory of the campaign.
AT A GLANCE
Toyota Cup: Canberra Raiders 40 (M Chee-Kam 3; M Cornish, U Baker, J Hawkins, J Ahearn tries; Cornish 6 goals) bt Brisbane Broncos 12 (B Malley, C Timu tries; Frisby 2 goals) at Suncorp Stadium last night.