RAIDERS under-20s coach Mick Mantelli hopes Saturday's embarrassing 50-point flogging is the ''kick in the arse'' the National Youth Competition front-runners need to get their title assault back on track.
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The Raiders conceded a whopping 44 unanswered points in the first half before going down 62-12 to the Canterbury Bulldogs at Canberra Stadium.
Mantelli struggled to comprehend his team's fourth loss of the season and the end of a five-game winning streak.
"I'm dumbfounded with the result,'' Mantelli said. "That's not the performance of a top-of-the-table team.
"It's our mental application, how we approach the game.
''Hopefully it's the fair kick in the arse we need.''
Despite the defeat, the Raiders are four points ahead of the Bulldogs on the competition ladder and are in the box seat to take out the minor premiership.
Mantelli expects to have Mounties duo Mitch Cornish and Jeremy Hawkins, and prop Jeremy Cropper, back for next week's match with Manly.
The Raiders leaked 11 tries against the Bulldogs, eight of those in the first half.
Patrick Mago and Jonathan Reuben scored consolation tries in the second half in the only bright spots for an otherwise miserable afternoon for the Green Machine.
AT A GLANCE
CANTERBURY 62 (P Templeman 3, J Feeney 3, D Manuel-Liolevave 2, J Vaartjes, S Lane, B Carter tries; P Templeman 9 goals) bt CANBERRA 12 (P Mago, J Reuben tries; J Worboys 2 goals) at Canberra Stadium.
