NRL match report: Canberra Raiders beat St George Illawarra Dragons in a thriller

Combinations haven't clicked like they did, individuals aren't firing like they were.

So Raiders coach Ricky Stuart pulled some strings on the eve of kickoff by shifting halves Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer to opposite edges of the field against the St George Illawarra Dragons.

It took more than 80 minutes in a golden point thriller but Sezer was the man that stood up with an intercept try and a crucial 40/20 that laid the platform for Elliott Whitehead to steal a stunning 18-14 win at Canberra Stadium.

The Raiders entered the contest three wins outside the top eight and needing a miracle to sneak into the finals.

They started the year as one of the premiership favourites and had plenty backing them for a drought-breaking grand final appearance.

It's no question they aren't where they want to be at the moment, their recent form slump leaving those same pundits scratching their heads about what exactly has gone wrong.

Stuart's gamble paid off early when Austin threw a cut out pass to NRL rookie of the year frontrunner Nick Cotric to score inside the first six minutes.

Moments later it was Canberra's right edge looking dangerous with Sezer orchestrating the play.

But the Raiders soon looked flat and became their own worst enemy, with poorly executed kicks, dropped balls and passes not finding the mark as their season neared a flat line.

Then Sezer swooped.

The Dragons looked likely before the Canberra half intercepted a Gareth Widdop pass and ran the distance to score, levelling the scores at 12-all inside the final 20 minutes.

Moments later skipper Jarrod Croker nailed a penalty goal and suddenly the Green Machine was in motion again, with the Coal Train Dave Taylor on fire.

But ill-discipline late in the piece knocked a cog out of place when a Widdop penalty goal levelled the scores after an Austin high tackle.

Austin, Sezer, and Widdop all missed their share of five field goal attempts in the final seven minutes before Whitehead broke the stalemate in extra time.

Stuart says "it's been a real struggle" to get his side motivated after their close loss to Penrith but hopes they've turned a corner after getting on the right end of a close game.

"The last three or four weeks or whatever it is was it's been really really hard, a real big job," Stuart said.

"I was happy for [Sezer] because he's been bagged and we've had a lot of criticism on the halves. I thought Blake Austin tried really hard tonight. I thought he had a very good game in tough conditions.

"When you're down on confidence and you're lacking a littl bit of belief, to be able to take the ball on your 40 and punch it like that is a great sign for him that he's bouncing back through a tough bit of adversity."

It's not all good news, with forward Luke Bateman suffering a suspected broken cheekbone in a head clash that could rule him out for the season.

Raiders second-rower Josh Papalii faces an anxious wait after collecting Dragons fullback Josh Dugan with a shoulder charge in the second half.

Stuart says it would be a cruel blow for the Raiders given what Papalii means to the playing group as a leader of the pack, who made an impact in his return from State of Origin before the game even started.

"I rang Josh yesterday morning and I said 'Papa do you want me to put you on the bench or do you want to start?," Stuart said.

"'No, no, Sticky,' he said, 'I want to start'. That set the trend. Papa means so much to our players."

Dragons five-eighth Widdop fired in the opening half, scoring a try and setting up another as the visitors took control of the match.

The Raiders enjoyed the bulk of possession deep in Dragons territory but a handling error cost Croker the chance to steal the lead.

A Widdop penalty goal extended the margin to six before the Raiders surged back and the clash eventually reached golden point.

St George Illawarra failed to arrest their slide and injuries to Dugan (head) and Russell Packer (hip) served as another headache for coach Paul McGregor on the trip home.

This was a game the Raiders sorely needed with games against competition heavyweights Melbourne - twice - and Cronulla looming in their final seven matches.

The Raiders had to contend with the famed Red V hoodoo, which has been reversed in the Dragons' favour in recent years.

Canberra dropped just one game to the Dragons from 2002-13, but finally walked away with the two points for the first time in their past five meetings.

It's never a good sign when you need to get the calculator out to work out your finals chances, but the Raiders will take it.

AT A GLANCE

NRL round 19: CANBERRA RAIDERS 18 (Nick Cotric, Aidan Sezer, Elliott Whitehead tries; Jarrod Croker 3 goals) bt ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS 14 (Gareth Widdop, Jason Nightingale tries; Widdop 3 goals).