Now it's time we started calling Josh Papalii the best prop in the game.

The Queensland star is peerless in the NRL when it comes to devastating impact in the middle of the field.

"Josh Papalii he just keeps growing as a player," coach Ricky Stuart said.

"I credit Josh because he was playing with a busted shoulder for a while, he's had a bad ankle and that got hurt again tonight."

Papalii opened the scoring with a barnstorming effort close to the line, stepping inside NSW Blues captain Boyd Cordner before carrying Roosters props Jarrad Waerea-Hargreaves and Sio Siua Taukeiaho over the line.

He then played a key hand in Canberra's next four pointer, initiating some second-phase play which led to English import George Williams scoring under the posts.

Is there a more reliable custodian in the game than Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad?

With 14 minutes on the clock, he made a huge play on Josh Morris who looked destined to score in the left corner. Nicoll-Klokstad galloped across field, and collared Morris into touch earning his side a scrum feed.

He'd already made a play on Morris's twin Brett.

It was late in the first half with his side nursing a 16-0 lead that Nicoll-Klokstad stopped a flying Brett n his tracks with a physics-defying tackle saving a certain try.

Joseph Manu was awarded a contentious try midway through the second half, after the Bunker analysed a possible double movement.

After brushing off some flimsy defence, Manu was pulled down from behind by Croker and appeared to promote the ball fractionally while attempting to score a try.

Had he not promoted the football, momentum would have carried him over but there was definitely a slight extension of Manu's arm on replay.

Just minutes earlier he had a try denied for a double movement when he quite clearly promoted his arm in an effort to score.

This all happened in the aftermath of a no-try decision against Raiders five-eighth Jack Wighton who looked to have scored near the left corner.

Jarrod Croker was adjudged to have hampered Kyle Flanagan's ability to make a tackle. On replay it looked as if Flanagan made a poor decision, but the Bunker refused to overturn the on-field decision of no try.

He scored two tries, but this wasn't an evening James Tedesco will want to remember in a hurry.

George Williams put in a grubber with 10 minutes on the clock, and Tedesco looked to have it covered, but he slipped over as the ball took a wicked bounce, and Wighton was first on the scene.

Then with two minutes on the clock, and a margin of just four points, the world's best player spilled a Luke Keary pass as the Roosters were pressing with yet another attacking raid.

Canberra came in with a plan to reduce Tedesco's space in open play, and it was executed perfectly with Wighton's kicks in general play aimed at Brett Morris for most of the night.

After skipping out to a 16-0 lead, Canberra started to wilt as the Roosters' extra day's rest in the lead up to this semi-final started to play a role.

The Raiders were out on their feet with 20 minutes left on the clock and were dropping like flies with cramp at seemingly every break in play.

This was a game played at grand final pace, and it the visitors were forced to the deepest part of the well to pluck the energy required to see this one out. They were running on fumes, but managed to see it out and earn a preliminary final against the Melbourne Storm.

"It's always a very high-quality contest against the Roosters," Stuart said.

"They're a very good football team and they've won the last two competitions for a reason. It was always going to be a very hard game and it was.

"I take my hat off to them because they've been up for a long time and to win two comps in a row is an amazing feat by a club.

"I'm proud of our players, ho they've handled this season. Nobody knows form outside our inner sanctum how hard it was for us at the start of the season so where we've got today nobody gave us a chance outside our own.

"I remember saying right in this room - the last game we beat the Roosters here - nobody has given us an opportunity to show what's underneath the jumper."