Raiders coach Ricky Stuart had a measured response, declaring they'll "get beaten by 60" if they defend like they did in the first half against the Melbourne Storm on Thursday night.

The Raiders climb to seventh on the NRL ladder, but Cronulla and the Gold Coast Titans were still to play.

It makes six wins in a row for the Green Machine at their new home on the Glitter Strip.

The match review committee will be busy reviewing the game with Jordan Rapana, Tariq Sims, Zac Lomax, Jack de Belin and Emre Guler all put on report.

Elijah Anderson made his NRL debut, playing the final four minutes as Rapana was given a rest.

Rapana was his usual gut-busting self, scoring a try, running for 137 metres and making seven tackle busts.

Dragons centre Cody Ramsey will undergo concussion protocols after he lasted less than a minute due to a head clash with teammate Andrew McCullough.

Again it was a slow start for the Raiders, with Dragons winger Mathew Feagai opening the scoring, but they went into the sheds at 12-all.

There's been a focus on Raiders five-eighth Jack Wighton's performances this week and he took a step towards returning to his Dally M Medal-winning form, scoring a try and finishing with 104m and two tackle busts.

The Raiders were able to ice the game with a Tom Starling try out of dummy half in the second stanza and Jarrod Croker finishing off a Sam Williams 40-20 with a penalty goal.

Now they face the rampant reigning premiers in their scrap for the top eight, with tough games against Manly and the Sydney Roosters also to come.

"It's a win. If we defend like that in the first half next week we'll get beaten by 60," Stuart said.

"[But how we defended in the second half] that's what we're known for. We haven't had enough of it this year.

"That second-half defence came from a fair bit of want."

AT A GLANCE

CANBERRA RAIDERS 20 (Jordan Rapana, Jack Wighton, Tom Starling tries; Jarrod Croker 4 goals) bt ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS 12 (Mathew Feagai, Tariq Sims tries; Zac Lomax 2 goals) at the Gold Coast. Referee: Chris Sutton.

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