Well it's going to take a miracle now.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Canberra Raiders' 40-16 loss to the Sydney Roosters at Mackay on Thursday night means they need some extraordinary results to go their way to make it to the NRL finals.
They need Cronulla to lose to the Melbourne Storm by at least 74 points on Friday night and the New Zealand Warriors to beat Gold Coast on Sunday to sneak into the eight.
It could mark the final game for Raiders hero Sia Soliola - the 35-year-old's off-contract after 346 senior games across the NRL and the English Super League.
For the Roosters, the win has kept their top-four hopes alive despite a massive injury toll - although they'll need both Manly and Parramatta to lose to North Queensland and Penrith respectively.
Not that it probably matters this year, but Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (high contact), Jordan Rapana (shoulder charge) and Siliva Havili (nothing much) were put on report.
The best ever Viking clap Mackays ever seen appeared to inspire the Green Machine - a Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad offload helping Elliott Whitehead open the scoring.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson was fined a hefty amount for his post-match comments about the officials and it seemed to pay off this week - with the Roosters awarded a controversial eight-point-try attempt.
Nicoll-Klokstad was put on report for collecting Roosters winger Matt Ikuvalu high after his put-down.
Raiders enforcer Josh Papalii continued his try-scoring efforts against the Bondi princes - but this was the first time he's scored against them and Canberra hasn't won - before Angus Crichton dummied his way over to level the scores.
Semi Valemei was a late inclusion, forcing Raiders coach Ricky Stuart into a backline reshuffle, with Harley Smith-Shield moving into the centres.
Valemei looked at sea dealing with high balls on the right, with Stuart switching him the left before half-time - although it didn't get much better for him in the second stanza.
But not until after he dropped a Drew Hutchison cross-field kick into the arms of Adam Keighran, who made amends for bombing an earlier try.
The Roosters continued to get the rub of the refereeing in the build up with halfback Lachlan Lam knocking on as they worked their way up the field for the try.
"He clearly lost the ball there. Clearly lost the ball," Mick Ennis said on Fox Sports.
The Roosters led 20-12 at the break, needing a big second half to keep their season alive.
Canberra prop Joe Tapine came out of the sheds firing, with only the upright stopping him from scoring.
But it was the Roosters who scored first, with Keighran completing his hat-trick - and also collecting the goalpost, but he was able to get the ball down after copping a nasty knock in his back - with two more tries inside the opening 12 minutes of the second half.
Ben Marschke and Lam then sealed the win, before Harley Smith-Shields scored a consolation try.
AT A GLANCE
SYDNEY ROOSTERS 40 (Adam Keighran 3, Matt Ikuvalu, Angus Crichton, Ben Marschke, Lachlan Lam tries; Adam Keighran 4, Siosiua Taukeiaho 2 goals) bt CANBERRA RAIDERS 16 (Elliott Whitehead, Josh Papalii, Harley Smith-Shields tries; Jordan Rapana 2 goals) at Mackay. Referee: Gerard Sutton.