The Raiders flipped the script on their dreaded 'faders' tag with a barnstorming second half rescuing the team from a shock loss to the Warriors on Saturday afternoon.
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This season Raiders fans became accustomed to seeing their team cough up half-time leads to eventually be defeated by oppositions, but that changed completely at Canberra Stadium on the weekend.
This time it was the Raiders who overturned a double-digit half-time deficit to come away with the win and in doing so, they passed the baton to the Warriors for an unenviable stat.
NRL statistics revealed the Warriors' loss saw them overtake Canberra with the most defeats, despite having double-figure leads (54).
So what happened on Saturday in such contrasting displays from the Raiders, where they went from a sloppy and lethargic first half on the back foot, to expert execution, clutch plays and four unanswered tries to win?
Coach Ricky Stuart said post-game it was a combination of surprise early pressure from the Warriors, combined with a weight of expectation in the lead-up to the clash following their victory over the Storm. This all led to the Raiders "over-trying", errors and uncharacteristic brain-fades, Stuart explained.
Canberra halfback Jamal Fogarty agreed with Stuart's assessment.
He described the team as "impatient" and "frantic" in the first half when things didn't go their way, and they were unable to get their hands on the ball until 10 minutes into the game.
"We had a shaky start to the year, very inconsistent, then we had a really good win last week against Melbourne, and it's very easy for us to fall off the cliff and not back it up and just be happy with that," Fogarty said.
"I think the first half probably showed that we were a bit impatient.
"At half-time we just spoke about being relaxed and calm, then in the second half it was a lot different and that's more the Raiders that we want to be.
"We had plenty of ball down there. We were just frantically trying to come up with a points every play, which led to errors and turnovers.
"A couple of times we were all a bit too deep on the offloads and weren't aware. But that's something we can we can build on moving forward as well.
"Once we were able to get into the groove in the second half and find our rhythm and play more like us, that's the team we need to be."
Stuart also praised senior players for keeping a lid on emotions and steering the team back on track in the second half. At the half-time siren captain Elliott Whitehead was seen rallying the team in a huddle for a brief talk before they went into the sheds.
Fogarty said Whitehead had impressed him since the former arrived at the club this season.
"Elliott is a wonderful player. It's his calmness and experience when he talks that means everyone listens," the halfback said.
"He's not in there just raving on and just saying a whole bunch of words. What he's saying has got purpose and intent and it's very clear, you can't get confused with it."
When Whitehead came off in the second half for Corey Harawira-Naera, the fresh injection of energy proved the game-winner for the Raiders as Fogarty set up the bench weapon for two important tries.
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Fogarty said while Harawira-Naera would get the credit for his two four-pointers, Whitehead's contribution could not be underestimated.
"I love having Corey there. [Whitehead] does all the hard work and Corey gets on when everyone else is blowing and he comes out fresh," Fogarty said.
"That little rotation has been working nicely for us the last two weeks, so hopefully we keep building that combination as well and keep getting better. I think Corey played outstanding today for us."
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