Nervous wait over: Raiders rookie learns his fate after dangerous tackle

Strange was facing a nervous wait on Sunday night and Monday morning after he was sin-binned and put on report for lifting North Queensland Cowboy Thomas Mikaele into a dangerous position.

It was perhaps the only blemish on his trial performance, which has put him in a strong position to claim a round-one halves spot.

He was hit with a grade one dangerous throw charge on Monday morning, but he can escape with a $1000 fine with an early guilty plea given it's his first offence.

Strange halfback led an undermanned Raiders side to a 14-8 half-time lead before a stacked Cowboys side took control in the second 40 in front of 6048 fans at Seiffert Oval.

Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt crossed for a hat-trick in his side's 36-26 victory. The result denied Canberra the title of Pre-Season Challenge champions.

Strange scored a try, kicked superbly and directed the Raiders around the park in a performance that proved he is ready for a full-time place in the first-grade team.

The 19 year old was also superb defensively, making multiple try-saving tackles and shutting down the Cowboys edge forwards.

The visitors sent plenty of traffic through the youngster's defensive channel, however he was up to the task in a performance that was sure to impress coach Ricky Stuart.

The performance appeared to put Strange's nose in front in the race to partner Jamal Fogarty after Jack Wighton's off-season departure.

New recruit Kaeo Weekes was also solid in the trial, producing a kick that led to Xavier Savage's first-half try.

Fogarty was one of a number of Canberra stars to sit out the contest against a full-strength Cowboys side.

Talking on Fox Sports during the clash, Fogarty said Strange's performance was a reflection of the work he has put in throughout the off-season.

"The whole squad's started well," Fogarty said. "Ethan took confidence out of last week, the way he controlled the team and kicked well.

"The way he trained this week and what he's doing today is a reflection of the pre-season he had."

Joe Tapine, Jordan Rapana and Seb Kris also watched from the sidelines, while Josh Papali'i didn't return after a solid 20-minute stint that featured 79 run metres from seven carries.

Strange opened the scoring on Sunday after regathering a grubber for himself, before Savage made the most of a Kyle Feldt error to make it 8-0.

The Cowboys winger made amends moments later, crossing in the corner to cut the deficit to two, with teammate Zac Laybutt also scoring late in the first half.

Matthew Timoko crossed for the Raiders in the opening 40 as the hosts carried a 14-8 lead into the sheds at the break.

Raiders skipper Elliott Whitehead made his first appearance of 2024, playing the opening 30 minutes before his day came to an end.

The veteran was pleased with both Strange and Weekes throughout an impressive first half.

"They were really good last week against Parramatta and they stepped up again tonight," Whitehead said. "The combination worked well again.

"Ethan got sin binned, he's disappointed with that, but they've both got a bright future ahead of them and the more game time they get together, they're just going to keep getting better."

Stuart made a host of changes for the second half, with the emerging brigade of Chevy Stewart, Jed Stuart and Simi Sasagi among the players introduced into the game.

Stars Hudson Young, Danny Levi and Emre Guler received an early shower as Canberra turned their focus to a round one clash against the Knights.

The Cowboys made the most of the changes, with coach Todd Payten leaving many of his stars on the field for an extended stint in the middle.

It's a decision Payten may be ruing, with Origin forward Coen Hess picking up a knee injury early in the second half. North Queensland officials fear the injury is serious and he will be sent for scans in the coming days.

On the field, the Cowboys stars quickly put their young rivals to the sword, running in three-straight tries to turn a 14-8 deficit into a 26-14 advantage.

The Raiders did not lie down and a Peter Hola try with nine minutes remaining had the side within four, trailing 30-26 as they chased victory.

Adam Cook looked destined to put his team in front, however the line break went awry, before Thomas Mikaele put the game to bed with his second try.

NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS 36 (Kyle Feldt 3, Thomas Mikaele 2, Zac Laybutt, Murray Taulagi tries, Valentine Holmes 2, Scott Drinkwater 1 conversions) bt CANBERRA RAIDERS 26 (Ethan Strange, Xavier Savage, Matthew Timoko, Nick Cotric, Peter Hola tries; Ethan Strange 1, Chevy Stewart 1 conversions). Crowd 6048 at Seiffert Oval