A Zahara Temara field goal was all that could separate the Dragons and Raiders on Saturday at WIN Stadium with the visitors coming away with a 19-18 golden point win in Round 4 of the 2023 Telstra Women's Premiership.
The hosts started hot thanks to an early Bobbi Law try before the Raiders responded with a trio of tries to Shakiah Tungai, Chanté Temara, and Simaima Taufa in the space of eight minutes to take an 18-6 advantage into the break.
A pair of spectacular long-range tries to Teagan Berry and Margot Vella just shy of the hour-mark sparked a grandstand finish before Zahara Temara nailed a walk-off one-pointer from in front of the sticks to seal a Raiders victory.
An opening-minute Zahara Temara break put the visitors on the attack early but the Dragons defence held strong with Renee Targett forcing a Raiders error off the back of it.
An offside penalty put the Red V in strong field position soon after with Tyla Nathan-Wong forcing a dropout via a deft cross-field kick.
A left-side shift saw Nathan-Wong and Berry combine to send Law crashing through a gaping hole for the contest’s opening points the corresponding set.
Dragons skipper Raecene McGregor showed off her goal-kicking chops to convert on an acute angle from just outside the 10-metre line and only several steps from the touchline.
The Raiders were able to find touch off the kick-off to regain possession and the Dragons paid the price with winger Tungai finding space off the scrum down the right touchline to dive over and tie the game at six-apiece.
The visitors’ second came off the back of a forced dropout with Chanté Temara finding her way over out of dummy half.
Taufa burst through the middle off the following set and pushed her way through the Dragons cover to dive over next to the sticks and extend the Raiders lead to a dozen.
A penalty put the visitors back on the attack with England international Hollie-Mae Dodd scooping up a Zahara Temara kick to dive over only for the video officials to pick up on an Apii Nicholls error in the lead-up.
Roxy Murdoch went close to responding for the Dragons with a powerful individual effort but lost control of the ball inches from the try-line.
Former-Wallaroos star Sarah Riordan entered the action eight minutes prior to the break for her first taste of NRLW action.
Video officials denied the Raiders another try on the stroke of half-time off the back of a Zahara Temara 40/20 with barnstorming forward Kerehitina Matua ruled to have spilt the ball over the line.
The Dragons managed to force an error early in the second half with McGregor lodging a successful captain’s challenge after the on-field official ruled a strip.
The shoe was on the other foot the following set with the Raiders overturning an on-field call of strip with a captain’s challenge of their own to regain possession.
Some sharp hands from Law sent Margot Vella into space down the left edge soon after with the Dragons forcing an error off the subsequent Nathan-Wong kick that survived additional adjudication courtesy of a second Raiders captain’s challenge.
Berry was denied a try off the corresponding scrum with the official ruling that the Dragons fullback made a second attempt at grounding the ball despite replays showing that she fell over the line with a pair of Raiders wrestling her to the ground.
A phenomenal cover effort courtesy of Berry prevented Madison Bartlett from crossing for the Raiders before the 21-year-old added to her NRLW-record try tally the following set with a fifth-tackle beauty that began from inside the Dragons half.
McGregor put in a pinpoint chip metres short of halfway which Berry was able to scoop up, spin away from opposing fullback Nicholls, and race away to dive over next to the uprights and cut the deficit to six.
The Red V’s third came after Law trapped a Zahara Temara grubber and raced 40 metres downfield before finding a supporting Vella on the inside with the speedy winger racing the remaining half of the field to dive over and tie proceeding at 18-apiece.
An unsuccessful Dragons captain’s challenge entering the final five saw the Raiders earn possession before McGregor had a crack at a near 40-metre field goal with 20 seconds on the clock but sprayed it right.
The hosts kicked off north to start the golden point period with Zahara Temara’s first field goal shot charged down by Berry.
Debutant Ua Ravu went close to winning it for the visitors but was ruled held up by the video officials before Zahara Temara’s second field goal attempt sailed through the posts to win it for the Raiders 19-18.
