Canberra Raiders win 1st Toyota Cup (Photo : Canberra Raiders)

BRISBANE BRONCOS 24 - 22 CANBERRA RAIDERS TRIES : Hunt, Spence, Gibbs, Yow, Yeh 2 GOALS : Hunt 2 TRIES : Picker 2, Low, Dugan, Smith GOALS : 2

RAIDER'S TV - Check out what delighted Raiders Toyota Cup coach has to say - HERE

The scores were locked at 24-all at fulltime after a heart-stopping final 10 minutes of play which saw a total of four field goal chances missed between the 2 teams.

Two more field goal chances were missed by the Raiders in extra time, before Jarrod Croker swooped on to a neat chip kick and dashed clear to send Jarrad Kennedy over under the posts for the match-winner.

The Raiders played the majority of the match in their own half of the field, but for the second week in a row they hung on grimly in the contest to eventually walk away with the spoils.

The Raiders took a 6-0 lead in the 10th minute after Michael Picker dove over next to the posts, but Brisbane hit straight back to level at 6-all shortly after. Picker was again in the action leter in the first half when he swooped on a Broncos error to dive over and send the Raiders out to a 12-6 lead.

Mistakes crept in however and the Raiders began to lose ascendency in the battle, with the Broncos crossing for 2 late tries to take a 16-12 lead into the halftime break.

The Broncos continued to surge after the break and when Yow Yeh scored early in the second half it looked as though the wheels were beginning to fall off the Green Machine, with more errors creeping into their game.

A brilliant team try by the Raiders got them back into the contest, with the ball going through multiple sets of hands before man-of-the-match Josh Dugan placed a neat grubber through the line to winger Drury Low, who grabbed the ball on the fly and crossed in the corner for a classic grand final try.

Dugan's sideline conversion saw the Raiders close the gap to 2 points, before Dugan then backed up Travis Waddell to cross under the posts and give the Raiders a 24-20 lead.

Yow Yeh produced a great play in the shadows of fulltime, stripping the ball from Waddell's grasp and racing away to score out wide, but the missed conversion saw the game go into golden point time and set up a nail-biting finish to the match.

Canberra Raiders 28 (Michael Picker 2, Drury Low, Josh Dugan, Jarrad Kennedy tries; Josh Dugan 4 goals) d Brisbane Broncos 24 (Jharal Yow Yeh 2, Ben Hunt, Michael Spence, Brendon Gibb tries; Ben Hunt 2 goals) at ANZ Stadium

Travis Waddell running the ball

Joel Thompson saying g'day to a Welsh player during a schoolboys game in '06 (Photo : ourfooty media)

The CFMEU Canberra Raiders under-20s stormed through to the Toyota Cup playoff, with a tough 18-14 win over the St George Illawarra Dragons.

The minor premiers scored three first half tries and skipped to an 18-4 half time lead, before the Dragons crept back into the game early in the second period.

The battered and bruised Canberra side held on to their lead 18-14 for the final 20 minutes and coach Tony Adam said he was incredibly proud of the side's effort.

"I actually thought if we held the ball a bit more in the first half we could've got an even bigger lead," Adam said.

"But it was a very tough game and our physios will be busy this week."

Stand-in captain Joel Thompson was simply brilliant for the minor premiers. The former Junior Kangaroo made countless bursts down the left hand side and played through eye and rib injuries to inspire his team to victory.

"I had a big role to step in to [taking over the captaincy from Shaun Fensom], Shauno really knows how to lead good when he is in the team," Thompson said after the match.

"It was a pretty tough match, a very satisfying victory."

Justin Carney and Shaun Fensom have both vowed to return to the side for next week's decider, but it was the remaining players who stole the show in the preliminary final.

Utility forward Andrew Edwards was given Fensom's number 13 jumper, and he did it great justice. .

"All week the boys have been calling me Shaun Fensom at training and reminding me of how much work I would have to do in this game," Edwards said.

"It was the biggest game in a lot of these boys' lives and there were a lot of nerves around during the week. But today we showed we could do it."

St George Illawarra got the better start, with half back John Kennedy scoring in just the third minute.

The Dragons received good filed position on the back of a Nick Skinner infringement, before Jake Marketo broke the line and look destined to score. But Josh Dugan stripped the ball out of Marketo's hand, and it bounced around the in-goal area. Kennedy dived on the loose ball to put the Dragons in front.

But referee Phil Haines soon blew two penalties the Raiders' way and Green Machine captain, Joel Thompson pushed his way through the Dragons defensive line to level the match.

The Raiders scored again, in the 16th minute, with prop Nick Skinner finishing off a dazzling Raiders' try. On the last tackle, the Raiders worked the ball down the blind side and Drury Low scooted down the touch line. He chip-kicked the ball back on the inside and Skinner, backing up, caught the ball, stepped inside the cover defence and dived over the line.

The minor premiers had another two good chances to extend their lead, but each time an intercept pass was thrown close to the line.

The Dragons got up the other end with the help of back to back penalties and forced two goal-line drop outs from the Raiders. But the Raiders' line not only held strong, but some punching hits from Jarrod Croker and Andrew Edwards got the Raiders back on the front foot.

The first half was littered with big hits by both sides.

The Raiders scored on the brink of half time, with Andrew Edwards crossing between the uprights. Edwards - recalled into the starting team for injured captain Shaun Fensom - burst straight up the middle of the ruck and through the Dragons defence from close range to give the Raiders an 18-4 lead at the break.

The Dragons came out firing in the second half and almost scored when Marketo dropped the ball over the line for the second time in the match. But they didn't make the same mistake again.

St George Illawarra winger Daniel Nicastri pushed past Low to score in the corner and reduced the Raiders' lead to 10 points with just under half an hour left to play.

Some scrappy errors crept into the Raiders' game, and it looked like the game's physicality had taken its toll on the minor premiers.

The Dragons scored again, this time it was Clifford Morris who scored next to the uprights. The red and whites battered the Raiders defensive line, and Canberra just couldn't keep them out.

The final half hour was scoreless, but thrilling none-the-less.

Both teams threw everything at each other, and in the end the minor premiers just held on.

The Raiders were absolutely out on their feet, but their character and class shone through in the end.

The Raiders will now play the winner of Brisbane and the Warriors next Sunday.

Canberra Raiders Toyota Cup Captain Shaun Fensom recieves the Jersey Flegg Trophy for winning the NYC Minor Premiership

The Raiders were presented with the Jersey Flegg trophy for the Toyota Cup minor premiership at the end of the match, but team captain Shaun Fensom said his side's main goal was to win the Toyota Cup.

"It was nice to get the trophy in our hands, but we aren't done yet," Fensom said.

The win means the Raiders finish the regular season five points clear at the top of the national youth competition ladder, but coach Tony Adam insists his team will this week be looking forward, and not dwelling on their achievements to date.

"I thought we showed enough [against the Bulldogs], to show we are capable of winning the competition," Adam said.

"But it was a very messy, very open game and it wasn't an arm wrestle really. It was not one of our better performances of the year and we need to brush up on a few areas to make sure we get the results in semi-finals football."

The game was a dead-rubber for the Raiders, but they showed from the outset they had no intention of slackening off against the Bulldogs.

But the Raiders first half intention did not materialise into a half time lead, as they let in two late tries to trail 24-14 at the break.

The highlight of the first half for the Raiders was Drury Low's try in the 25th minute.

Low received the ball in broken play on the last tackle, before producing a massive left foot step to beat four Bulldogs defenders and win a sprint to the tryline.

But Low's step didn't make up for the whole team's poor first half execution and coach Adam didn't hold off at the half time break.

"A bit of a chat at half time about what we expect of each other and trying to control the game a bit better helped," Adam said.

"Words were said, and to their credit we came from 24-14 down and won the match."

While the match was just as scrappy in the second half, the Raiders showed their attacking flair and ability to score from broken play, with four straight second half tries sealing the win.

Dummy-half Travis Waddell stood-out for the Raiders, with a number of damaging runs up the middle of the ruck.

Waddell, who unluckily missed out on Toyota Cup team of the year selection, drew praise from his coach after the match.

"He [Waddell] played well," Adam said.

"He was certainly scheming in at nine and his run/pass selection was good and he was very good around the ruck.

"It was pleasing from his perspective and his defence – I thought he hit and stuck this week, where he was a little loose last week. He's certainly an important and integral part of our side."

Captain Shaun Fensom will this week address his players on the toughness of semi-finals football, although a number of the team did play in the under-20s semi finals last season.

The Raiders will play the Gold Coast Titans in week one of the semi-finals – a team they have already beaten twice this year.

Raiders Toyota Cup team of the year representatives Shaun Fensom, Justin Carney and Joel Thompson
2008 TOYOTA CUP TEAM OF THE YEAR
Fullback	Lachlan Coote	Penrith Panthers
Wing	Jharal Yow Yeh	Brisbane Broncos
Centre	Justin Carney	Canberra Raiders
Centre	Tony Williams	Parramatta Eels
Wing	Kevin Gordon	Gold Coast Titans
Five-Eighth	Ben Barba	Bulldogs
Halfback	Chris Sandow	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Prop	Russell Packer	Warriors
Hooker	Masada Iosefa	Penrith Panthers
Prop	John Kite	Bulldogs
Second Row	Joel Thompson	Canberra Raiders
Second Row	Daniel Harrison	Bulldogs
Lock	Shaun Fensom	Canberra Raiders
Interchange	Ben Hunt	Brisbane Broncos
Interchange	Matt Mundine	St George Illawarra Dragons
Interchange	Jordan Rapana	Gold Coast Titans
Interchange	Ben Matulino	Warriors

Captain and lock Shaun Fensom, second row forward Joel Thompson and centre Justin Carney were all named in the team, which has been made up of all the best young players involved in the first season of the Toyota Cup.

Fensom said being selected in the team of the year was a great honour, and was also a great reward for a fantastic team effort by the young Raiders.

“To be named in the first ever Toyota Cup team of the year is a wonderful achievement for not only us three but for the whole team,” Fensom said. “We’ve had a good year so far by winning the minor premiership and hopefully we can convert this into a grand final win in a few weeks time.”

Joel Thompson said inclusion in the team was a bonus heading into the finals and after being cleared of a suspected broken jaw this week he was expecting more hard work in the weeks ahead.

“It was great that we got the minor premiership following our hard work this year, and to top it off with being named second rower of the year in the Toyota Cup is pretty good as well,” Thompson said. “We have a fair way to go before the end of the year so we need to stay focused on the weeks ahead.”

Justin Carney said it had been a huge year for him after getting the opportunity to play top grade footy, and despite an ankle injury was hopeful of being involved somewhere in September.

“It’s great to be named in the team and I’ve really had a year to remember with making my NRL debut as well,” Carney said. “I’m not entirely sure yet if I can be back in time this year but hopefully I can get my ankle right and be there before the end.”

Raiders Toyota Cup Coach Tony Adam said having three of his players in the team of the year was fantastic recognition for the Raiders, and great reward for fine seasons from the trio.

“They’ve worked very hard this year, and I think with the rigors of the competition and the amount of work we’ve done we’ve managed to put together a consistent side,” Adam said. “Congratulations to the boys and it’s a small feather in the cap for these three, but we’re obviously looking at the bigger picture at the moment.”

Travis Waddell on the burst against the Knights (Photo : Canberra Raiders)

RAIDERS DISTRICT REP'S '09 TRIALS NOMINATION FORM

Please indicate the trial you will be attending by ticking the corresponding box below Local Trials – Northbourne Oval Under 16s - Friday 19 September assemble at 5:00pm to trial at 5:30pm Under 18s - Tuesday 23 September assemble at 6:00pm to trial at 6:30pm Open Trials – Raiders HQ Under 16s - Saturday 27 September assemble at 8:30am to trial at 9:00am Under 18s - Saturday 27 September assemble at 9:30am to trial at 10:30am Under 20s/Opens - Saturday 27 September assemble at 11:00am to trial at 12:00pm Players selected from the local trial, may be required to trial again on Saturday 27 September. Players participating in the CRJRL Senior Grand Finals will not be required to trial. Please note a “NO REGISTRATION, NO TRIAL POLICY” will apply.

The Canberra Raiders under-20s will be looking for revenge when they travel to Sydney this weekend to take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

When the two teams met three months ago in round 10, the Rabbitohs rocked the Raiders, ending the Greens’ five match winning streak with a dominant 38-12 win at Canberra stadium.

On that night, the Raiders were without a host of star players, including Josh Dugan, Justin Carney, Joel Thompson, Matt Smith, Travis Waddell and Nick Skinner, while the Rabbitohs were capably steered around the park by the now NRL half, Chris Sandow.

While the Raiders refused to attribute that loss to having their first-choice fullback, hooker and half (amongst others) on the sideline, they are confident they can roll the Rabbitohs and continue their charge to the minor premiership.

“We’ll have a look at how they play, set up a game plan and if we stick to that and complete our sets then we’ll come away with it [the win] I am pretty confident,” Toyota Cup captain Shaun Fensom said.

“We’ve developed a lot as a team since then [round 10], we’ve worked hard and will be looking to show the Rabbitohs how we’ve improved since they beat us.”

The Raiders enter the match with the confidence of a six-game winning streak that has seen them skip four points clear at the top of the Toyota Cup ladder. Coach Tony Adam has named an unchanged team from last weekend’s big win over the Knights.

But Fensom said his side was keen to improve on last week’s effort.

“I think they [the Knights] got us on both edges a few times, so we’ll go back and have a look at what went wrong and then do a few reps at training to make sure it doesn’t happen again this week,” he said.

“We haven’t hit our straps yet, we’ll peak in time for the semi finals.”

The Raiders are the only team assured of a top-four semi finals spot, while only a win for the Bunnies will be good enough to keep their season alive. The Rabbitohs are in 10th position, five points shy of eighth position.

The Canberra Raiders' under-20s are a step closer to taking the Toyota Cup minor premiership, after a clinical 42-12 victory over the second placed Penrith Panthers at Canberra stadium on Sunday.

Five-straight wins has the fast-finishing Raiders in the box seat for the silverware, but Raiders' coach Tony Adam refused to label his side as the team to beat after their latest win.

Instead, Adam was keen to identify his side’s areas for improvement. On top of the list was to play consistently for 80 minutes.

"We know its week in week out, that’s a challenge, but I think the way the coaching staff are we don’t let them get too far ahead of ourselves, so we know it’s all about finding ways to improve," Adam said.

"That’s the key. And we’re never satisfied - that’s our motto. We’ll go through the game and look at areas where we could’ve been better, and at the end of the game it’s about the quality over the 80 minutes. We had some poor patches there."

The Raiders started strongly, with prop Nick Skinner and captain Shaun Fensom keen to prove themselves against the bigger Penrith side. Skinner and Fensom punched through the Penrith defensive line and refused to take a backward step for the whole game.

"We started off the game really well, but then had a lull 10 minutes before half time which gave them a sense of if they could control possession they were a chance of getting over us," he said.

"But then we went out there and reasserted ourselves in the second half and at the end we ran away with it. It was probably tighter than the score line indicates with a few soft tries at the end which I know their coach will probably be disappointed about."

Winger Drury Low opened the scoring for the Raiders in the fourth minute, taking a cut-out pass from Travis Waddell and dashing down the left-hand touchline to score.

Waddell scored one of his own minutes later, and ever-present fullback Josh Dugan put the Raiders further in front with another try and the home side lead 16-nil after 22 minutes.

But the Panthers hit back, aided by some mistake-riddled play by the Raiders. Panthers' fullback Zorame Watene looked dangerous, and made a number of breaks up the middle of the ruck.

The Panthers hit back before half time, halfback Joel Romelo scoring a try to keep give them some hope of returning home with the two competition points and regaining the top spot on the ladder.

But early in the second half, man of the match Fensom put the game out of the Panthers' reach.

Fensom busted through the Penrith defensive line and ran 60-metres when he was finally brought down metres short of the try line. On the next tackle, Waddell chipped across field and unstoppable Daniel Vidot stormed onto the ball and crashed over the line.

Six minutes later, Fensom scored one of his own, muscling over from close range.

‘"The game was there to be won and he [Fensom] came up with that 60-metre run and he followed it up with a try," Adam said.

"I thought that really put us on the front foot and gave us an injection of confidence. I thought we fed off that, he’s playing really good footy and his improvement in little areas of his game is very pleasing.

"He’s come on leaps and bounds this year, he’s playing some good footy and I think all the boys love playing and feed off him."

The Vidot steam train keeps rolling, with the massive 18-year old scoring his seventh try in three games, and his left-edge combination with fellow SG Ball back Drury Low is getting better every game.

Raiders NYC celebrate

The Canberra Raiders' Toyota Cup season is back on track, after last week's away win against Parramatta.

At the halfway mark, the side sits in third place on the ladder, three points behind top placed St George Illawarra and only two behind Penrith.

I caught up with coach Tony Adam this week, to get his thoughts on the first half of the season.

AM: AT THE HALFWAY MARK, IS THE TEAM AHEAD OF WHERE YOU EXPECTED IT TO BE?

TA: No. We are just after consistency at the moment and at the halfway mark I guess you can look and reflect and see where you are at.

We have played some good footy and had some good wins, but we have also struggled at times too. We are in third spot on the ladder, but we are not far from the pack and a lot can change between rounds 10 and 20.

We are reasonable content with where we're at, last week's performance against Parramatta shows what we can do when we turn up, but two weeks ago our pants were pulled down when we didn't.

I think those two weeks have taught the boys the difference between a good and a bad performance and the necessity of switching on and doing a job.

DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE PLAYED LIKE A TOP FOUR TEAM?

We started off very well early, but have since been scrutinised by other sides. We need to continue to evolve. At the moment we have a preferred style of playing and sides are recognising that style and individuals who perform well within it.

Opposition sides are name dropping blokes like Justin Carney, Joel Thompson and Josh Dugan – they know what these blokes can do and are developing plans to minimise and nullify these players.

WHERE CAN YOUR TEAM IMPROVE?

Decision making in the halves - at the moment we are creating some really good chances to apply pressure but we are not capitalising though our kicking game, by failing to get repeat sets and score tries.

When we do kick well it backs up a lot of the good work we do in our yardage game and it applies pressure to the opposition.

Defensively - we need to be more consistent in defence. We can hit, we have shown that, but sometimes we clock off and get a bit lazy especially around the ruck. We can intimidate, but we have to develop that further, and once again it comes back to consistency.

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN HAPPY WITH?

Our support play has been good. Again our yardage and our dummy-half play has come along really well. We build momentum with speed down the short side and our shape on the edges of the ruck is improving each week.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE WIN?

Some of them seem like so long ago. When we beat Penrith (round two) the game was in the balance and we kicked away and ended up beating them quite well.

We were up against a bigger team and the boys showed they can tough it out and physically dominate the fight. Even last week against Parramatta we showed we can get ourselves up for a game – the side can lift.

ARE ANY OF YOUR PLAYERS READY TO PLAY IN THE NRL?

They are not far off. I am confident that we have a couple there that would make a fair fist of it if they got selected. Justin Carney - whilst he has a bit to learn, physically he is well equipped to handle it and Joel Thompson is thereabouts too.

I am also confident that if Josh Dugan can do everything right off the field then he too could handle first grade.

THE TEAM HAS HAD SOME DISCIPLINARY PROBLEMS SO FAR THIS YEAR. DO YOU EXPECT THEY ARE NOW OVER?

I do. I hope every player is committing to what the team expectations are. As management we have drawn a line in the sand in regards to what we expect and at the end of the day we would like to think those guys are committed to the team environment.

It comes down to the choices individual players make, and only they can make those choices and I'd like to think they would make the right choices.

I cannot categorically say that we will have no more problems, but I am confident the decisions we have made to date will discourage any more problems.

HAS IT BEEN HARD DROPPING PLAYERS FOR DISCIPLINARY REASONS WHEN YOU KNOW THE EFFECT THAT MAY HAVE ON THE TEAM?

No. At the end of the day it's about educating the players about the commitments that go with being a professional footballer. It's a privilege to be in this environment, and there are a couple of players who sometimes forget that.

WHICH PLAYERS HAVE STOOD OUT IN THEIR PERFORMANCES TO DATE?

Matty Smith has played well; Justin Carney's been good; Joel Thompson has missed quite a few games but he has been very good on an edge when he has played; Josh Dugan has shown a lot; Shaun Fensom has been very solid and consistent; Andrew Edwards playing in the front row has done very well – he needs a little bit more size, but he doesn't shirk it; Nick Skinner is improving each week.. who haven't I named?

I have been happy with performances from our whole squad, but it's about consistency.

WHO HAS SHOWN THE MOST IMPROVEMENT?

Todd Rheinberger - when he came to the club this year from Albury he was very raw. He had raw talent which we have tried to nurture.

He has been rewarded with a bench spot now and we are starting to see some good things from him and he is showing more accountability. He has a long way to go yet, but signs are impressive.

At the start of the year you said the team's goal was to make the top six. Have you re-evaluated this goal given the current status at third?

Justin Carney plaing against the Titans

And it all starts this weekend against the Wests Tigers.

The club's Toyota Cup team have played just the one game at home this season - two weeks ago when they went down in a high scoring game against the St George Illawarra Dragons.

But last weekend, they bounced back in the best possible way - by registering a win, albeit it an away win up on the Gold Coast.

A try in the final 10-seconds to in-form centre Justin Carney put the Raiders in front and added to his impressive try scoring record this season. After four games, the Raiders have three wins and one loss.