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The Canberra Raiders have progressed to the semi-finals of the Tarsha Gale Cup, defeating the South Sydney Rabbitohs 30-18 at the Belmore Sports Ground.
After conceding the first try of the match in the opening minutes, a critical passage saw the Raiders score 18 unanswered points and put themselves on the front foot to set up what was ultimately a match-winning lead.
Niravana Ngan-Woo was dominant for Canberra, crossing for one try and having a leading hand in two others to cap off a stunning performance.
Two-try hero Hunter Machell also played dominantly, aiming up in defence and completing the try of the match with a 70-metre effort in the fourth quarter.
Raquel Willoughby and Bryanna Murray were among the shining lights for South Sydney in a solid team effort, but one that fell short.
Kobe Dymock got the scoring underway for South Sydney in the opening minutes of the game with some nice footwork, but Canberra assumed the lead not long after when a rampaging Nirvana Ngan-Woo scored under the posts without a finger being laid on her, converting her own try to take the lead to 6-4.
After withstanding pressure from the South Sydney attack, the lead was extended just moments before the buzzer when the Raiders went the length of the field in a set, with Samantha Cross giving Canberra a 10-4 first quarter advantage.
The lead grew to 14 not long after the start of the second quarter with Cross grabbing her second after racing down the touchline, and Hunter Machell scoring off the back of a 70-metre burst from Ngan-Woo.
A superb backline movement saw the Rabbitohs earn four points of their own through Tatum Allchin, taking the score to 18-8 at half-time.
South Sydney continued to mount pressure early in the third quarter when Kaytlan Mathes cut the lead back to just six points, giving the side a renewed sense of energy.
That was taken away from them though when a penalty for a hair-pull gave Canberra repeat sets close to the South Sydney line and resulted in a try to Jana Teivonen, helping them to a 22-12 lead with just a single quarter remaining.
The game was put beyond doubt early in the fourth quarter when Ngan-Woo spectacularly drew defenders in and offloaded to Machell on her own 30-metre line to race away for her second try of the morning.
The loss eliminates South Sydney from the Tarsha Gale Cup for season 2017, whilst Canberra faces Cronulla next weekend to try and book their spot in the Preliminary Finals.
Canberra Raiders 30 (Tries: Samantha Cross 2, Hunter Machel 2, Jana Teivonen 2, Nirvana Ngan-Woo Nirvana, Goals: Ngan-Woo) defeated South Sydney Rabbitohs
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