Canberra have handed Wests Tigers their sixth straight NRL loss and biggest of the season by far with a brutal 60-6 win at GIO Stadium on Saturday.
Hooker Josh Hodgson was a standout and winger Jordan Rapana scored four stunning tries as the Raiders more than made up for two recent dismal performances against Parramatta and Cronulla.
Englishman Hodgson had four try assists and was as influential as ever around the ruck, justifying his lead in the Dally M Medal count heading into this round.
Coach Ricky Stuart called on his forwards to “man up” this week and that they did, no doubt impressing the 100-plus past players watching from the stands – including club legends Craig Bellamy and Mal Meninga.
Paul Vaughan and Josh Papalii led the way, with Vaughan scoring a try and clocking up 172m from 18 runs.
Rapana and BJ Leilua (two tries) were again a lethal combination on the right edge as both crossed for four-pointers multiple times.
The Raiders failed to score in the first half against the Eels and Sharks in their previous two games and conceded 76 points, but made sure there was no repeat of that in front of 13,420 home fans on Saturday.
They scored two tries in the opening 10 minutes via Elliott Whitehead and Shannon Boyd, with Rapana adding another two for a 22-6 lead at the break.
Skipper Jarrod Croker closed in on the club’s all-time point-scoring record with eight conversions and a try early in the second half, which was followed quickly by tries to Vaughan, Leilua, Rapana and Aidan Sezer.
The only sour note was an ankle injury to Joe Tapine, while the Tigers also had apparent injuries to Dene Halatau (thumb) and Kevin Naiqama (concussion).
The Tigers had not lost six games in a row since 2014.
They next play South Sydney on Thursday and the Raiders travel to Bathurst to play Penrith next Saturday.
Footy 101
Guest
Were the Raiders that good or the Tigers that bad? Was it just one of those days for both sides? Biggest test now comes for the Raiders, consistently has always been their issue recent years. Now is their chance to try to get away from the inconsistency tag
twodogs
Guest
Terrible coach is JT. Nothing else to say.
Womblat
Guest
He was a great player, especially for his size. But those who can do, can't necessarily coach.
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
I was in the mood for Shark Burgers today, but had to settle for a Panther Burger. Poor old Penny Panther fans need to change the batteries in their pace-makers. They'll be playing finals football despite their wobbly start to the year.
Bonza
Roar Rookie
good point Dean, massively underrated are the juicy HJ burgers. The Penrith of the burger restaurants in fact....possibly?
The power of Will
Roar Pro
Great combination between Rapana and Leilua 2. I though farah played well that day
sham
Guest
For a start he is taking close to a million a year which creates big issues for their cap. He is no longer worth anything like that. To be fair he probably accepted unders in his prime. It is hard to believe that they are paying a full cap for that squad. Farah appears to have seen off two coaches and probably will contribute to a third coach getting punted. Hard to see how this is positive. A good experienced coach would be crazy to go to a club that just keeps punting coaches. Having said that it is hard to feel too sorry for Taylor given the role he allegedly played in the demise of Peter Louis at the Bears.
The eye
Guest
Why is this Farrah's fault ? He's playing with an absolutely miserable pack..not one who played yesterday would make the Raiders starting side or bench,and all played painfully 3 notches under their very limited capabilities.. He 's not the captain,he no longer leads this team..that was taken from him,didnt say more than a couple of boos all day..and his backs,all back peddled when it mattered... Didnt drop any ball,error sheet free..44 tackles.. There was just no respect for the jersey..by any player.. Have a look at Hodgson's stats from last weeks trampling and tell why those 40 points weren't his responsibility (using the same twisted logic)...
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Bonza - The burgers are better at HJ's.
Bonza
Roar Rookie
yes, Ivan Cleary finished off the burger thankfully
Red Dog
Guest
Did you make your own burger , just to make him feel just a bit more useless ?
Bonza
Roar Rookie
Farah...sigh....anyway I was just served at McDonalds George Street by Jason Taylor. He looked quite happy to be there to be honest.
turbodewd
Guest
1. The Raiders Hodgson, Rapana and Leilua are on fire...even in last week's loss to the Sharks. 2. Jason Taylor may be the coach of the Tigers, but Farah runs the club. The so-called Blues hooker was utterly outplayed by Hodgson. Farah is old and a has-been....alas he will be a Blue due to Daley's loyalty to him (reverse loyalty is weird...) The Tigers will continue to be crap until Farah is fired.
Joe
Roar Rookie
That was embarrassing for the Tigers. I expected the Raiders to come out firing and win but not to that extent. Some days everything just goes your way and it was the case in this game. The Raiders could do no wrong, passes stuck, kicks bounced in the right direction but also the forwards came to play and made big meters and the defense was strong. Tigers have to do more than their wide plays to Tedesco because teams have worked that out. Will be a desperate game next week against and equally desperate Rabbits side.
Red Dog
Guest
JT must be wishing he'd listened to the people that said " Don't do it " before taking on the job at the Tigers , what a joke this team is.
Crank Yanker
Guest
Tigers have slid a long way in recent times. Chin up boys, whacking day is coming for Parramatta. They will soon be sitting below you beleaguered cats on the ladder. The winds of hurt are blowing Rand. May god bestow his grace on thee Eels, for your sake.