It was a game the Canberra Raiders controlled, but they just couldn't land a killer blow and the undermanned Sydney Roosters almost pinched it at the death.
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But the Green Machine held on for a 24-16 victory at Canberra Stadium on Sunday that sent them back into the top eight.
It came off the back of a first-half masterclass from Raiders winger Jordan Rapana in front of 14,786 fans.
He scored two brilliant tries, ran for 156 metres and somehow stopped the Roosters from scoring a certain second-half try.
Rapana has scored 11 tries this season to continue on from his stunning 2016.
His first try came off a Joey Leilua off-load before he beat three Roosters from long range and his second when an overlap had appeared to disappear before he stepped back inside to open the door again.
It prompted NRL guru Gus Gould to exclaim: "He'd slip through a keyhole, Rapana".
But arguably his most important effort came in the second half when the Roosters appeared certain to score.
They had a three-man overlap and 30m to work in with only Rapana to beat, somehow he convinced Sydney lock Zane Tetevano to hold on to the ball and go for the try himself only to be stopped in his tracks.
Rapana's brace came after Roosters captain Jake Friend marked his 200th NRL game with a try, jumping out of dummy half to score nine minutes into the game.
With Origin fever engulfing the NRL, the Raiders' ultra-consistent captain Jarrod Croker kept his name on the NSW Blues selectors' radar.
Having last week become the fourth youngest player to reach 200 NRL games, Croker brought up his 1500th NRL point - just the 18th player to do so.
He read Canberra halfback Aidan Sezer's grubber perfectly as he continues to close in on the Raiders' all-time try-scoring record.
The home side took a 16-6 lead into half-time off the back of a strong 40 minutes from Raiders big boppers Junior Paulo (99m) and Shannon Boyd (91m).
While the Raiders dominated the second half, they couldn't finish the Roosters off, who hung in grimly despite having five players out for Origin.
It appeared the Raiders would simply grind it out for a much-needed win, until Tetevano bombed his try.
The Green Machine might've felt they'd weathered the storm, but they turned the ball over shortly afterwards and the Roosters capitalised with winger Joseph Manu diving over in the corner to make it interesting.
A Croker penalty goal made it a six-point game before Latrell Mitchell scored a long-range try to give the Roosters hope with six minutes to go.
Roosters fullback Michael Gordon couldn't convert from the sideline to level the scores, before Sezer swooped on a loose ball to score on the siren and seal the result.
The Raiders now travel to face Manly at Brookvale on Sunday, while the Roosters host Brisbane at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
AT A GLANCE
CANBERRA RAIDERS 24 (Jordan Rapana 2, Jarrod Croker, Aidan Sezer tries; Croker 4 goals) bt SYDNEY ROOSTERS 16 (Jake Friend, Joseph Manu, Latrell Mitchell tries; Michael Gordon 2 goals) at Canberra Stadium. Referees: Henry Perenara, Dave Munro. Crowd: 14,786.