Canberra struck late to deny the Vodafone Junior Warriors the chance of a second straight win today in their debut campaign in the S G Ball Cup under-18 competition.
Both teams were coming off opening day victories ahead of the encounter at Belconnen Oval in Canberra.
The home side had beaten Parramatta 30-16 while the Vodafone Junior Warriors saw off the Victoria Thunderbolts 36-16.
And when second rower Zyon Maiu’u scored his second try with 13 minutes left, the Vodafone Junior Warriors were just 28-32 down and with a real shot at going back-to-back.
It wasn’t to be as Jack Williams completed a hat-trick to take the Raiders 36-28 clear.
Earlier the Vodafone Junior Warriors had scored four tries in the first half, leading 12-10 at one stage and then 24-22 at the break.
At Belconnen Oval, Canberra
Canberra Raiders 36 (Jack Williams 3, Connor Williams, Ethan Foster, Junior Tupou, Kane Smith tries; Junior Tupou 4 conversions).
Vodafone Junior Warriors 28 (Zyon Maiu’u 2, Sione Moala, Josh Karapani, Taniela Otukolo tries; Sione Moala 2 conversions; Sebastyan Jack 2 conversions).
Halftime: 24-22 Vodafone Junior Warriors.
