The Canberra Raiders clinched a tense 26-25 victory in golden point over the Dolphins at Kayo Stadium on Saturday night.

In a back-and-forth encounter, the Green Machine sealed the win courtesy of Jordan Rapana’s decisive field goal.

Following a 44-16 loss to the Roosters the previous week, the Raiders were determined to bounce back against the fourth-placed Dolphins.

The Dolphins’ hooker, Jeremy Marshall-King, opened the scoring with an early try, giving the away side a 6-0 lead.

However, Xavier Savage responded swiftly, collecting a kick bomb from Kaeo Weekes to score behind the goal posts. Rapana’s successful conversion leveled the score at six-all after 13 minutes.

Building on this momentum, the Raiders capitalized on a Dolphins knock-on as young gun Ata Mariota sliced through for his second career try.

Despite the Raiders’ strong defensive efforts, an offload from Dolphins center Herbie Farnsworth allowed Jack Bostock to break through and score, tying the game once again at 12-all.

The contest continued to sway back and forth, with both teams’ defensive lines holding firm until Elliot Whitehead spun and touched down on Canberra’s last tackle.

Rapana’s successful conversion extended the Raiders’ lead to six points heading into halftime.

The Dolphins quickly responded in the second half, with center Jake Averillo touching down after a series of slippery knock-ons from both sides.

The Green Machine regained the lead when halfback Kaeo Weekes broke through off a sharp pass from Rapana.

Redcliffe leveled the scores once more through Kurt Donoghoe, who showed agility to score over the line, making it 24-all.

In a tense final ten minutes, both teams exchanged one-point penalty field goals, with Isaako for the Dolphins and Rapana for the Raiders, bringing the game to golden point.

After multiple desperate attempts, the Raiders emerged victorious in the 87th minute with Rapana’s decisive field goal.

With the hard-fought 26-25 win secured, the Raiders can now look forward to a bye in the next round.