‘Don’t Count Us Out’: Joseph Tapine Braces for Tension as Raiders Stage Dramatic Comeback Against Titans

Canberra has navigated a sluggish start to make a strong claim for a spot in the NRL’s top four, clinching a remarkable comeback victory in a back-and-forth contest against the Titans.

Beau Fermor opened the scoring just five minutes in, capitalising on a clever grubber kick to put the home side ahead early at Cbus Super Stadium.

Jojo Fifita and AJ Brimson built on that promising start, with the Titans adding three consecutive tries from kicks, putting the Raiders under significant pressure.

As if things couldn’t get worse, captain Joseph Tapine found himself on report for a high tackle on opposing prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard, which left Campbell-Gillard bleeding from the nose.

Despite being reported for the incident, Tapine avoided a sin-bin, which took Michael Ennis by surprise during commentary, especially after the league’s recent crackdown on such tackles.

“Tapine was trying to make a statement,” Ennis noted on Fox League.

“Viliame Kikau split Campbell Graham the other day, and that was deemed light force. We won’t even get into the topic of medium force—let’s leave that for another day.”

Having already faced suspension earlier in the season, Tapine’s potential charge could sideline him for the next match.

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Campbell-Gillard remained on the pitch with tissues stuffed in his nose and carried the ball straight into Tom Starling, who executed a ball-dislodging tackle, igniting a brief scuffle between the squads.

Once the experienced prop exited the field, the Titans began to falter as Savelio Tamale and Hudson Young helped pull Canberra back into the game, followed by Ethan Strange equalising just before the halftime break.

Riding that momentum, Canberra came out strong in the second half, with Seb Kris putting them ahead for the first time in the match.

The back-and-forth nature of the game persisted as Allan Fitzgibbon scored his inaugural NRL try in only his second match, though the Raiders began to rack up errors.

The uncertainty surrounding hip-drop tackles continued, with Young appearing to be in discomfort after a challenge from Jaylan De Groot, but officials chose not to penalise the Titans fullback for the incident.

With less than 20 minutes remaining, Fitzgibbon seemed to have restored the Titans’ lead, but the Bunker stepped in to rule that Brimson had knocked on earlier in the play.

This decision proved detrimental for Gold Coast, as they soon conceded a penalty, allowing the Raiders to march upfield and extend their lead to eight points, with Young scoring his second try of the match.

“He’s in outstanding form,” Ennis remarked.

“It’s astonishing that the Titans didn’t respond when Young got the ball.”

The 30-20 victory marked Canberra’s fifth win in their first seven outings, putting them level on 10 competition points with the Warriors and Storm.

Next weekend, Canberra will host the Dolphins, while the struggling Titans head north to Townsville for a critical clash against the Cowboys that they must win.