Canberra Raiders maintain their unbeaten home games record against the Newtown Jets

Newtown’s unbeaten record in the 2025 NSW Cup competition ended last Saturday, when they were decisively beaten by the Canberra Raiders 42-14, after the Raiders had led 18-8 at the break.

The match was played at the Raiders Belconnen Stadium, with Newtown missing quality players such as Billy Burns, Mawene Hiroti and Brad Fearnley who had been key performers in Newtown’s run of four successive wins.

The Jets opened the scoring in the fourth minute when the team captain Jayden Berrell sent a grubber kick into the Raiders in-goal where it was seized upon by lock forward Hohepa Puru.

The Raiders posted three converted tries before Newtown centre Michael Gabrael scored just prior to halftime, after Niwhai Puru had taken one of his trademark intercepts, denying what might well have been the Raiders fourth try.

Newtown was right back in the game early in the second half when the young prop Jontay-Junior Betham-Misa won the race to touch down a clever in-goal kick positioned by Hohepa Puru. Trailing 18-14, the Jets seemed poised for a second half comeback but this converted try proved to be Newtown’s last points for the day.

Jets fullback Adam Dykes was making his comeback from a long layoff due to a serious knee injury, and he nearly scored with one of his exhilarating, side-stepping runs. As fate would have it, the Raiders scored almost immediately after Dykes’s evasive run to extend their lead to 24-14.

The Raiders went on to add three more converted tries, two of which came from a dazzling array of off-loads and flick passes that possibly out-performed the thrilling match-winning try scored by their Raiders NRL club-mates on the previous Thursday night.

The match statistics made it fairly clear why and how Newtown lost this game. Newtown missed at least three try-scoring chances that would have changed the balance of the game. The Jets ran up an embarrassing missed tackles count and the Raiders powerful forward pack dominated the midfield and made several clean breaks straight through the middle. Canberra enjoyed a big surplus of possession in the second half and that is when the Green Machine piled the points on.

One Canberra club official told me after Saturday’s game that the Raiders NSW Cup group of team officials and players were keenly motivated by memories of last year’s 18-16 preliminary final loss to Newtown.

The Jets travel across “The Ditch” for this Saturday’s tilt against the undefeated competition leaders, the New Zealand Warriors.

Details from last Saturday’s match in Canberra:

NSWRL Knock-On Effect NSW Cup
Round 5
Saturday, 5th April 2025
Raiders Belconnen Stadium (Holt, ACT)
Canberra Raiders v Newtown
Kick-Off: 3.00pm.

Weather: Sunny, slight breeze, 20 degrees

Playing Surface: Excellent

Referee: Jake Sutherland

Touch Judges: Tom Cambourn, Mitchell Stone

Match Result:

Canberra Raiders 42:
Jed Stuart 2, Adam Cook,

Jensen Taumoepeau, Joe Roddy,
Michael Asomua, Jalen Asamasaga tries;

Adam Cook 7 conversions

defeated
Newtown 14:
Hohepa Puru, Michael Gabrael,

Jontay-Junior Betham-Misa tries;

Niwhai Puru 1 conversion.

Half-Time: Canberra Raiders led 18-8.

Match Highlights:
https://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2025/04/05/the-knock-on-effect-nsw-cup-highlights–round-five—raiders-v-jets/

NSWRL Knock-On Effect NSW Cup competition table after 5 rounds:
https://www.nswrl.com.au/ladder/?competition=113&round=5&season=2025

Newtown’s team was:

Fullback: Kade Dykes
Wingers: Kristian Dixon, Eli Clark
Centres: Chris Vea’íla, Michael Gabrael
Halves: Riley Pollard, Niwhai Puru
Lock: Hohepa Puru
Second-Rowers: Jordin Leiu, Tevita Taumoepenu

Front-Rowers: Lachlan Crouch, Jesse Colquhoun
Hooker: Jayden Berrell (Captain)
Interchange:
Jontay-Junior Betham-Misa, Josh Cook,
Billy Magoulias, Kyle Pickering
Concussion Substitute: Chris Slater-Raptis
Coach: George Ndaira.

The Canberra Raiders team was:

Fullback: Chevy Stewart
Wingers: Michael Asomua, Jensen Taumoepeau
Centres: Manaia Waitere, Jed Stuart

Halves: Jalen Afamasaga, Adam Cook
Lock: Myles Martin
Second-Rowers: Noah Martin, Joe Roddy
Front-Rowers: Trey Mooney, Pasami Saulo
Hooker: Danny Levi
Interchange:
Vena Patuki-Case, Peter Taateo
Ethan Alala, Jaxon Lavender
Concussion Substitute: Mitchell Prest
Coach: Chris Lewis

Match Timeline:
Abbreviations: Newtown – N; Canberra Raiders – CR.
First Half:
Newtown kicked off, running to the southern end of the ground.

2nd minute: Trey Mooney (CR) on report.
4th minute: Hohepa Puru (N) try.
Not converted. Newtown 4-0.
9th minute: Adam Cook (CR) try
Converted by Adam Cook. Raiders 6-4.
20th minute: Jed Stuart (CR) try.

Converted by Adam Cook. Raiders 12-4.
30th minute: Jed Stuart (Raiders) try.
Converted by Adam Cook. Raiders 18-4.
35th minute: Michael Gabrael (N) try.
Not converted. Raiders 18-8.
Half-Time: Raiders led 18-8.
Second Half:
43rd minute: Jontay-Junior Betham-Misa (N) try.

Converted by Niwhai Puru. Raiders 18-14.

52nd minute: Jensen Taumoepeau (CR) try.
Converted by Adam Cook. Raiders 24-14.
54th minute: Billy Magoulias (N) on report.

57th minute: Joe Roddy (CR) try.

Converted by Adam Cook. Raiders 30-14.
62nd minute: Michael Asomua (CR) try.
Converted by Adam Cook. Raiders 36-14.
67th minute: Jalen Afamasaga (CR) try.
Converted by Adam Cook. Raiders 42-14.

Full-Time: Canberra Raiders 42 defeated Newtown 14.

Match Statistics: –
Abbreviations: Newtown – N; Canberra Raiders – CR.
Newtown player statistics:
Jordin Leiu – 38 tackles;
Michael Gabrael – 179 run metres;

Kade Dykes – 1 line break.
Team statistics:
Possession: CR 61%, N 39%
Time in possession: CR 25.30, N 16.40
Completions: CR 81% (30/37), N 78% (25/32)
All runs: CR 164, N 113
All run metres: CR 1561, N 998
Post contact: CR 502, N 255
Line breaks: CR 8, N 2
Tackle breaks: CR 69, N 13
Average set distance: CR 42, N 31
Kick returns: CR 168m, N 54m
Average PTB speed: CR 3.46s, N 3.81s
Offloads: CR 21, N 5
Receipts: CR 349, N 262
Total passes: CR 177, N 154
Kicks: CR 15, N 12
Kick metres: CR 314, N 327
Forced drop-outs: CR 2, N 0
Kick defusal: CR 75%, N 43% Bombs: CR 3 N 2
Grubbers: CR 7, N 5
Effective tackles: CR 88.9%, N 74.3%
Tackles made: CR 201, N 286
Missed tackles: CR 13, N 69
Intercepts: CR 0, N 1
Ineffective tackles: CR 12, N 30
Errors: CR 6, N 10
Penalties conceded: R 13, N 7
Ruck infringements: CR 1, N 2
Inside 10 metres: CR 2, N 1
On report: CR 3, N 2
Sin Bins: CR 1, N 0
Interchanges: CR 8, N 8.

Newtown’s next game details:

NSWRL Knock-On Effect NSW Cup
Round 6
Saturday, 12th April 2025
The Trusts Arena, Henderson (Auckland)
New Zealand Warriors v Newtown
Kick-Off: 11.00am (AEST); 1.00pm (NZST).