The Canberra Raiders Toyota Cup team blew an early lead, to go down 38-20 at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.

The match started positively for the green machine, racing to a 12-0 lead after just ten minutes. Captain Sam Williams was first to post points, a gaping hole opened up in the South Sydney defence after the halfback threw a well timed dummy and strolled over the line.

Five minutes later the Raiders were in again. Centre Drury Low made a half break before linking up with winger Michael Thomas who clinically drew the Rabbitohs fullback to set up the try for Chris Medcalf.

From there things went sour as the Rabbitohs scored four tries to one before the half time buzzer. Trailing 22-16 the Raiders were still well in the game but momentum was firmly with the bunnies.

To make matters worse Souths’ five eighth Matt Mundine scored after a knock-on wasn’t picked up by referee Adam Gee earlier in the set. At 28-16 it was always going to be a long road back for the home team and they weren’t able to stem the flow of points, Souths scoring in the sixty fourth minute to put the game to bed.

The Raiders struggled to stay in the contest after that and Souths fullback Malcolm Webster scored a soft try just moments later.

A try right on full time was little consolation considering a spot in the top four was up for grabs. “I know we can be a top four side consistently but we can’t afford to lose matches like that at home.” Captain Sam Williams said. “I know that we can be a lot better than that, especially on a big day like this.”

Coach David Hamilton said his team became complacent after their early lead. “I think they just thought it would happen too easy, Souths have let teams skip away before and come back exactly like they did today.” “Some key players didn’t have a good day today, we pushed some things, did some dumb things too, we’ve got to be more patient.” Hamilton explained.

Williams was more critical of his teams performance. “I know that we can be a lot better than that, especially on a big day like this.” He said. According to the halfback it was their “line speed and attitude in defence” that let them down.

Williams is confident his team can push into the top four this year but admits their home record is beginning to be a concern. “I know we can be a top four side consistently but we can’t afford to lose matches like that at home.”

The Raiders look to continue their good form out of Canberra when they cross the Bass Strait next weekend to take on the New Zealand Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium.

South Sydney Rabbitohs 38 (H O’Donnell 2, M Mundine, N Peats, A Reynolds, J Vaivai, M Webster tries; A Reynolds 5 goals) bt Canberra Raiders 20 (D Low, S Loxley, C Medcalf, S Williams tries; C Medcalf 2 goals) at Canberra Stadium.