Wighton’s turbulent week ends in tears and triumph as Raiders sneak home
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Jamal Fogarty’s 84th-minute field goal has helped Canberra avoid a disastrous defeat and beat the Dolphins 31-30 in NRL golden point in Wagga Wagga.
Jack Wighton capped his week in the headlines with a stunning display to help the Raiders lead 18-0 before the never-say-die Dolphins fought their way back to force a 30-30 draw after 80 minutes.
Wighton, who has been subjected to online abuse this week after announcing he would join South Sydney next season, later broke down in tears in an on-field television interview.
The Raiders were camped deep in Dolphins’ territory late in regulation time but remarkably didn’t attempt a field goal.
They repeatedly threatened but couldn’t break the opposition’s stubborn line before halfback Fogarty sprayed a field-goal attempt wide, forcing the match into extra time.
Fogarty quickly redeemed himself to secure a third straight win for the Raiders, seeing them square the ledger at 4-4 for the season.
Star five-eighth Wighton took just six minutes to score and put on a clinic in a 22-minute blitz that helped the Raiders take control of the game.
Jack Wighton celebrates with teammates scoring a try.Credit: Getty
Wayne Bennett’s men were powerless to stop Wighton’s early onslaught.
Wighton scored a try and provided an assist to complement five tackle busts, two line-break assists and a forced dropout as the Dolphins fell three converted tries behind.
The Dolphins were outrun by 400m and missed 13 tackles before they finally fired a shot with back-to-back tries for Euan Aitken and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to give themselves a chance of another famous comeback win.
Canberra veteran Jarrod Croker capped a brilliant opening set with his 134th career try before Wighton and Jordan Rapana helped the Raiders pinch a handy break.
Raiders No.1 Seb Kris restored a 10-point advantage before half-time with a 50m line break courtesy of Wighton’s assist.
A week after coming from 26 points down to beat Gold Coast, the Dolphins again found themselves chasing the game and struggled to get the match on their terms.
But their gritty attitude saw them find a way back from a hole that could have buried them.
Down 24-12 with 22 minutes to play, two tries in four minutes for powerful second-rower Connelly Lemuelu got the Dolphins level but Fogarty had the answer, crossing thanks to a perfect Corey Harawira-Naera offload.
Dolphins prop Jesse Bromwich crashed over with seven minutes left to set up a grandstand finish.
AAP
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