A bumper ANZAC weekend of NRL Telstra Premiership action comes to a close with the in-form Raiders and Dolphins clashing in Canberra before Wests Tigers play their first game at Leichhardt Oval for the season when they host the Sharks.
The Raiders and Dolphins were among the most impressive winners of Round 7 but both did it the hard way after giving up big leads to the Titans and Storm respectively.
Whichever team can get out of the blocks fastest in Canberra will be in the box seat to come away with two more priceless competition points as we charge towards Magic Round and the Origin period.
There's no better place to be than Leichhardt Oval on a Sunday afternoon and the famous hill is sure to be overflowing with passionate fans as Benji's boys look to hit back after a tough loss to the Eels.
Follow all of the Round 8 action in the 2025 Telstra Premiership on NRL.com's live blog.
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Wests Tigers v Sharks at Leichhardt Oval
Late mail:Lachlan Galvin's return is locked in, with the Wests Tigers to line up 1-17 in their first match at Leichhardt for the year. There was one change for Cronulla in Saturday's 24-hour update, Billy Burns replacing Teig Wilton, who succumbed to a shoulder injury.
Raiders v Dolphins at GIO Stadium
Full-time:Jamal Fogarty has sealed a comeback for the ages, throwing a dummy and stepping his way through the line before kicking a long-range penalty goal in the final play of the game to finish off a stunning 30-point half.
The hosts trailed 28-10 at the break but they had all the running from the moment Kaeo Weekes broke through the defensive line and raced downfield off the second-half kick-off.
Canberra have now won four on the trot and will have the chance to make a premiership statement with next week's Magic Round clash with the Storm. From there, they host the Bulldogs in Round 10 in a vital fortnight for the Raiders.
The Dolphins will be left to lick their wounds after they conceded five second-half tries in a calamitous period of football. Kristian Woolf's men will take on the Roosters in Magic Round.Raiders 40 - Dolphins 28.
73rd minute: Ricky Stuart is up and about on the sideline and he has every reason to be with his side reeling off four-straight tries to hit the front with less than seven minutes to play at GIO Stadium. Another outstanding set of six saw the hosts banging on the door of the try line, before Owen Pattie produced a miracle offload to keep the ball alive on the last tackle. The ball eventually made its way to Jamal Fogarty, who produced a grubber to the in-goal. Jamayne Isaako was unable to ground it, with Seb Kris pouncing to score the go-ahead try. Fogarty missed the conversion in a moment that could prove pivotal in the final minutes of this one.Raiders 32 - Dolphins 28.
66th minute:We are set for a grandstand finish at GIO Stadium, with the Raiders crossing for their third try of the second half to level the scores.
Centre Matt Timoko stepped off the right foot and burst through the Dolphins line before drawing the last defender and sending Matt Nicholson over for his fifth try of the season. Suddenly, we're all locked up and the hosts have all the momentum.Raiders 28 - Dolphins 28
62nd minute:Watch out Dolphins fans, the Raiders are coming. The visitors have come off the boil in the second half and a number of errors and poor last-tackle plays have opened the door for Canberra to work their way back into the contest.
A seven-tackle set provided the Raiders with a platform to attack, with Corey Horsburgh producing a big carry to put his side on the front foot. A few tackles later Joe Tapine poked his head through the defensive line and offloaded to Ethan Strange who did the rest. It's a one-possession game with less than 20 minutes to play.Raiders 22 - Dolphins 28.
51st minute:The Raiders had to be the first to score and they've ticked that box, with Zac Hosking producing a sharp piece of footwork close to the defensive line to crash over from short range. It was an effort play from Hosking who ran an offload line the previous play for Jamal Fogarty who came close to breaking through himself.Raiders 16 - Dolphins 28.
42nd minute:It's been a frantic start to the second half. Ricky Stuart called for a response from his team and they delivered immediately. Kaeo Weekes broke through from the kickoff before eventually being fragged down by Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.
Multiple attacking sets followed, however the momentum came to a halt when Hudson Young spilled the ball while reaching out and attempting to ground it on the line.Raiders 10 - Dolphins 28.
Half-time:The Dolphins have put an exclamation mark on a stunning opening 40 minutes in Canberra. The visitors opted to attack the short-side with less than a minute remaining in the half, with Jamayne Isaako kicking in-field to Kodi Nikorima, who then grubbered towards the in goal. Centre Jake Averillo won the race to the ball to finish off a dominant half of football.
The Raiders overcame a 16-point deficit last week but history is against them this afternoon. The Dolphins have never lost when leading at the break after scoring 20 points in a first half.
The visitors have copped a blow, however, with Daniel Saifiti ruled out for the remainder of the contest with a shoulder injury. The prop left the field shortly after scoring a try and while he attempted to return, ultimately succumbed to the issue.Raiders 10 - Dolphins 28
36th minute:The points are flowing in Canberra. Just as the Raiders looked to have worked their way back into the match, the Dolphins have struck again. The visitors have been lethal in the attacking 20-metre zone, this time Jamayne Isaako winning the race to a grubber to extend his side's lead.
Ricky Stuart will be disappointed with his team's defensive issues, the Raiders struggling to defend their own line and hold out a dangerous Dolphins attack.Raiders 10 - Dolphins 24
32nd minute:The Raiders reeled in a 16-point deficit last week and they've just shown they won't go down easily this afternoon. A Sean O'Sullivan error provided the hosts a sniff beforeJamal Fogarty linked up with a charging Ata Mariota, who offloaded for Kaeo Weekes. The fullback then spun his way past Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to score a much-needed try.Raiders 10 - Dolphins 18
28th minute:The Dolphins are rolling and they have another one in a first-half onslaught. A seven-tackle allowed the visitors to work their way down the field and Daniel Saifiti has finished off a perfect set by charging over from short-range.
The referee initially ruled no-try as Saifiti bobbled the ball as he crashed into the defensive line before regathering and grounding it. The Bunker, however, determined the loose ball did not touch a Raiders player and the Dolphins are working their way towards a fourth-straight victory. Raiders 4 - Dolphins 18.
21st minute:The Dolphins attack is on song this afternoon, with halves Isaiya Katoa and Kodi Nikorima combining to pick apart the Raiders right edge and put Herbie Farnworth over for their second try of the match.
The play was very similar to Tabuai-Fidow's try less than 10 minutes earlier and you can expect the visitors to continue targeting that side of the field as the game progresses.Raiders 4 - Dolphins 12
14th minute:The Dolphins haven't just contained the damage, they've hit the front while down a man. A Raiders error off the kick-off handed the visitors the chance to attack and they built a mountain of pressure by forcing multiple repeat sets.
The Raiders eventually cracked, with Hamiso Tabui-Fidow slicing through to put his team up two midway through the first half. Raiders 4 - Dolphins 6.
9th minute: The Raiders have been handed an early chance to strike after Kodi Nikorima was sent to the sin bin for a high shot and they quickly capitalised. Savelio Tamale caught a cross-field bomb before offloading to Seb Kris who somehow throws the ball back inside before being bundled into touch, with Tamale catching it and grounding the ball in the corner.
The try came on the back of an impressive attacking set, with Canberra threatening the Dolphins line and coming close to scoring on multiple occasions. Down four, this is a big period coming up for the visitors as they look to minimise the damage while reduced to 12 men.Raiders 4 - Dolphins 0
Kick-off:A big crowd is on hand at GIO Stadium in Canberra for a solemn service to commemorate ANZAC Day. Today's game is the Dolphins' first trip to the nation's capital and history suggests it will be a close one, with the Raiders claiming the past two matches against the Dolphins by one point.Ricky Stuart has taken up his usual position on the sidelines and we are underway.
Late mail: The Raiders will line up 1-17, with Josh Papalii taking his place on the interchange and Morgan Smithies starting the match at lock. There are no further changes to the Raiders on gameday, after a slight reshuffle in Saturday's team update. Hooker Max Plath succumbed to the foot injury he suffered last weekend, with Ray Stone taking his place at dummy half. Sean O'Sullivan and Kenny Bromwich joined the bench as a result. Francis Molo will make his club debut and start the match at prop.
