'I'm proud of my players': Ricky Stuart lauds heroic Raiders after Roosters win

Well cometh the entire Green Machine then.

They've become the masters of the SCG with a 22-18 victory over the Sydney Roosters on Saturday night.

Victory in the grand-final rematch meant they haven't lost there since 1987 - ending the Roosters' hopes of a threepeat in the process.

The Canberra Raiders now cometh to Queensland to take on the Melbourne Storm in the preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium next Friday - just one win from back-to-back grand-final appearances.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart praised the Roosters for their back-to-back premierships and the run they've had to make it this year's semis.

But he also praised his team for the way they handled the toughest travel toll in the NRL. And a bucketload of injuries that could have crippled a lesser club.

"I'm proud of our players, how they've handled this season," Stuart said.

"Nobody knows from outside our inner sanctum how hard it was for us at the start of the season so where we've got today nobody gave us a chance outside our own.

"I remember saying right in this room - the last game we beat the Roosters here - nobody has given us an opportunity to show what's underneath the jumper.

"They're not just a team of footballers these guys, they're more than a team."

But the Raiders will be holding their breath with centre Jordan Rapana struggling for most of the game with a chest injury and Josh Papalii needed his ankle strapped in the first half after scoring his try.

While they were both able to play on, the Roosters lost prop Siosiua Taukeiaho with a meniscus injury in his knee.

Papalii was immense. So too was Joe Tapine in the middle. But none so more than fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.

The Kiwi international also showed pure grit to battle on despite being struck down with cramp with a lot of the second half to go.

He ran a whopping 253 metres, made a linebreak, three tackle busts and a try save - somehow he wasn't credited with two.

Nicoll-Klokstad stopped Josh Morris from levelling the scores by taking him into touch and almost taking his head off in the process.

"It was a big tackle, a huge tackle. They're the moments that you remember, they're the moments that are really important in big games," Stuart said.

"It comes down to moments of desperation, brilliance and I thought Charnze's game in the first half was real high quality. He played really well."

The Raiders have won all nine games where they've scored the first try and they produced a stunning start that shocked the Sydney team.

If there was ever any doubt Papalii was going to have a say in this game, it was soon put to bed.

It took him less than five minutes to get on the scoreboard, capping off some early pressure - thanks to referee Ashley Klein noticing a late hit on Jack Wighton's kick.

The Raiders have raised concerns all season about the treatment Wighton gets post kick.

A penalty against Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargeaves set up field position for Papalii to crash over to open the scoring.

It was almost a double blow for the reigning premiers, with five-eighth Luke Keary forced off with a head knock, but he was able to return.

Papalii's first offload was a telling one - unleashing Nicoll-Klokstad through the middle with George Williams ending up with it to double the visitors' lead.

The Raiders have made it a habit of performing on a teammate's milestone game, but the milestone man himself didn't want to be left out.

Tapine was playing his 100^th NRL game in lime green since making the move from Newcastle.

His late footwork has been a highlights of the past couple of months and he was at his dancing best again.

He beat Keary not once, but twice on his way to a brilliant solo try that had the Roosters reeling at 16-0 down.

The Roosters finally got on the board with just four minutes remaining in the first half.

Keary caught out Raiders winger Nick Cotric with a nice cutout pass for Josh Morris, with the Roosters winger able to dart clear before he put in a pinpoint kick for his fullback, James Tedesco to run onto to make it 16-6 at half-time.

The Raiders were unable to take advantage of having a mountain of possession on the Roosters' line and eventually the home side made them pay.

It was a case of third time lucky for Tricolours centre Joseph Manu.

He had two tries disallowed - one for losing the ball, the other for promoting it - but eventually he got there with a brilliant solo run the Raiders left edge should've shut down early on to set up a grandstand finish.

Obviously it had to involved a cramping Nicoll-Klokstad try-saver - almost ripping of Jeff Morris's head in the process to stop the Roosters centre from levelling the score.

A Jack Wighton try - getting on the end of a Williams kick that wrong-footed Tedesco seemed to seal it, but when Tedesco crossed for his second with five minutes remaining it was game back on.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson said the Raiders deserved to be one win away from returning to the grand final.

"It'll be a really good contest. They've got fighters, they've got lots of footy players and that showed tonight," he said.

"They kept getting the job done and hanging in there. It felt like we were coming and they're footy players.

"It'll be a cracker of a contest, those two. They're really mature teams. They deserve to go through and fight for that final spot."

AT A GLANCE

CANBERRA RAIDERS 22 (Josh Papalii, George Williams, Joe Tapine, Jack Wighton tries; Jarrod Croker 3 goals) bt SYDNEY ROOSTERS 18 (James Tedesco 2, Joseph Manu tries; Kyle Flanagan 3 goals) at the SCG. Referee: Ashley Klein. Crowd: 18,110.