Forward thinking Ricky Stuart bites tongue after Canberra Raiders loss to Warriors

Not with a $20,000 suspended fine hanging over his head. Unless the NRL was going to donate the money to his foundation.

A blatant forward pass has proved crucial in the New Zealand Warriors running over the top of a wounded, but gutsy, Green Machine.

Take away the try and the Warriors don't go back to the Central Coast 34-31 winners on Saturday.

Even then the Raiders almost got the win they deserved with eight seconds remaining when winger Jordan Rapana dived for the corner.

But Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck made a last-ditch, try saving tackle to break the hearts of 13,456 fans at Canberra Stadium.

Then the boos started. Not for the men in lime green. But the officials after they allowed Ben Murdoch-Masila's try to stand despite Kodi Nikorima's blatant forward pass.

It ended the Green Machine's unbeaten start to the season and it could come at a big cost with several Raiders unable to finish the game.

The Raiders were down to one fit player on the bench after just 13 minutes, with Joe Tapine (ankle), Ryan James (concussion) and Sebastian Kris (concussion) all injured.

Tapine will go for scans, while James and Kris will have to go through NRL concussion protocols to be fit to face James' old club, the Gold Coast Titans, next week - after the pair suffered a nasty head clash.

Curtis Scott showed tremendous courage to finish the game after potentially breaking a floating rib inside the first six minutes.

He'll also need to be assessed during the week.

Stuart made it clear he didn't think his Raiders players were anything but winners after their gutsy effort.

"In all my years of coaching I've never been involved in a greater team performance," he said.

"I've never seen a group of individuals, who were down to 14, play so well, but yet play to such adversity and play for each other.

"I know it's in us and I learnt [Saturday] it's even more in us.

"I've got a winning team in there. We didn't get the points, but I know what change room I'd prefer to be in and that's in my change room.

"I come in here because it's my job. I respect the fact you've got a job to do and I've got $20,000 hanging over my head.

"So if I don't turn up here I get fined. If all the fine money was going to the Ricky Stuart Foundation I'd tell you the truth.

"I can't tell you the truth. I can't tell you the way that game panned out because I'll get fined."

And that's not to diminish the efforts of the Raiders players.

Scott played almost the entire game with broken ribs.

Then there's the middles - Ryan Sutton (181 metres and 73 minutes), Josh Papalii (195m and 69 minutes) and Sia Soliola (131m and 53 minutes).

Papalii could come under scrutiny after he was penalised for a shoulder charge on Peta Hiku, while Hiku could be looked at for a lifting tackle on Sutton.

Hiku also finished the game on the bench with a medial ligament injury and Warriors coach Nathan Brown was expecting him to have an extended stint on the sideline.

While Warriors prop Addin Fonua-Blake opened the scoring, the Raiders then rattled in four unanswered tries to lead 25-6 at half-time.

Raiders hooker Josh Hodgson was brilliant and back to his scheming best out of dummy half, setting up two tries in the opening half and then shifting to lock in the second to allow Tom Starling to come off the bench.

But the Warriors kept coming in the second stanza as the Raiders tired and Adam Pompey scored with two minutes remaining to steal the two points.

AT A GLANCE

NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS 34 (Addin Fonua-Blake, Kodi Nikorima, Bayley Sironen, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Adam Pompey tries; Nikorima 5 goals) bt CANBERRA RAIDERS 31 (Jack Wighton, Ryan Sutton, Sia Soliola, George Williams, Elliott Whitehead tries; Jarrod Croker 5 goals; Williams field goal) at Canberra Stadium. Referee: Henry Perenara. Crowd: 13,456.