NRL: Raiders' bold 'tactical' move pays off for Ricky Stuart, Tom Starling

Starling was electric against the Gold Coast in their 24-22 victory, especially in the second half. He was relentlessly present in attack, was there to clean up in defence, and exposed the tiring Titans defence with lightning speed around the ruck.

"It worked," Stuart said following the club-record-equalling 22-point come-from-behind victory at Canberra Stadium.

"Starting Matty gave me the ability to have Tommy play his normal game of footy, and I thought Frawls did a really good job."

When Josh Hodgson went down with a season-ending knee injury, it was understood Starling would take his place as the starter. Stuart stunned fans by giving Frawley the starting hooker role for the first time in his NRL career on Saturday night, but Starling knew it was all part of the game plan.

"Sticks spoke to me about earlier on in the week," the 23-year-old said.

"He thought that I'd be able to come on when that sting is gone a bit after that first 20 minutes. So to bring that energy worked well.

"We had to chase some points so I thought I'd take the shackles off and go after them. It was just a tactical thing and it ended up paying off."

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Frawley had played under-20s as a hooker, but more recently played in halves roles in the NRL. Stuart revealed that the Raiders had been preparing the 27-year-old for all of the above, long before Hodgson's injury.

"He's been practicing all year as a utility 9, 7, 6, but we've been really focusing on Matty at 9 in the off-season," Stuart said.

"The work we've done there has obviously given him a chance to play well, and he did a job for us."

Starling said he still wants to be a starter for the Raiders, but believes he still needs improvement.

"I'm not the biggest No.9 out there and it takes a bit of energy for me to play the way I do, at 100 per cent all the time," he said.

"So it's just something that I need to develop to be able to keep that intensity up throughout the whole game. I'll get there and hopefully very soon."

Fotuaika Moeaki copped a grade-one charge for dangerous contact that rattled Starling's ribcage in the 75th minute, though the hooker said there was no harm done.

"I'm all good, I just got severely winded. I was gasping for air," he said.

Starling credited the Raiders forward pack for facilitating the team's "instinctive footy" skills in the comeback win.

"Full credit to our forwards, big Paps [Josh Papalii], Taps [Joe Tapine], Corey [Horsburgh] and Emre [Guler], just getting going forward. I was playing off the back of that," he said.

The hooker also brilliantly complemented five-eighth Jack Wighton and halfback Brad Schneider, in an uplifting second-half performance from the Raiders spine.

His chase with Wighton to pin Titans fullback Jayden Campbell in goal after a delightful kick by the five-eighth was a major highlight that swung momentum.

"It was a big turning point, and a big play by Jacko too," Starling said.

"It was a great win. We're our own worst enemies at times, but once we get the roll on and play our footy, teams are going to struggle to keep up with us."

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