NRL: Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart says Melbourne Storm win keeps finals hopes alive

They now sit just one win outside of the top eight, producing a courageous win against the odds in Melbourne.

They'd lost a raft of players on the eve of the game and went to face the Storm undermanned, having lost the past five games to the Melbourne side.

They now face winnable clashes against the New Zealand Warriors at home next Saturday and then the Gold Coast Titans away a week later as they look to mount a charge to the finals.

It was the defensive resolve they showed throughout the game, but also the mental resolve as well - overcoming having Jordan Rapana sent to the sin bin as well as all the injuries.

Plus they fought back after the Storm and gone ahead in further proof of their mettle.

"We're in the hunt. There's no doubt about that. I just need us to play with that type of spirit. And they do," Stuart said.

"That's why I love coaching them because they are a tough bunch of blokes, they're spirited, we let ourselves down and we get really disappointed and cranky with ourselves because we lose games of football on silly little things and we know what we can do.

"When you see that out there, that's why you get frustrated after losses because you know we're better than certain parts of our game.

"That was a really good game of football that either team could've won."

Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy says his star fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen is done for the season.

Papenhuyzen was involved in everything in the opening 20 minutes - along with Storm five-eighth Cameron Munster - but not all of it was good. Especially the ending.

He bombed a try, threw an intercept pass for the Raiders to score and then was on the wrong end of a Jack Wighton steam train.

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The pair's knees collided when he was trying to stop a powerful Wighton run, leaving the Mebourne fullback clutching his knee in agony and struggling to stand.

Not only did he leave the field, but he went to hospital with a suspected broken patella and was expected to have surgery on Monday.

Bellamy didn't expect to see his No.1 for the rest of the season.

"Nah, he's thousands [to one of returning]. He's got a broken kneecap so he won't be back, I wouldn't imagine," he said.

"It just seems to keep happening these injuries. That's obviously disappointing."

Not only is the Green Machine winning in Melbourne becoming a tradition, but a Canberra forward banging on a drum afterwards.

Former Raiders prop Sia Soliola famously did it on their run to the 2019 grand final and now Corey Harawira-Naera's joined in on the action.

He was snapped banging the drum of hardcore Raiders fan Simon Tayoun after the game.

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