![Cowboys halfback Chad Townsend kicks the winning field goal to break Raiders' hearts. Picture Getty Images Cowboys halfback Chad Townsend kicks the winning field goal to break Raiders' hearts. Picture Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/reqbnGrLXyZFax2TwSi3Na/a6320721-d45e-4dd0-bc34-3c57b5dab93b.jpg/r0_0_3500_2752_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has taken aim at the NRL and RLPA, claiming neither trust coaches when it comes to concussion.
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His comments come off the back of Redcliffe supercoach Wayne Bennett's calls for the clubs to handle head injury assessments rather than an independent doctor.
The Raiders lost two players at crucial times in their heart-breaking 19-18 loss to the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday.
A Chad Townsend field goal put a dagger through the heart of a gutsy Raiders comeback in a game that by rights should've been over by half-time.
The Raiders had slipped behind 18-0 and looked gone for all money before coming back to level the scores.
It was the Raiders' bench that inspired them with Corey Horsburgh, Emre Guler and Tom Starling all excellent when they came on.
But it wasn't enough to stop the home side's fourth win in a row against Canberra.
The Raiders will wait anxiously to see if winger Jordan Rapana will come under scrutiny with the match review committee for a possible shoulder charge on Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater.
Canberra lost both fullback Sebastian Kris and Corey Harawira-Naera - who started in the second row instead of at lock, with Elliott Whitehead moving into the middle - to head injury assessments.
It was Kris's first NRL game at fullback and he had a slow start - dropping his first carry in a big hit from Murray Taulagi.
But he fought back to finish the game reasonably strongly.
Stuart said he'd stick with the young outside back in the custodian role for as long as Xavier Savage was out with a broken jaw.
Then he turned his sights on the administrator.
"The RLPA, the NRL - they don't trust coaches mate. Do you think I'd let a player play if he had a concussion?" Stuart said.
"And I don't just trust the player's comments when he comes to the sideline in regards to that.
![Raiders hooker Tom Starling was part of an excellent Canberra bench that helped get them back into the game. Picture Getty Images Raiders hooker Tom Starling was part of an excellent Canberra bench that helped get them back into the game. Picture Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/reqbnGrLXyZFax2TwSi3Na/f12e31ed-e13d-4687-9d58-cff23dadeba0.jpg/r0_86_3500_2054_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"But when he's down getting his leg attended to and I ask him ... he was very coherent.
"That doesn't help us in that game.
"The RLPA they don't trust coaches. All they want to do is come and talk to me about how much more time off the players are going to get and how much more money."
The Cowboys went ahead through two Drinkwater tries and one to Taulagi, before Guler crashed over from close range to cut it to 18-6 at half-time.
Canberra's defence kept them in it - despite the home side having a massive 68 per cent possession, 957 run metres to the Raiders' 386m and the visitors making 184 tackles to 103.
![Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater scored two first-half tries to help set up the win. Picture Getty Images
Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater scored two first-half tries to help set up the win. Picture Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/reqbnGrLXyZFax2TwSi3Na/06e73305-1b46-4472-8989-039d53779fd4.jpg/r0_194_3500_2162_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Second-half tries to Starling and Jack Wighton levelled the scores before Townsend stepped up with four minutes remaining.
The Raiders had late chances to win it, with centre Harley Smith-Shields - in his first game back after a knee reconstruction - dropping a pass when he had clear air in front of him down the left wing.
"If we didn't have to use so much juice in the first half we win that match," Stuart said.
"We were still very confident at half-time that we'd finish off that next 40.
"That defence tonight, being game one of the year - we've had some great defensive moments over the years ... and tonight equals it. That was an unbelievable defensive effort.
"The way we fought back - the boys have got a very proud coach."
Canberra will go into camp on the Sunshine Coast now to prepare to face the Redcliffe Dolphins next Saturday.
AT A GLANCE
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS 19 (Scott Drinkwater 2, Murray Taulagi tries; Valentine Holmes 3 goals; Chad Townsend field goal) bt CANBERRA RAIDERS 18 (Emre Guler, Tom Starling, Jack Wighton tries; Jamal Fogarty 3 goals) at Townsville. Referee: Adam Gee.
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