THE Lake Cathie-Bonny Hills Raiders Under 18s continue their march in the Group 3 finals series, narrowly defeating the Wingham Tigers on Sunday, 8 September at Old Bar in a preliminary final.

Both sides had enjoyed wins when the clubs met during the regular season, however it was the Tigers who asserted their dominance early this time around.

Jett Gilbert scored the opening try of the match after the Tigers exerted relentless pressure on the Raiders defence.

Luke Croker made no mistake with the conversion and Wingham took a 6-0 lead.

Croker then further widened the gap with a well-executed penalty kick, before the Raiders reduced the deficit through an Aydin Rae try.

Just before half-time, Wingham struck again through a try to Joshua Hopkins.

Croker’s kick was again successful, extending the Tigers’ lead to 14-4 at the break.

The Raiders appeared to start the second half with renewed determination, with Max Eggert soon crossing the try line out wide.

Tayte Gibson’s successful conversion closed the gap to 14-10.

Raiders star Adam Drewitt then got on the score sheet with a vital try, levelling the score at 14-14 before Gibson’s successful kick gave the Raiders the lead for the first time in the match.

With only minutes left to play, the Raiders managed to hold on for a hard-fought 16-14 win.

Raiders captain Tayte Gibson praised his team’s resilience.

“Unfortunately we had to defend a few sets on our line resulting in an early try for the Tigers,” Gibson told News Of The Area (NOTA).

“But we dug deep and continued to defend really well, keeping the opposition out and taking the win.”

Head trainer for the Raiders, Matt Model highlighted the challenging weather conditions and praised the team’s grit and determination.

“The Raiders started the match very slowly with Wingham capitalising on early field position,” Model told NOTA.

“However, Lake Cathie went on to redeem themselves, getting some points on the board and going on to win in the last ten minutes of the game.

“It was a gutsy effort.”

Tim Broderick was named Man Of The Match.

The Raiders now gear up to face the Port Macquarie Sharks on the weekend, with a win securing a spot in the grand final.

By Kim AMBROSE