Injuries have again cost the NZ Warriors as the club's NRL Finals hopes now hang by a thread.
The Warriors' second-half comeback came up short, falling 20-18 to the Canberra Raiders at GIO Stadium on Friday night, after backs Adam Pompey and Taine Tuaupiki were lost to injury in the first half.
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The Warriors outscored the Raiders four tries to three but with their top-two goalkicking options out, Chanel Harris-Tavita missed all three of his conversion attempts in the second half as the Warriors lost for the fourth time in five matches.
The defeat sees the Warriors remain 12th on 19 points, three behind the eight-placed North Queensland Cowboys, with six matches remaining.
In a scrappy game, with plenty of errors from both sides, Jamal Fogarty's kicking game proved hard to handle for the Warriors.
Hudson Young scored an early double for the Raiders, but a Roger Tuivasa-Sheck try just before halftime gave the visitors hope as they went to the break trailing 14-6.
The Warriors took their momentum into the second half, scoring the first two tries after the break thanks to Kurt Capewell and Mitch Barnett, who were both backing up from State of Origin duty on Wednesday night.
However, while Fogarty was keeping things controlled for the Raiders, it was a deft kick from Kaeo Weekes that produced the match-winning try, with Xavier Savage touching the ball down just before the dead-ball line to score.
The Warriors never went away, however, with a tough run in next to the posts from Addin Fonua-Blake narrowing the margin.
Next week, the Warriors host the Wests Tigers in the first of the Round 21 matches on Friday night (kick-off 8pm), while the Raiders are back at home to close the round when they host the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Canberra Raiders 20 (Hudson Young 2, Xavier Savage tries; Jamal Fogarty 3 con, pen) NZ Warriors 18 (Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Kurt Capewell, Mitchell Barnett, Addin Fonua-Blake tries; Adam Pompey con). HT 14-6