The Sydney Roosters have survived a major fightback and troubling injury toll to hold off a stubborn Canberra 30-24 in an NRL Magic Round thriller.
Roosters winger Daniel Tupou was carried from the field and taken to hospital with a neck injury before his side were forced into a desperate rearguard action to save the day at Suncorp Stadium.
While it wasn't a convincing win, it was a valuable two points for the Roosters against top four contenders the Raiders, Trent Robinson's side extending their winning streak to eight games.
Tupou lay prone for several minutes as he was tended to by medical staff before being taken off in a medicab.
Superstar centre Latrell Mitchell also sent a scare through the Tricolours and NSW State of Origin camps when he went down with a groin injury in the first half.
After tearing apart the Wests Tigers with a three-try effort ranked by many as the best individual performance in recent memory, Mitchell looked in ominous early touch, scoring two tries to set up a 24-6 halftime lead.
However he pulled up lame as he crossed for his second in the 28th minute, clutching at his groin and in obvious pain.
Yet in a minor Magic Round miracle, Mitchell retook the field in the second stanza, easing concerns of anything too serious.
Skipper Boyd Corder (head knock) was also forced off in the first half and the toll seemingly threatened the outcome as Ricky Stuart's side came storming back.
The Raiders also had their problems with winger Jordan Rapana going down with a suspected PCL injury.
They trailed 30-6 with 30 minutes remaining but tries to Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Jack Wighton and Michael Oldfield in 17 minutes set up a grandstand finish.
The Raiders had a chance to level in the last minute when Nick Cotric broke through on the left edge and they looked certain to score before he lobbed the ball forward to an open Jarrod Croker.
AAP.
