The NZ Warriors have let a 14-point halftime lead slip after a calamitous second-half against a charging Canberra Raiders outfit, falling to a 26-14 defeat at GIO Stadium.
The Warriors dominated the first 40 minutes, but faded in a game of two halves, as replacement Corey Harawira-Naera grabbed a double to sink the Auckland-based NRL club.
Interim coach Stacey Jones' late inclusion of Jack Murchie to the run-on side paid off almost immediately, as the second-rower slipped out of a tackle to score the game's opening try.
Halfback Shaun Johnson's kicking troubled the Raiders all first-half, with fullback Xavier Savage at a loss to a high ball, before only managing to make contact with his head and knocking on.
The drop gave the Warriors an excellent attacking platform right on the Raiders' tryline, which allowed Daejarn Asi to run at the defence, before showing the ball and crashing over for their second try.
The Raiders did not have a single carry in the opening 10 minutes, but would find their feet, before going close to scoring on several occasions.
However, gutsy Warriors defence would deny their attacking advances with tremendous tackles on their own tryline.
Adam Elliot and Matthew Timoko both seemed to have gone over for the Raiders, but for scrambling Warriors' defence to keep them out.
The Warriors extended their lead through the boot of Johnson, with a penalty kick from over 40 metres out, after Jack Wighton was pinged by the referee.
Winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak looked to have been away for another Warriors try right from the kick-off, but was dragged down just over halfway.
The Raiders would open their scoring account through winger Albert Hopoate, who went over for his first NRL try shortly after the second-half after great hold-up play by Timoko.
Hopoate continued to trouble the Warriors' defence, this time, with another strong carry up the middle, almost going clean through the line but for an ankle tap.
But the Raiders would find the whitewash not long after through centre Sebastian Kris, who was the recipient of a great one-handed offload by Savage.
Jack Wighton had the ball on a string for the Raiders, calmly slotting his second 40/20, suffocating any chance of a Warriors' respite.
Jamal Fogarty found a charging Corey Harawira-Naera, who beat a tackle to dive over for the game-tying try before Fogarty added the extras to put the Raiders in the lead for the first time.
The Warriors were playing on the backfoot for much of the second-half, none more evident than when a Fogarty grubber couldn't be dealt with, which allowed Harawira-Naera to dive on the loose ball and grab his second try in two minutes.
Fogarty added an extra two points after Harawira-Naera was deemed to have been stripped just moments later, before the pair almost linked up again for another try.
Harawira-Naera had the white line begging but couldn't control the loose ball after a grubber kick following poor clean-up play by Chanel Harris-Tavita.
Fogarty would put the game to bed with his final penalty goal after Reece Walsh could only send the line dropout over the sideline.
Warriors 14 (Murchie, Asi tries; Johnson 2x conversion, 1x penalty)
Raiders 26 (Hopoate, Kris, Harawira-Naera 2x tries; Fogarty 3x conversion, Fogarty 2x penalty)
