With hooker Josh Hodgson calling the shots and fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad adding the finishing touches, the Raiders outlasted Newcastle 17-10 at GIO Stadium on Friday night.
Nicoll-Klokstad swooped on a kick in the 21st minute and showed off some of his dazzling footwork midway through the second stanza to give the Raiders their second win for the season.
The Knights missed 54 tackles and racked up 14 errors as they failed to apply consistent pressure on Canberra's line.
The Raiders were given an ideal chance to score the opening points when Kurt Mann spilt a bomb on his own line.
Ryan Sutton went close to scoring his first try for Canberra as he spun through the line only to lose the ball as he tried to ground it.
Match: Raiders v Knights
Round 3 -
home Team
Raiders
5th Position
away Team
Knights
10th Position
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
Canberra nearly went the length of the field to nearly score soon after, with Nicoll-Klokstad and Jack Wighton capitalising on quick ball to put their side on the front foot.
Sam Williams almost opened the scoring in the 10th minute but knocked on over the line while trying to ground the ball after a pinpoint Hodgson grubber.
Newcastle turned the screws on the home side defensively before the Raiders were placed under more pressure when a kick from Wighton went out on the full.
The home side looked away again after John Bateman created a line break in the 19th minute, before the play broke down on the right edge, when Edrick Lee nearly pulling off an intercept pass before knocking it out of play.
Eventually the pressure on the Knights line was telling, with Hodgson laying on a superb grubber for a flying Nicoll-Klokstad to score his first try for his new club to make it 6-0.
Wighton's second kick out on the full released all of the pressure created by the first try, however, another mistake by the Knights saw them fail to capitalise on the opportunity handed to them.
Jesse Ramien continued his excellent first half as he created a break out of nothing to shrug off a tackle from Wighton before storming his way to the line to make the score 6-4.
Canberra went close to scoring their second try after Rapana soared to take a kick before and passed to Leilua who was held up over the line by Edrick Lee.
However, the home side did not have wait long for their second with a chargedown near halfway by Wighton allowing Williams to sell a dummy and stroll across the line to make it 12-4 in the shadows of half-time.
Both sides were forced to contend with heavy rain after the break and completion rates dropped but the home side steadied first and went out to a 16-4 lead when Nicoll-Klokstad left Hymel Hunt and Lachlan Fitzgibbon in his wake to score his second.
Kalyn Ponga shifted to fullback with 20 minutes remaining and was immediately put under pressure by the home side on a kick-return, forcing an error.
Newcastle then breathed life into the game with a shift to their right edge which was finished off by Shaun Kenny-Dowall.
Ponga's sideline conversion cut the margin to six.
Knights forward Tim Glasby was sent for an HIA after being elbowed in the head by Leilua but the visitors were unable to capitalise on the opportunity.
Canberra sealed the win after a powerful surge by John Bateman put them in prime position for a Williams field goal.
Nicoll-Klokstad's double guides Raiders past Knights
