Raiders lament losing key moments as Hodgson adds to pain
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Raiders hooker Josh Hodgson is set for scans on a hip injury after leaving the field during the second half in Friday night's loss to the Panthers.
Hodgson left the field with 15 minutes remaining moments after Charlie Staines crossed to seal the game for the home side.
While Hodgson hobbled from the field and later on to the team bus with the same discomfort, co-captain Jarrod Croker lamented not capitalising on a try-scoring opportunity that led to a momentum swing in the first half.
Croker was confident he crossed for a try in the 19th minute until replays showed he failed to land on a Jack Wighton kick in-goal that would've put the visitors 10 points ahead to start the game.
The Raiders began to lose their control of the game soon after with the Panthers running in three tries before half-time and another two in the second half.
"The [possible] try in the first half I thought I missed it with my arms [and landed on it] but it was a no try anyway," Croker said.
Big game. Big run. Big try by Wighton.
"If you give them opportunities they'll take them. We didn't take ours. That's 12-0 and it could've been different.
"You have to take those chances and I didn't take that one and it ended up being costly. It was a frustrating one.
"We let them off the hook a few times then we got ourselves back into it and let them off again."
Deft touch from Whitehead at the line has Croker scoring
The Raiders were reduced to 15 men by the end of the match with Hodgson's hip concern and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad failing a head injury assessment.
The mid-game reshuffling was no excuse for Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, who joined Croker in voicing his frustrations over the result.
"There are lots of little things you can look at [but] you've just got to toughen up and face the facts," Stuart said.
"[The injuries] certainly did [hurt] but it shouldn't be an excuse. We're not good enough yet.
"It was quite physical very early … a tough physical contest. I thought the first 25 minutes we gained some ascendancy and then a bit of the flow went against us and they knocked the wind out of our sails.
"It loosened up a little bit in the second half but we were outplayed by a far better footy team."
The Raiders will return to the nation's capital and face Parramatta at GIO Stadium next Saturday.
Things get heated after Staines scores his second
