They say a week is a long time in footy and that’s certainly the case for Canberra after they crashed out of the finals due to back-to-back defeats.
The Raiders believed they had booked their ticket into the preliminary finals last week against Brisbane, only to be brutally denied in an all-time classic.
Instead of playing in front of their home fans at GIO Stadium for a chance to advance through to the grand final, Ricky Stuart’s men had to turn up for a do-or-die semi-final clash against Cronulla.
And, in the end, the Raiders fell apart as they were dumped out of the title picture by a rampant Cronulla, who marched to a 32-12 result and a meeting with the Melbourne Storm next week.
MORE: Everything you need to know about the NRL finals
Minor premiers out of title race as Raiders are fed to the Sharks
All eyes were on how the Green Machine responded to their heartbreaking loss to the Broncos.
Many wondered whether the dramatic golden-point tussle would have left them out of sorts against the red-hot Sharks, who had won their past four matches.
However, Canberra put those doubts to bed early when Corey Horsburgh crashed over after a sustained spell of possession in the red zone.
The Raiders turned down the opportunity to slot a penalty goal from right in front twice prior to the enforcer’s try as they showcased their attacking intent.
Yet their general struggles to crack Cronulla’s defensive line proved to be a sign of things to come in the nation's capital.
Craig Fitzgibbon’s side were starved of the ball for much of the first half, but repeatedly turned away the Raiders.
Ethan Strange’s dynamism close to the line was undoubtedly a massive loss for the home side after the five-eighth had been ruled out of the clash due to illness.
"I’m not blaming that," a bitterly disappointed Stuart shrugged post-match.
The Sharks had no such troubles in attack when their chances finally came in the first stanza.
First, Ronaldo Mulitalo got them on the board in the 34th minute before Nicho Hynes remarkably sent them into the sheds with the lead.
Savelio Tamale responded early in the second half, but this was the last try the home side could fashion as the Sharks then took charge of the contest.
Billy Burns sliced through the lagging outfit to establish another advantage and from there the Sharks did not relinquish it as KL Iro and Teig Wilton claimed four-pointers for themselves.
A subdued Stuart was reeling in the aftermath of his side’s second consecutive defeat in the finals.
"We were just outplayed by the better team," the coach summarised in a brief two-minute press conference.
"We were good for the first 38 minutes of the first half and started well in the second half. But then, you know, there was a bit of a momentum change and Cronulla were very good on the end of that."
The Raiders became the first minor premiers since St George Illawarra back in 2009 to be dumped out of the title race in straight sets.
And Stuart declared that his young side would now have to deal with the growing expectations around their club after their otherwise impressive exploits this campaign.
"It’s been a very positive season," Stuart said.
"They’ve come a long way. They’ve come a long way but, as I just said to them, the better you get, the more you get hunted.
"And we did tonight. We got beaten by a better footy team."