The hopes of the Canberra Raiders for the finals have officially ended as they faced a 30-24 loss against the Newcastle Knights in their second final home game of the season.
After starting in a tough position, the Raiders managed to equalize at 18-all by half-time, having recovered from an early 8-0 deficit.
Despite their efforts, they couldn't secure a win as the Knights maintained their lead for a solid six-point victory.
The most contentious moment of the match unfolded in the last ten minutes when Raiders prop Corey Horsburgh received a sin bin penalty for striking Newcastle centre Dane Gagai.
The incident began when Gagai pushed for the Raiders to play the ball, prompting Horsburgh to respond with a slap to Gagai's face.
Initially, the referee signaled a penalty in favor of Canberra, believing that Newcastle had instigated a minor scuffle.
However, after Knights captain Kalyn Ponga challenged a different high tackle decision, the referee reversed his initial call and sent Horsburgh to the sin bin for his aggression.
With the Raiders reduced to 12 players, Dom Young, the Knights' winger, exploited the opportunity, scoring the final try and extinguishing Canberra's remaining finals aspirations.
In the wake of the heated moment, Raiders coach Ricky Stuart acknowledged the sin bin penalty.
"Of course it was (a sin bin)," stated Stuart.
