It's no secret the Canberra Raiders are getting frustrated with the number of questionable calls which have gone against them this year. Raiders coach Ricky Stuart must have been silently fuming on his plastic chair on the sideline after the video referee handed Penrith two controversial calls for the hosts' first two tries. The first one to Elijah Taylor should have been disallowed when the football hit the ground when James Segeyaro attempted to take an offload in the lead-up. Later in the first half an Isaah Yeo try stood, even though it appeared Waqa Blake knocked on attempting to catch a bomb earlier in the play. There's no doubt the fact the referees called "try" on the field before sending it upstairs contributed to both calls. It's a prime example why referees shouldn't be forced to guess. It just reduces the video referee's options.

JOSH HODGSON SUPERB FOR RAIDERS

Many column inches have been devoted to Blake Austin's brilliance, but is Josh Hodgson Canberra's most important player? The English hooker was simply outstanding throughout, having a hand in three of Canberra's first four tries. His craftiness around the ruck was hugely influential, and he topped it off with a try-saving intercept after Lewis Brown made a break in the second half. Twice he threw balls close to the Panthers try-line on the last tackle to create tries for Jordan Rapana and Paul Vaughan. Hodgson's opposite number James Segeyaro was also brilliant for Penrith, but Hodgson was clearly best on ground.

WHO DARES, WINS

Canberra have struggled badly to create back-to-back sets in recent weeks, but it's not an issue if you keep scoring tries off the last tackle. Three times the Raiders did just that through pure instinct, something which has been drilled out of most NRL teams in the modern age. Twice it was that man Hodgson who was the instigator, with face balls close to Penrith's try-line on the final play gifting tries to Jordan Rapana and Paul Vaughan. In the second half it was Newcastle recruit Joey Leilua who gambled, feigning to pass inside before going down the blindside to lay on Rapana's second try in the second half. Their reluctance to dribble the ball into the in goal and go again may have come up in video sessions this week, if they lost. But all's well that ends well.

SHILLO WILL BE BADLY MISSED

The Gold Coast Titans may have been burned by Daly Cherry-Evans' backflip but they've got themselves a good signing for next year in Raiders prop David Shillington. The former Queensland Maroon has been in stellar touch since returning from a broken thumb two months ago, and he was again one of the best forwards on the park at Penrith. He ran for nearly 150 metres and his sudden desire to offload at every chance the last few weeks has helped Canberra's second-phase play. He will begin a two-year deal with the Titans next year and is an ideal replacement for departing skipper Nate Myles, who is off to Manly.

FINALLY, A CLOSE WIN

When the Raiders gifted Penrith a repeat set when ahead 28-24 with six minutes left, most of their fans would have thought "Oh no, not again". Five times the Raiders have lost by seven points or less this year, including last week's heartbreaking 21-20 golden-point home loss to Cronulla. Had they lost on the bell again it would have been another bitter pill for them to swallow, possibly too hard to overcome mentally to make a play for finals. It was just the injection of confidence needed before the toughest road trip in the game – the Cowboys in Townsville – on Saturday night.