Rugby league really is like a box of chocolates. You just never know what you're going to get.

The Canberra Raiders defeated the Canterbury Bulldogs 32-20 on a cold Sunday afternoon in the nation's capital. Nothing surprising about the result, nor the final score line; but you will have to read the fine print to understand how remarkable this game unfolded.

The home side was heavily favoured to win the match, given the depleted nature of their opponents through the number of players unavailable on representative duty.

However, at the 56th minute of the contest, the Raiders trailed the Dogs by 20-10 and never really looked like getting out of the mess they found themselves in.

Until this point, the Bulldogs had set the tone for the match in the important areas of energy and enthusiasm. I don't know how we measure such qualities, but the Bulldogs just looked quicker to the punch on every play.

Led by their lookalike front-row pair of James Graham and Aiden Tolman, the Bulldogs dominated the advantage line. Big back-rower Greg Eastwood was damaging with every carry of the ball. The extra time and space this created set a great platform for a number of promising passing rushes from the creative Bulldogs halves.

Playmaker Moses Mbye produced some magic touches in attack, including a breathtaking long pass to set up a try for rookie winger Reimis Smith, and a massive left foot step that left Raider's defenders grasping at thin air for Mbye to score himself. For the most part, the Bulldog's defensive line looked so calm and composed. It was like they had been to the Raider's training sessions this week and knew exactly where the ball was going at all times. They were under no stress whatsoever. The Dogs were in complete control. The Raiders were doing nothing. It just looked like the visitors had their measure and would march on towards a memorable victory against some pretty challenging odds.

Then it all just changed.

I don't know why. I really can't identify any big play or any one moment that signified a turning point in the match had just taken place.

Out of nowhere the Raiders suddenly clicked into gear. Their big forwards started to gain momentum. They started to punch some holes in the Bulldogs defense around the play-the-ball area. In the space of 12 minutes they produced six really powerful sets of six that virtually blew the Bulldogs off the park.

During this period they scored three tries, before adding another for good measure on the stroke of full time, to compete a remarkable comeback victory. The Bulldogs, who for almost an hour has dominated just about every facet of play, had no answer to the withering burst of Raider energy over the concluding stages of the contest.

The Raiders side is a seriously good football team. They are nowhere near their best just yet. But the way they turned what looked like certain defeat into a comfortable win with only a short period of decent football, shows just how much potential lies within this group of promising players.

They haven't yet learned the essential grinding style of play that is so important to winning big end of season matches against quality teams. What they do have though is tremendous strike power right across the field and they can produce points virtually at will once they get on a roll.

They also have an indescribable quality. I don't know what it is, but it gives them an air of unpredictability that produces points when they most need them.

They were not the better team in this match. But they were brilliant for about 12 minutes and that was enough to get them the result.

I felt for the Bulldogs. They came into the match without a number of their rep stars and played the perfect style of "underdog" football to get themselves into a great position to cause the upset.

They didn't do a lot wrong to lose the match either. They were simply overwhelmed by the Raider's power and brilliance over the concluding stages. It was a great afternoon's entertainment.