Stuart was surprised to see the Raiders penalised for their markers being split, mainly because it's the tactic he feels rival teams have been using to stifle Canberra's attack.

The Raiders shocked the competition last year with their impressive attacking play, but there's no surprise element this season because they are considered a genuine premiership threat.

But Stuart hopes referees are consistent in cracking down on marker defence, hitting out at the tactic of splitting players on each side of the ruck.

"Teams have worked out how to play us and you've got to cheat at the ruck," Stuart said.

"There was one penalty given tonight against us splitting at marker. I can show you another 15 or 20 examples that wouldn't have been penalised tonight.

"You've got to be scrappy, you've got to slow us down at the ruck, you've got to cheat at the ruck. The more you cheat at the ruck, the more you stifle our attack. It's as simple as that."

It will be interesting to see if those at NRL referee headquarters take notice and give the Raiders some space to play the game everyone wants to see.

Ricky's Raiders forge new path

Forget the past and look to the future. That's Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart's message as his team walks a new path and starts grinding its way to crucial wins.

The Raiders had a stellar season last year. In fact, it was their best in 21 years. But Stuart wants the focus on his team's development this year rather than looking backwards.

The Green Machine held on for a hard-fought win against the Sydney Roosters on Sunday, scoring on the siren to clinch a 24-16 win at Canberra Stadium.

It was the type of win which shows the Raiders are more than just a flashy attacking unit, and now they've got back to back wins after being forced to knuckle down and do it the hard way.

"It's a tight comp and a tough competition. We've got character," Stuart said.

Another cliffhanger for the Canberra Raiders, this time against the Sydney Roosters! There was some Jordan Rapana magic and some big hits. Join the debrief in our wrap up.Posted by The Canberra Times on Sunday, May 28, 2017

"You don't win [against the Roosters] if you haven't got character. You don't win last week if you haven't got character."

The win was made sweeter by the fact the Raiders were wearing special jerseys to raise awareness for autism and money for the Ricky Stuart Foundation.

Roosters hoodoo continues

The Roosters gave the Raiders an almighty scare in the final 10 minutes when they charged back into the game and threatened to snatch a win.

Fullback Michael Gordon had a sideline conversion attempt to level the score with six minutes left, but it sailed wide and the Raiders managed to cling to their lead.

The Roosters' loss, albeit gutsy, means they haven't won in Canberra since 2010 and they've lost eight of their past 10 matches in the capital.

"It's funny because I was really proud of them, but we talked afterwards and there was a lot of disappointment in the sheds," said Roosters coach Trent Robinson.

"That's the way it should because we felt we worked hard enough to get in a position to win the game ... We're not the best team at the moment, but that's where we want to get to."

The Roosters also finished with a contender for bombed try of the year after lock Zane Tetevano refused to pass it out wide with a three-on-one attacking move.

Origin Blues?

There's always plenty made about which players are picked for State of Origin and which players are left out of the squads.

The Roosters were missing five of their stars while the Raiders were playing without powerful second-rower Josh Papalii.

So the million dollar question is: better to have players on Origin duty or not?

Stuart is a firm believer he'd rather his players be involved in the game's showpiece because you might miss them for three games, but they'll also win premierships.

Counterpart Robinson's wasn't using Origin absentees as an excuse, instead saying his team needed to win tight games without key players if it wanted to be the best in the NRL.

Soliola rattles Keary's ribs

Roosters playmaker Luke Keary will still be counting his ribs on Monday morning after Sia Soliola lined him up with one of the hits of the season.

An unsuspecting Keary was nailed with a bone-rattler in the 20th minute when Soliola snuck up and hammered him into the Canberra Stadium turf.

It set the tone for the Raiders and three minutes later Jordan Rapana completed a first-half double to put the Green Machine in front for the first time in the match on a chilly afternoon.

The cold weather must have made Channel Nine commentator Phil Gould grumpy, because the supercoach was adamant Rapana's first try shouldn't have been awarded.

Joey Leilua attempted an offload, which hit Elliott Whitehead in the stomach. Whitehead picked up the loose ball and offloaded to Rapana, who managed to get the ball down after three attempts.

Roosters captain Jake Friend argued Whitehead was in an offside position, but the NRL Bunker was happy to give Rapana his 10th try of the year.

AT A GLANCE

CANBERRA RAIDERS 24 (Jordan Rapana 2, Jarrod Croker, Aidan Sezer tries; Jarrod Croker 3 conversions, penalty) bt SYDNEY ROOSTERS 16 (Jake Friend, Joseph Manu tries; Michael Gordon 2 conversions) at Canberra Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Referees: Henry Perenara and Dave Munro. Crowd: 14,786.