Halfback Jesse Southwell led a stunning second-half fightback as the Newcastle Knights ended Canberra's unbeaten run at home with a 20-12 win in round seven of NRLW on Saturday.
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The Knights trailed 10-0 at the break after the Raiders produced a relentless first-half performance at Canberra Stadium.
Clearly out to redeem themselves after a 32-point loss to the Broncos in Brisbane in round six, Canberra had Newcastle on the back foot early.
Both defences were tested in a 20-minute arm wrestle before the hosts produced the breakthrough with winger Madison Bartlett scoring in the left corner in the 22nd minute for a 4-0 lead.
Bartlett completed a first-half double with a similar effort in the 31st minute.
The first try came after a penalty had the Raiders within striking range. Five-eighth Zahara Temara quickly shifted the ball to the left and halfback Ashleigh Quinlan's killer cut-out pass found Bartlett with little to do.
The second came after centre Mackenzie Wiki broke the Knights line and made a busting 40-metre run down the sideline before again Canberra moved the ball quickly to the left edge for Bartlett to score.
Temara could not convert the first try with her kick from the sideline but ensured the hosts went to half-time with a 10-point buffer with a successful second attempt.
The first-half statistics told the story with Newcastle making 19 missed tackles compared to Canberra's six.
But it was all Newcastle after the break.
Knights five-eighth Georgie Roche rolled through three Raiders players to score six minutes into the second half and Southwell converted to make the scoreline 10-6.
Canberra, however, earned a penalty 10 metres out after their kick-off from the restart went dead then Southwell failed to execute the ensuing dropkick in the allocated time.
Temara opted to take the two points and successfully converted to edge ahead 12-6.
But Knights winger Sheridan Gallagher, who was put on report for a high tackle in the 13th minute, scored in the right corner in the 48th minute after fullback Tamika Upton had broken Canberra's line then Southwell delivered a beautiful pass in the next play.
The 18-year-old Knights halfback then bamboozled the Raiders defence with a trademark dummy and step to the right before crossing over for a try of her own three minutes later.
Southwell converted both tries and a penalty from in front in the 59th minute after an illegal steal by the Raiders to finish the game with a 12-point haul.
The win was Newcastle's fifth in a row. It elevated the defending champions to 12 points and into the outright competition lead to set up an intriguing top-of-the-table clash with the Sydney Roosters in the NRLW's penultimate round next weekend.
The Roosters have 10 points but are set to play last-placed Parramatta on Sunday and could be back on level terms with Newcastle by the end of the round with a win.
The fourth-placed Raiders had been unbeaten in three previous games at home before hosting the Knights.