Cronulla Sharks suffered its first loss of the season to Canberra Raiders in round two of the NRL yesterday.

Despite making a strong comeback in the second half, Shark’s coach John Morris refused to blame goal kicking for his team’s 12-10 loss to the Raiders.

Sharks halfback Chad Townsend landed just one goal from four attempts and missed two shots in the final minutes.

The Sharks fought back from a 12-0 deficit at half-time and Townsend twice had the chance to level the scores after centre Josh Dugan scored in the 72nd minute and he attempted a penalty goal with only seconds on the clock.

The Raiders began the second half as they finished the first, with interchange forward Sia Soliola jolting the ball loose from centre Mawene Hiroti in a heavy tackle in the opening minute and only desperate defense prevented five-eighth Jack Wighton from scoring in the corner.

[Source: NRL.com]