Melbourne's U20 Thunderbolts have been pipped at the post in Round 7, falling to a fast finishing Raiders side 22-28 on Easter Sunday.
The loss leaves Matt Adamson's side sitting in 11th position, two points outside the NYC top eight.
The young Melbourne side took an early lead in the contest, scoring in the fourth minute to open up a 6-0 lead thanks to forward Rhys Kennedy.
Sparked into action, the home side made life difficult for the Thunderbolts for the remainder of the half, piling on four unanswered tries after conceding the lead. Hitting back just five minutes after conceding, a streak of tries followed allowing Canberra to take a 16-6 lead into the half-time break.
Fan up with Melbourne Storm this ANZAC Day, book your tickets today.
Francis Tualau gave his side a desperately needed try shortly after the resumption of play, reducing the Raiders' lead early in the second stanza.
With momentum shifting in the match once again, back-to-back tries for the visitors sent the Thunderbolts into the closing stages of the match holding a six point advantage.
In a late surge, the U20 Raiders levelled the scores with six minutes remaining before hitting the lead just moments later when Jake Wheeler found the try line.
Left with 90 seconds to overturn the deficit, the Thunderbolts were unable to find the try line, eventually falling short by a converted try margin.
The Thunderbolts will face the New Zealand Warriors on Friday 25 April at AAMI Park in Round 8.
Canberra Raiders 28 defeated by Melbourne Storm 22
