Penrith slipped to back-to-back losses for the first time this season as they were toppled 22-18 by Canberra in the nation’s capital.
The Panthers were left licking their wounds after losing to Melbourne in a blockbuster clash last week and were desperate to get back into the winner’s circle against the Raiders.
Jarome Luai was installed as the new halfback after Nathan Cleary was sidelined once again during an injury-plagued campaign.
And the Wests Tigers-bound playmaker took the reins and guided his side around the field well with the Panthers dominating territory during a stop-start affair.
Yet Luai came unstuck in the closing stages when he tried to force a pass which Matt Timoko picked off with an intercept before dishing off to Xavier Savage to streak away and score.
It was a remarkable turnaround for the Raiders after they had been lambasted by Ricky Stuart last week for their dire loss to North Queensland.
But with the players and fans farewelling veteran Elliott Whitehead at GIO Stadium, the Raiders kept their slim finals hopes alive by toppling the reigning premiers.
Penrith’s defeat left it open for the Storm to claim the minor premiership with a win over the Dolphins.
In more bad news, Ivan Cleary’s side could slump to fourth place if results go against them across the rest of the weekend.
The Sydney Roosters and Cronulla sit just two points adrift of them on the ladder with both clubs possessing superior points differentials.
If the Chooks and Sharks win, the Panthers will end Round 25 in fourth spot and face a battle to keep hold of their double shot at the premiership with matches against South Sydney and Gold Coast to come.
"I'm not too worried about that," Cleary said.
"We've had years in the past where we've probably been kicking around and waiting for the finals to start, so it's definitely not going to be like that this year.
"What's important is we hit the finals playing well and at the moment we're not playing well enough.
"But I can't wait to get back into it next week because I've got full faith in the boys."
