Canberra's Indigenous stars almost single-handedly spearheaded the club's pre-Origin charge on Sunday toward the top eight.
A fourth victory from five outings against the Sydney Roosters 22-16 has left the Raiders equal on wins in eighth with a 6-6 record.
Missing Wiradjuri man Jack Wighton ahead of an 11th appearance for NSW on Wednesday night, his Indigenous teammates collectively scored 18 of the side's points.
Three tries shortly after the resumption of the second half set up the hosts 18-6 on Ngunnawal country and on track to rebound from last week's Parramatta loss.
Wiradjuri man Adam Elliott powered through a Roosters' hole off a short ball to open the scoring in the 8th minute.
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The Raiders had to regain the lead in the 29th minute through a sparkling low take and dive from Torres Strait, Birri Gubba and Gungganyji man Xavier Savage.
Torres Strait Islander Sebastian Kris came out of the dressing rooms only to catch the Roosters off guard on the back of a charge down and a dash away to score.
The extra points from the boot Mununjali man Jamal Fogarty proved key ahead of the thrilling finish where the Raiders held out metres from the line during the final play.
Torres Strait Islander Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow crossed for two tries on Friday night in the absence of eight Cowboys regulars at Robina.
North Queensland conceded early points to Gold Coast before defending the next 65 minutes on its way to a 32-6 win.
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Tabuai-Fidow first scored in the 35th minute to finish off a three-try blitz in eight minutes to deliver his side a 16-6 lead at the interval.
Wiradjuri man Scott Drinkwater ran a dazzling 193 metres from fullback, played a hand in two Cowboys' tries and kicked four conversions.
"Missing a few Origin players, I wanted to step up and get my hands on the footy more and just be in the game," Drinkwater said.
"Last week against Penrith, I was not able to do that, and I was disappointed.
"The only way to turn that around is to get out there and have a crack."
The Titans were dealt a huge setback after Kamilaroi-Daingatti man Jayden Campbell was forced off in the second half with a hamstring tear.
The club released a statement after the game saying it was awaiting MRI results on Campbell.
Reigning premier Penrith, without seven Origin players, outlasted Canterbury 30-18 at home.
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But most interest lied with Gunggandji, Birrbay and Wiradjuri man Josh Addo-Carr, spurred on from his omission from the Blues Origin side.
Addo-Carr found space to cross in the 19th and 49th minutes for the Bulldogs.
Reece Walsh, of Aboriginal and Māori descent, converted both of the New Zealand Warriors' second-half tries amid their heavy 44-12 loss to Manly.
The 19-year-old Queenslander was highly critical of the performance, demanding his older teammates lift after a fifth straight defeat.
"We just sabotage ourselves and we put ourselves under pressure," Walsh told a live television audience on Saturday night.
"We just keep doing it every week. It's not good enough."
- Story by Andrew Mathieson
