Canberra Raiders 18–30 Melbourne Storm — Qualifying Final, 2003 NRL Finals Series
12 Sep 2003 · Canberra Stadium, Bruce, ACT · Attendance: 14,094
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Qualifying Final, 2003 NRL finals series: Canberra Raiders 18–30 Melbourne Storm, at Canberra Stadium, Bruce, ACT on 12 Sep 2003.
Sourcing caveat: No try-scoring minutes were found for this fixture. Canberra's sourced lineup lists Terry Martin at #15 in the starting five-eighth slot and Michael Monaghan at #6 on the bench — reported exactly as sourced, not renumbered to a standard pattern.
Scorers
| Canberra Raiders | Tries: Lolesi; J. Monaghan; M. Monaghan Goals: Schifcofske (3/4 conversions) |
| Melbourne Storm | Tries: Bai; Bai; Orford; Moala; Geyer; C. Smith Goals: Orford (3/6 conversions) |
Team sheets
| Canberra Raiders | Melbourne Storm | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clinton Schifcofske | Fullback | Billy Slater | 1 |
| 2 | Joel Monaghan | Wing | Fifita Moala | 2 |
| 3 | Jason Bulgarelli | Centre | Steve Bell | 3 |
| 4 | Adam Mogg | Centre | Matt King | 15 |
| 5 | Jamaal Lolesi | Wing | Marcus Bai | 5 |
| 15 | Terry Martin | Five-Eighth | Matt Geyer | 6 |
| 7 | Mark McLinden | Halfback | Matt Orford | 7 |
| 8 | Ryan O'Hara | Prop | Robbie Kearns | 8 |
| 9 | Simon Woolford (c) | Hooker | Cameron Smith | 9 |
| 10 | Luke Davico | Prop | Kirk Reynoldson | 10 |
| 11 | Ruben Wiki | Second Row | Peter Robinson | 11 |
| 12 | Ian Hindmarsh | Second Row | Stephen Kearney (c) | 12 |
| 13 | Tyran Smith | Lock | David Kidwell | 4 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 6 | Michael Monaghan | Glen Turner | 13 | |
| 14 | Sean Rutgerson | Danny Williams | 14 | |
| 16 | Troy Thompson | Mitchell Sargent | 17 | |
| 17 | Michael Hodgson | Ryan Hoffman | 18 | |
| Matthew Elliott | Coach | Craig Bellamy | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Tim Mander |
Match report
The lowest-seeded qualifying final (3 v 5) saw Melbourne's dominant second half overturn a tied 16-16 halftime scoreline and end Canberra's finals campaign in straight defeat. It was also a finals debut for a young Cameron Smith and Billy Slater, both of whom would go on to define the Storm's next decade.