Canberra Raiders 16–17 New Zealand Warriors — Semi-Final, 2003 NRL Finals Series
20 Sep 2003 · Sydney Football Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney, NSW · Attendance: 31,616
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Semi-Final, 2003 NRL finals series: Canberra Raiders 16–17 New Zealand Warriors, at Sydney Football Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney, NSW on 20 Sep 2003.
Sourcing caveat: No try-scoring minutes were found except Stacey Jones's field goal. Canberra's sourced lineup lists Terry Martin at #15 in the starting second row, and Brad Drew / Michael Weyman on the bench at #18/#19 — reported exactly as sourced.
Scorers
| Canberra Raiders | Tries: Woolford; Davico Goals: Schifcofske (4/4 conversions) |
| New Zealand Warriors | Tries: Swann; Toopi; Fa'afili Goals: Webb (2/3 conversions) Drop goals: Jones 77' |
Team sheets
| Canberra Raiders | New Zealand Warriors | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clinton Schifcofske | Fullback | Brent Webb | 1 |
| 2 | Joel Monaghan | Wing | Henry Fa'afili | 2 |
| 3 | Jason Bulgarelli | Centre | Vinnie Anderson | 3 |
| 4 | Adam Mogg | Centre | Clinton Toopi | 4 |
| 5 | Jamaal Lolesi | Wing | Francis Meli | 5 |
| 6 | Michael Monaghan | Five-Eighth | Thomas Leuluai | 6 |
| 7 | Mark McLinden | Halfback | Stacey Jones | 7 |
| 8 | Ryan O'Hara | Prop | Jerry Seuseu | 8 |
| 9 | Simon Woolford (c) | Hooker | Monty Betham (c) | 9 |
| 10 | Luke Davico | Prop | Richard Villasanti | 10 |
| 11 | Ruben Wiki | Second Row | Logan Swann | 11 |
| 15 | Terry Martin | Second Row | Awen Guttenbeil | 12 |
| 13 | Tyran Smith | Lock | Sione Faumuina | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Sean Rutgerson | Motu Tony | 14 | |
| 17 | Michael Hodgson | Ali Lauiti'iti | 15 | |
| 18 | Brad Drew | Wairangi Koopu | 17 | |
| 19 | Michael Weyman | Iafeta Palea'aesina | 20 | |
| Matthew Elliott | Coach | Daniel Anderson | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Tim Mander |
Match report
A classic finals thriller. Locked at 10-10 at halftime and still level late, Stacey Jones — one of the finest halfbacks never to win a title with the Warriors — slotted a field goal in the 77th minute to send Canberra out and book a preliminary final berth against Penrith. It remains one of the most dramatic semi-finals of the 2000s.