WATCH: KIWIS STAR PAPALI'I CHARGED FOR CONTACT THAT COST TIGERS NRL WIN OVER RAIDERS

NZ Kiwis star Isaiah Papali'i has been charged for the incident that deprived his Wests Tigers a miraculous comeback NRL victory over Canberra Raiders at Campbelltown Stadium.

Down 18-0 with 12 minutes remaining, the Tigers took advantage of their shorthanded rivals to pile on 19 unanswered points and snatch an unlikely lead, with time running out.

As Raiders half Jamal Fogarty lined up a field goal to level the scores, Papali'i rushed out of the defensive line to charge the kick down, but his despairing dive carried him into Fogarty's legs and the second-rower was put on report for dangerous contact.

Fogarty's field goal missed its target, but he made no mistake with the penalty awarded in front of the posts, lifted Canberra to a 20-19 win.

Papali'i will escape suspension for the offence, but faces a A$1800 fine with an early guilty plea, upgraded to $2500, if he unsuccessfully challenges the charge at judiciary.

Canberra appeared to be cruising towards victory, with Kiwis veteran Jordan Rapana among the tryscorers, before hooker Tom Starling was sin-binned for a repeat infringements, leaving his team to fend off a resurgent home side. 

Wellington-born fullback Jahream Bula put Wests on the board, scoring the first of their three tries, before half Luke Brooks potted a field goal to edge ahead with five minutes remaining.

With seven wins from their last eight outings, the Raiders will host NZ Warriors on Friday.

Join Newshub at 5pm Saturday for live updates of the Warriors v Dolphins NRL clash

2023-06-03T04:19:56Z dg43tfdfdgfd