St George Illawarra's second loss of the season is likely to be compounded by a biting allegation against forward Jarrod Saffy.
Raiders halfback Todd Carney was in everything last night, including the controversial moment in the first half, as he orchestrated a seven-point victory against the Dragons.
But the win will be overshadowed by the unsavoury incident, which occurred in the 32nd minute. Carney then approached referee Gavin Badger and made his complaint official. "He bit me," Carney told him.
"You want to show us the mark?" Badger asked. "I'm not lying, mate," Carney said as he held out his arm.
Badger placed the incident on report and it will be investigated by the NRL match review committee.
Saffy faces a hefty suspension if found guilty. Bulldogs forward Brad Morrin was outed for eight matches last year for biting Parramatta centre Timana Tahu.
The Raiders also suffered a potentially long-term loss last night, with centre Phil Graham leaving the field in the 23rd minute with a knee injury. There were fears that Graham had damaged his anterior cruciate ligament, possibly ruling him out for the rest of the season.
Dragons lock Dean Young, who knows a thing or three about knee troubles, said immediately: "He's done his knee."
The complaint against Saffy will not be the only incident flagged by the match reviewers, after Raiders hooker Lincoln Withers was placed on report for a high tackle on Dragons five-eighth Jamie Soward.
On top of that, Raiders winger Colin Best appeared to be dropped on his head in a tackle by Dragons Beau Scott and Jason Ryles before playing the ball the wrong way.
Badger, curiously, awarded the penalty to the Dragons and centre Mark Gasnier slotted the goal to push his side to a 10-0 lead.
While Best certainly had reason for his gaffe, it became clear that both sides may have been distracted by Earth Hour - neither team seemed, well, switched on at various points of the contest.
However, the Raiders were able to awake from their slumber and stay alert for long enough to overhaul the Dragons' early lead.
CANBERRA 21 (J Monaghan 2 T Campese T Thompson tries T Carney 2 goals T Carney field goal) bt ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 14 (J Nightingale 2 tries M Gasnier 3 goals) at Canberra Stadium. Referee: G Badger. Crowd: 14,400.
