Mullins was a constant threat to the Raiders as he picked up two tries and was dangerous every time he touched the ball.

But it was Mullins’ teammate Shannon Hegarty who topped the try scoring list with a hat trick and an equally impressive display of footwork.

The Roosters ran in a total of seven tries and the combination Mullins, Hegarty, Brad Fittler and Craig Wing was too much for the Canberra side to handle.

After scrappy opening to the game from all involved including the referee, in the 17th minute, Roosters fullback-come-winger Brett Mullins found a hole in the Raiders’ defence thanks to inside ball from captain Brad Fittler ten metres out from the Canberra tryline and the ex-Raider picked up the first try.

The Raiders responded with a period of sustained attack and pressure on the Roosters but the momentum was lost when Rooster Shannon Hegarty raced up out of the line and forced a mistake from Canberra halfback Brett Finch.

Finch knocked on and the Roosters immediately went on the attack. Chris Flannery and Fittler changed the point of attack with a couple of slick passes behind the ruck.

Fittler then released Mullins with another inside ball and Hegarty was there in support to take the final pass and finish the movement he effectively began.

Craig Fitzgibbon had had no luck converting the first two tries but Craig Wing made life easier for when he scored the Roosters’ third try under the posts.

Mullins picked up a Raiders kick deep inside his own half and then turned the ball to Anthony Minichiello who split the Canberra defence for a 40 metre break then passed to Wing for the try.

Between the Roosters tries, the Raiders had ample opportunity to make a mark on the scoreboard – thanks in part to a favourable penalty count - but sloppy handling prevented them from making any progress, which left the halftime score at 14-0.
Six minutes into the second half Mullins picked up his second try to maintain his high involvement in the game.

First Wing and then Fittler stood in tackles to offload a pass and the Roosters’s captain’s pass landed in the hands of Mullins.

The Roosters almost scored again when centre Justin Hodges made a fleet-footed individual break down the right hand side of the field, but fullback Clinton Schifcofske pulled off a determined one-on-one tackle to stop Hodges’ progress and drag him into touch.

The Raiders still couldn’t find away to break the blot next to their name on the scoreboard and the Roosters guaranteed the two competition points with 20 minutes left in the match.

Hegarty made a break from inside his own half and wove an elusive path to the tryline for his second.

Not long after Mullins made yet another break, Hegarty racked up his third try for the afternoon to complete a hat trick.

Hegarty was again hard to pin down for they Raiders as he turned the defence inside out and find the line from 25 metres out.

Wing picked up the home side’s seventh try but it wasn’t until the final minute that Phil Graham scored the Raiders’ first.