Canberra are eyeing a first minor premiership in 35 years after hat-trick hero Kaeo Weekes inspired a 28-24 defeat of gallant St George Illawarra at GIO Stadium.

The Dragons, missing 11 players to injury, never let the Raiders breathe easily on Saturday night but fullback Weekes’ first two tries either side of the break gave the ladder leaders the buffer they needed.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Kaeo Weekes scores try of the year.

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With their seventh consecutive win, the Raiders move two competition points clear atop the NRL ladder and enjoy a favourable run to finals.

Canberra still have two byes to come across the last nine rounds of the regular season and face only two sides that began this weekend in the top eight - fewer than minor premiership rivals Canterbury and Melbourne.

Since their inaugural season 44 years ago, the Raiders have claimed the minor premiership just once before: in 1990, with a team boasting Mal Meninga, Laurie Daley and current coach Ricky Stuart.

After an early dogfight against the Dragons, Weekes came with a performance to rival any of those men.

Kaeo Weekes scored a hat-trick, including a contender for try of the year. Credit: AAP

With scores level, Weekes had his first try on a counterattack, scooping Kyle Flanagan’s grubber kick up and leaving the scattered defensive line in his wake, belting 85 metres to score.

The Raiders rode their luck when Dragons centre Corey Allan was penalised for pushing Xavier Savage after the half and it was Weekes who dived over on the right.

Just after Jayden Su’A put the Dragons back in the fight with his try, Weekes broke six tackles fielding a Dragons kick and tearing away for a first NRL hat-trick.

Social media quickly lit up with many fans calling it the try of the year.

“This will go down as the greatest individual try of 2025. Weekes is a superstar,” the Orcale said.

“Stop the count. Try of the year has been run and won. This is out of this world from Weekes,” Mark Gottlieb added.

A spread down the right side put Flanagan over and had the Dragons within four points in the final 10 minutes.

But they ran out of time, left to rue 13 errors and some near-misses in the first half.

Tyrell Sloan would have scored the game’s first try but Moses Suli’s last pass was called forward, before Su’A slipped over chasing his own kick past the line for what would’ve been a certain try.

Saints finally had points for their effort when another Suli pass to Sloan was deemed legal down the right, immediately after an offside Trey Mooney missed scoring the Raiders’ second.

But Weekes struck back two minutes before the break to ensure the Raiders would lead for the remainder.