Jai Merritt orchestrated the preliminary final win, helping the Raiders earn a date with Forbes in next Sunday’s decider thanks to a stunning intercept and a try to star in the victory.

“A couple of big plays, an awesome intercept with an awesome offload … I knew he wasn’t going to make it the whole way,” Macquarie coach Hale Gordon laughed.

“I think he was laughing. He’s a good player and looks for his support straight away.

“We did enough in the second half to put it away.”

After a frenetic opening, Macquarie earned wonderful field position after a silly challenge from CYMS prop Todd Deveigne on Raiders half Randel Dowling during a kick.

Dowling crossed on the next set, kicked the goal, too, to hand the Raiders a 6-0 lead after eight minutes.

He missed the qualifying semi-final derby in the opening week of the finals, but in the 14th minute CYMS pivot Matt Burton made his presence felt on the preliminary final.

Burton sliced through Macquarie’s line and sprinted 30 metres to score CYMS’ opener.

He missed the goal from the chalk in gusty conditions, but at 6-4 and Burton on song, the Fishes look set to dominate the rest of the first stanza.

But, as was the case for Macquarie’s opening points, ill-discipline proved the Fishes’ undoing, penalties presenting the Raiders with another chance at points.

It was an invitation Macquarie’s own representative gun Luke Gale accepted – scoring to kick his side out to a 12-4 lead.

The margin looked set to remain eight points at the break, but a fortuitous deflection from a Dalton Medcalf flick pass allowed Myles Ryan to dive on a loose ball to score, taking the margin out to 16-4 going into the sheds.

CYMS needed first points after the break, and Jackson Bonham-Phair delivered for the Fishies with a converted try four minutes into the new term, cutting Macquarie’s lead to 16-10.

The Raiders’ opening 10 minutes of the second half was abysmal, but momentum soon shifted on the back of Merritt play’s brilliance.

The stocky half plucked an intercept on his own 20m line, raced 50 metres before taking contact from the chasing Fishies.

But Merritt, despite the attention of three defenders, was able to pop a lovely pass to a flying Keith Fernando to score, bumping Macquarie out to a 20-10 lead.

It proved a massive turning point in the second half.

Full of running, Merritt then scored again five minutes late to bump his side out to a 16-point lead, before producing another intercept moments later with CYMS again on the attack.

It didn’t result in a try this time, but it meant Macquarie was camped in CYMS’ territory for the next six minutes and basically put to bed any sort of CYMS comeback.

The Fishies scored two late consolation four-pointers inside the final three minutes to threaten to steal the win, but time ran out at 26-22.

CYMS coach Bernard Wilson couldn’t fault his side’s effort.

“The bounce of the ball, you need a bit of luck in games like that and the luck didn’t go our way … well done to Macquarie,”

“Three teams could have won the comp this year and now it’s down to two. It’ll be a cracking grand final next week.”