Canberra have dug deep to claim a golden-point win against St George Illawarra, continuing their impressive start in the NRLW with a third straight win.

The Raiders looked destined for a huge win when they led 18-6 in the first half, but were pushed to their limits when the Dragons found two tries in the last 13 minutes to level the scores.

But after another masterful kicking display, Dally M contender Zahara Temara iced the game in the extra period when she coolly slotted a drop goal after her first effort was charged down in a 19-18 victory.

The result moved the Raiders to equal-top on the NRLW ladder in their first season in the competition, with co-captain Simaima Taufa also starring after producing a whopping 192m, 26-tackle outing.

Temara was keen to focus on the side’s second-half fade rather than her heroics, warning it was the sort of form that would get them beaten in future weeks.

“We’re disappointed because we weren’t playing to our standard in the second half,” she said.

“The Dragons were awesome and we knew they would be … we need to learn from our mistakes and fix them.

“I’m really proud of the girls that we lifted the energy in that extra time but we need to be better.”

Trailing by 12 with 13 minutes left, a stunning chip kick from Dragons half Raecene McGregor allowed speedy fullback Tegan Berry to dash away and score.

The Dragons then tied the scores when centre Bobbi Law broke on a kick return and found winger Margot Vella to cap a 90m move.

Canberra, however, steadied through their middles and drove down the field for Temara to seal the win.

Winger Shakiah Tungai and hooker Chante Temara scored first-half points before a barnstorming 50m run from Taufa that busted three tackles gave the Raiders the 18-6 advantage.

Canberra would have been further in front had two tries not been chalked off after video review enabling the Dragons to rally late.

By Alex Mitchell in Canberra