Canberra have withstood a late surge by Brisbane for a grinding 22-14 win in their Monday night clash at Canberra Stadium.

The Raiders looked to have the Broncos' measure and were up 18-0 at halftime before a resurgent Brisbane fought back in the second half.

Two tries to superstar Israel Folau and another to Ben Te'o had the visitors within four points with 15 minutes to play.

But desperate for their first win, the Raiders held firm.

New halfback Josh McCrone crashed over in the last minute of the game to seal the result in front of 14,200 fans, including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Still smarting from last week's loss to the Panthers, the Raiders looked the goods from the get-go, notching up three tries to nothing courtesy of Josh Dugan, Joel Thompson and McCrone ahead of halftime.

The Broncos, despite the late inclusions of Folau and vice-captain Corey Parker, looked flat, perhaps battling demons from their last match in Canberra, when they were downed by an historic 56 points.

But two tries to Folau opened up the game again in the second.

McCrone, a last minute inclusion over regular halfback Marc Herbert, was the star of the night, proving himself a fine performer particularly at the death.

His first try came just before the halftime siren, and his second came just before the final buzzer.

Broncos coach Ivan Henjak blamed poor decisions and impatient football for the loss, particularly in the first 40 minutes of the match.

"We had our opportunities there and we just didn't play smart," he said after the game.

"If we had of played smart, the scoreline would have been different in the first half."

He said McCrone's try just before halftime was telling.

"We were pushing the pass again, it just seemed to be (our) mindset and we need to change that."

Canberra coach David Furner said his players had done their jobs well, especially to withstand the late momentum shift to the Broncos.

"It was a tremendous effort by the players and I'll give them plenty of credit for that win," he said.

"We had a really good week leading into the Broncos, we were probably a little bit down on energy ... but it just sort of showed, especially in the second half, the character which is in the team."

Furner was pleased with the efforts of McCrone and the Raiders' second notable inclusion, James Stuart, who got his first senior call-up against Brisbane.

Whether they'll get another chance this Saturday against the Titans on the Gold Coast is still up for review.

The Broncos host the Warriors in Brisbane on Sunday.

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