On a bitter August night in Canberra, the Newcastle Knights came seeking a result that might salvage their season, only to find that early promise is no guarantee of lasting reward. The Canberra Raiders, trailing by twelve points and playing in near-freezing rain, rediscovered their composure through an intercepted pass and a grinding second-half defensive effort. It was a reminder, as rugby league so often provides, that momentum is borrowed rather than owned — and that the team which learns to weather adversity, literally and figuratively, tends to outlast the one that merely starts well.