The Broncos staged a stunning comeback, defeating the Raiders 34-30 and avoiding the wooden spoon in Papalii's farewell game.
The Broncos have all-but avoided the wooden spoon after fullback hero Hayze Perham ruined Josh Papalii's Canberra farewell to inspire a 34-30 boilover on Friday night.
Papalii's final home game at GIO Stadium ended in tears as the Houdini Broncos produced yet another Canberra comeback, scoring three tries in 10 minutes to sensationally overturn a 30-16 deficit.
The Raiders looked to have ignited a 'Papa Party' when Zac Hosking crashed over in the 61st minute to leave the embattled Broncos staring at their 16th defeat of the season.
But the Green Machine sensationally stalled, with Payne Haas (64th), Grant Anderson (67th) and Reece Walsh's fullback understudy Perham (74th) crashing over to break Canberra's hearts.
It evoked images of last year's finals epic, when then minor premiers Raiders blew a 28-12 lead to lose 29-28 in extra-time to a Broncos side that went on to win the premiership.