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The Raiders led 12-0 at halftime but missed a chance to enter the NRL's top eight, losing 19-18 to a Manly side that remain in the top-four hunt.

Manly have shrugged aside the absence of Tom Trbojevic, conjuring a second-half revival to beat Canberra 19-18, boost their NRL top-four hopes and deny the Raiders entry to the top eight.

The Raiders looked to have the measure of the Turbo-less Sea Eagles in a gritty first spell that played into their hands as they ran up a 12-0 halftime lead.

But hard-running pair Moses Suli and Haumole Olakau'atu ignited the Sea Eagles while Jake Trbojevic laid two match-changing tackles and captain Daly Cherry-Evans sealed the win with his boot.

Trbojevic knocked the ball loose from Charnze Nicholl-Klokstad's first carry in his return from neck surgery, Morgan Harper scoring from the next play to level proceedings.

Then he somehow managed to halt Josh Papalii as the Raiders prop stormed within reach of an equaliser.

Either side of that tackle Cherry-Evans laid on a pinpoint grubber for a Curtis Sironen try and then nailed the decisive late field goal to put them seven ahead.

Introduced for the last 25 minutes of the match, Nicholl-Klokstad did go over with 30 seconds to play.

But, after being piggy-backed up field by a penalty, Jordan Rapana scuffed his two-point field goal attempt from 45m that would have snatched a win.

"I don't think they were thinking about it like that," Manly coach Des Hasler said of his side finding a way to win without their star fullback, who he said would return from his cheek injury next week.

"They knew they had a game tonight with plenty of cause for both sides, both had goals.

"It was tough game of footy and I think we needed that game actually, it's come at a good time."

The result put the Sea Eagles level with the Sydney Roosters, who have a game in hand, in fourth with two games remaining while the Raiders missed their chance to jump from ninth to seventh.

"We'd be in the grand final if it was down to courage and effort," frustrated Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said.

"Unfortunately we needed a bit more than that and in certain periods of play we didn't have it.

"It's hard losing that way when you put so much courage and effort into 80 minutes of footy."

Manly looked offensively lost in their first scoreless first half of the season, seven errors to the Raiders' four not helping their cause.

Harley Smith-Shields scored after Joe Tapine had stripped possession then Jack Wighton put Bailey Simonsson over in the corner to set up Canerra's halftime lead.

Olakau'atu, denied a try in the first half after replays found an obstruction, wasn't turned away a second time though.

He twisted out of a tackle to score after Suli (career-high 217 run metres) had made the break to begin the Sea Eagles' resurgence.