Canberra coach Ricky Stuart has lashed out at his side after they blew a 16-point lead with their “worst 50 minutes of football” in years.

The Raiders appeared on their way to a cruisy night against Parramatta when they raced out to a three-try advantage after 32 minutes in Darwin.

Instead they conceded two tries in the space of three minutes before halftime and eventually fell to a frustrating 22-16 defeat.

A win would have lifted Canberra past the Sydney Roosters and South Sydney into second spot, six points behind ladder leaders Melbourne.

Instead, the Raiders remain in fourth on 18 points, equal with Newcastle and Manly following their victories earlier on Saturday.

Stuart didn’t hold back when asked about his team’s implosion after the match.

“We only played for 30 minutes. That was our worst 50 minutes of football for years,” Stuart said.

“You can’t come out of the blocks and start like that for the first 30 minutes and play so well. We were very good at what we were doing, and then it just gone.

“It’s nowhere to be seen.

“I know what it is. One hundred per cent I know what it is. But I’ve got to deal with that now.”

Five-eighth Jack Wighton was the star of their 30-minute avalanche, scoring a try and playing a hand in two more, for Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Sebastian Kris.

But the NSW State of Origin representative mirrored his team’s second-half collapse, producing a number of untimely errors as the Eels surged back.

“So it’s not just we played bad. Parramatta didn’t let us play well,” Stuart said.

“They jumped us in the last 10 minutes of that first half and I know how and why. And then we couldn’t correct it. That’s got to come back to our individuals.”