SYDNEY, August 10, 2008 (AFP) - The Canberra Raiders crushed an abysmal Penrith side 74-12 on Sunday to climb back into the National Rugby League top eight.

Raiders five-eighth Terry Campese scored 36 points in the rout, with four tries and 10 goals, just two shy of the club record held by the legendary Mal Meninga.

The heavy loss in Canberra was a major blow to Penrith's finals hopes, but the Raiders have winnable games against Souths and North Queensland to come in the last four rounds and are well-placed for an assault.

Meanwhile, Parramatta kept their playoff hopes alive with a thrilling 28-24 upset win over the Sydney City Roosters here on Sunday.

Scores were locked at 24-all with just minutes to go, before Krisnan Inu, who contributed 16 points, scored the winning try against the fourth-placed Roosters.

Spurred by a midweek meeting to address their form, the Eels are still 12th on the ladder, but are only two points outside the eight and appear to have a favourable run home.

Earlier in Round 22, the Cronulla Sharks joined Manly and Melbourne at the top of the NRL ladder on 32 points with a 28-14 win over South Sydney on Saturday.

Ben Pomeroy scored two tries for the Sharks, who all but assured themselves of a top-four finish with the win.

The Auckland Warriors stayed in playoff contention with an upset 16-12 win over the fifth-placed Brisbane Broncos on Saturday.

The Canterbury Bulldogs' woes continued when they were beaten by North Queensland on Saturday, the Cowboys ending a 13-game losing streak with a comfortable 36-12 win.

The Cowboys revived their hopes of avoiding the wooden spoon after a week in which the fortunes of former Bulldogs star Sonny Bill Williams, who walked out on the club to play union in France, dominated the news.

The Bulldogs have conceded 122 points in three games since Williams walked out.

On Friday, the Melbourne Storm won the match of the round against Manly 16-10 to join the Sea Eagles at the top of the ladder.

A late try to Benji Marshall ensured Wests Tigers beat St George Illawarra 18-10 on Friday.