2008 Finals Week 1 V Sharks: Game Day and Post Match

[GreenSoul]

Man we're really talking it up. Seriously discussing the premiership. It's great to hear that we have that confidence about us, but i hope we don't fall apart tonight.

[mike83au]

It's our biggest match in 4 years. No doubt about that. I'm pretty anxious and can't wait to head out the ground later today and scream myself hoarse.

Hopefully the thunderstorms/rain will stay away and it will remain dry. As previously mentioned, it's a very warm day in Sydney.

I wish our guys the best of luck and hope they play to their potential, keep playing an expansive game and hopefully get an honest go from the ref.

[Um Jammer Lammy]

He we go folks.

After watching last nights game Cronulla aren't going to be easy.

If they tackle like they have been all year with the added fuel of finals footy then we might come home dissappointed.

Covell is getting a lot of sass here but I think he is the player most likely to hurt us tonight out side of Seymour/Kimmorly. I'm talking in the air for the most part, he is really good up there.

In saying that if we tackle like we know we can then I think they will have a hard time getting the points on the board.

Best is the key in my opinion. Or whoever is playing against Simmons. He is the weak link in my opinion. If Best can make in roads there throw in Costigan to get in there and really put some pressure on. Which will hopefully take a bit of focus off Monaghan on the paddock.

Milne has to be error free and bring the ball back hard and has to take any offload on offer to make a dent in the Sharks defence.

Tilse and Logan have to run hard with quality offloads.

Most important is our kicking game. Campese always had a huge kick in years gone by I would like ot see him try for 40/20' a little more when we are in trouble after a repeat set or something. Buttriss has to get good ball to the backs when the opportunity is available.

So in short everyone needs to play to their best.

I'm nervous, I am. Can you tell?

In my opinion game could to either of two ways. Sharks win 20 - 12 with a late Raiders try or Raiders win 36 - 18. Or maybe secret 3rd option 20 - 18 to either team.

Funk the Sharks, Raiders for the win!

[thickos]

Oh man I am so pumped for this. I've sunk my normal amount of beers for a Friday night here in Toronto in half the time so I can be home early go get into bed, get a decent night's sleep so I can be up at 4:30 am here to hear the call.

Will be watching it on one of those streamed webcam TV's but the ABC radio call will be ever-present as well.

See you in this thread guys.

Go Raiders!

[markqt]

same here can't wait for the game. Got a feeling raiders will have a good start, with all the articles and confidence they have. why wouldn't they start up well
go the raiders

[deeman82]

GO YOU GREEN MACHINE

[nemesis]

i'm so excited,good luck to both teams, so spewin i couldn't get a ticket. i hope i see j carney run out for kelly and a fit herby run out, that would boost our chances by heaps, go raiders

Still General Admission available and I think a few forumers have some spare tickets. Get on it!

yeah i didn't wanna get bad seats or seat on the hill so i opted to stay at home and watch on tv so i didn't miss the action

[nemesis]

i'm so excited,good luck to both teams, so spewin i couldn't get a ticket. i hope i see j carney run out for kelly and a fit herby run out, that would boost our chances by heaps, go raiders

I have 3 tickets available, away supporters bay.

so should have posted this earlier, i would have taken 1 of those tickets for sure, now all set up for a bbq and everything really appreciate the offer though

[turtles]

we're in a hot Sydney day.
max: 28 (where i am, but i assume it will be similar at the shire)

Cons: we play better in the cold
Pros: it hasn't been this hot in Sydney for ages so the sharkies wont be used to it either. Will help our ball handling
We're playing at 6.30 so it will be cooler <-- could be both a pro and con

If we play hard, try hard, put in 100% AND we lose, i'll still be proud of the boys. Its defiently been a rollercoaster year and for them to acheive at top 6 position is great. Saying that ... GO THE RAIDERS!!

First thing i thought of when i woke up today, "raiders playing today in the finals" (closely followed by, "i feel like pancakes")

[DJ Raida]

its so gdamn hot, im sweating all over the place, not good as the last time we played in the heat we got thumped by nql. : /

[-TW-]

we're in a hot Sydney day.
max: 28 (where i am, but i assume it will be similar at the shire)

Cons: we play better in the cold
Pros: it hasn't been this hot in Sydney for ages so the sharkies wont be used to it either. Will help our ball handling
We're playing at 6.30 so it will be cooler <-- could be both a pro and con

If we play hard, try hard, put in 100% AND we lose, i'll still be proud of the boys. Its defiently been a rollercoaster year and for them to acheive at top 6 position is great. Saying that ... GO THE RAIDERS!!

First thing i thought of when i woke up today, "raiders playing today in the finals" (closely followed by, "i feel like pancakes")

thinking if it gets around 30, which they say it will

it maybe around 17 or 18 for the game which is a plesent temp to play at

in saying that i hope its not a long scorching summer, signs dont look good though

[Northern Raider]

Currently 27 at Cronulla. Its usually a couple of degrees cooler near the coast. Supposed to get down to 14 tonight so I'd imagine the temperature will drop fairly quickly once the sun goes down. Its not like NQ where it was mid 20's and humid in the evening. Even then we 'won' the 2nd half up there so I'm trusting the temerature won't be a factor.

[JohanV]

As a Raiders supporter, this is one of the best days of the year. Doc's orders have put me in bed, so I am reading all the newspapers and internet sites, and I keep on asking myself the same question "who would have thought that we would have been in this situation 10 games ago. So when I see the guys run onto the park tonight I will be pretty emotional. Despite all the expert opinions, all the analysis and all the conjecture and speculation, we are still in with a good chance. Reading the Tongue article in the CT, these guys have been on an amazing journey, and we all forget the talent that fell by the wayside, yet produced a team that is now competing in the finals. This is a team held together by massages and recovery sessions and 3rd picks at the start of the season but with a firm believe in themselves that they can mix it with the best.
Considering the journey, when these guys run on the park, they are already winners, because only a few people believed in them, to make the finals. I hope these guys enjoy the game, the atmospere and the spectacle of finals football. Everything else is a bonus. I predict a win, the grinding dour anti spectacle style of Cronulla will be an easy target for the free flowing running style of our fantastic raiders.
I just can't see our guys lose, even if ref decisions go against us.
So to everyone, sit back, relax and wish you were there.

[troy_28]

Raiders a force against Sharks: Campese
By Liam FitzGibbon

Canberra star Terry Campese says the Raiders are determined to prove against Cronulla they can be an NRL finals force and more than just "a side people like to watch".

The surprise packets of 2008 head into Saturday night's qualifying final at Toyota Stadium with nothing to lose after overcoming pre-season wooden spoon favouritism to reach the finals.

But Campese, who starred in the Raiders' run to the playoffs, said his side was far from content with just reaching the top eight.

The five-eighth believes the Raiders can spring an upset against the Sharks and prove their lingering doubters wrong in the process.

"Everyone likes to watch us but people still think that the Sharks are going to flog us," Campese said.

"I guess people still aren't really rating us.

"But we're just going into the game knowing what we have to do and focusing on our game.

"We're confident in ourselves, so that's all we need."

The nephew of Wallabies great David Campese has arguably been the form player of the competition in recent months and most pundits are pinning any hopes the Raiders have squarely on his shoulders.

Warriors captain Steve Price even rated him the man to watch in the finals but Campese said he felt no extra pressure despite the hype.

"Whatever people say, it doesn't phase me a bit," Campese said.

"I know the team's been working hard and that all 17 of us have to play to our best each week to get a result.

"We've got no stars in our team but that's what we've been doing all year and we can keep doing it hopefully going into each week of the finals."

With the Raiders still battling a lengthy injury list, coach Neil Henry has named hooker Glenn Butriss at halfback for the clash, but there is speculation Marc Herbert could make a shock return.

Herbert was ruled out for the season after damaging his knee against South Sydney last month but has reportedly made a remarkable recovery.

Canberra deny Herbert will be a late inclusion but Sharks coach Ricky Stuart is not convinced.

"He will play, I'm sure he will," Sharks coach Ricky Stuart told Sydney radio station 2KY.

"The mail I've got is that he'll play.

"But it probably won't make that much of a difference because they've got another couple of players that have been playing halfback over the last couple of weeks."

In-form Sharks backrower Fraser Anderson will play in the match after overcoming a knee injury, with Stuart to trim two players from his extended interchange bench.

The Raiders will wear black armbands in honour of their former chairman Hank Inderwisch, who died aged 81 this week.

www.ninemsn.com.au

[Walt Flanigan]

It's the ''entertainers'' versus the ''fun police''.

Gold.

[greenlining]

Souths Logan just won the QLD Cup.
Thats one from one today so far.

[raidersmalt]

If the raiders are keeping herbert under wraps and actually let him play tonight....i dont really see it as a huge advantage. He's ok.... solid. He's not a game breaker...or a creative wizz. It's a slight improvement on the current team. I guess the main advantage would be that hopefully Kelly would get pushed out.

[mick_63]

120 minutes to kick off.

Still warm and sunny,bit of a southerly blowing.

Sharks will come at us early like the roosters last night.

But like a fighter who comes out swinging early and uses up all their power,they will be vulnerable at the end of the first half.

Go RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIDERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See you there.

[Karne]

*chews fingernails*

About to leave for grandmother's place. She understands and has a nice big telly.


GO RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!!

[markqt]

ahha, my friend who support the sharks sent me a text saying "theres two things you can see from out of space. The great wall of china and the hole in the raiders defense"
so pumped up xDD

[Northern Raider]

ahha, my friend who support the sharks sent me a text saying "theres two things you can see from out of space. The great wall of china and the hole in the raiders defense"
so pumped up xDD

Wow, can you really see Brett Kelly from space?

[Horace Dove-Edwin]

He was the problem last time we played the Sharks. I hope we have come prepared.

[turtles]

less than half an hour left!

Its still fairly warm, about 24 degrees.

[-TW-]

He was the problem last time we played the Sharks. I hope we have come prepared.

or left him out..thats the word about atm

[yeh raiders]

Sitting at home (in Sydney) and keeping tabs on the weather. The temperature is dropping moderatly, so every degree lost will help out boys out there tonight! Storms predicted dont look likely for the sutherland region or sydney for that matter over the course of the game.

GO RAIDERS

[Walt Flanigan]

I wish the next 20 minutes would hurry up. Can't wait.

COME ON THE MIGHTY RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[buram]

its looks like a home game in the u20's, should be a good buzz at teh ground after that.. GO RAIDERS!

we need to bring it from the start, bring Nev on early or start him

[thickos]

Not long now!

[keshi]

8 mins left.....

GO THE RAIDERS GO THE RAIDERSGO THE RAIDERS GO THE RAIDERSGO THE RAIDERS GO THE RAIDERSGO THE RAIDERS GO THE RAIDERSGO THE RAIDERS GO THE RAIDERSGO THE RAIDERS GO THE RAIDERSGO THE RAIDERS GO THE RAIDERSGO THE RAIDERS GO THE RAIDERSGO THE RAIDERS GO THE RAIDERSGO THE RAIDERS GO THE RAIDERSGO THE RAIDERS GO THE RAIDERSGO THE RAIDERS GO THE RAIDERSGO THE RAIDERS GO THE RAIDERSGO THE RAIDERS GO THE RAIDERS!!!!!!

[Begbie]

Hi guys, Whats the name of that live rugby league site on the net again?

[Millsy]

im so nervous rite now boys, i cant stop drinking beers, i just seen on the news the highlights of the Qld Cup GF, s**t it was a good game, i had goose bumps again, and a little tear in eyes again.

[Millsy]

just go 2 the NRL website, and u will see, sharks vs raiders, live now, just click on it and follow that till u get 2 stats, and there will be audio then click on that.

[Begbie]

Shannon Noll Reckons the Sharkies will get up. Good.

[Um Jammer Lammy]

Heavens to Betsy I'm doing it tough.

I'm sweating bullets here. So excited.

Two weeks ago I didn't want to meet the Sharks prefering Manly. So I have spen tthe past week talking myself into the belief that we can win this game against this tough side. I think we can!

Here we go folks!

[thickos]

Coverage has started on the 'Justin TV' website!

Check the link on the 'TV Coverage of the Sharks match' thread.