Power rankings: How your club has recruited ahead of the 2019 season

[greeneyed]

Power rankings: How your club has recruited ahead of the 2019 season

RAIDERS — C

Incoming: Ryan Sutton, John Bateman

Best recruit: John Bateman. The 25-year-old English international and dual Super League-winning back-rower from Wigan seems to be hitting the nation’s capital at his peak. He shouldn’t have too much trouble aclimatising with fellow Brits Josh Hodgson, Ryan Sutton and Elliott Whitehead in Canberra, and should hit the ground running coming off a tough series against the Kiwis.

What do they need?: A ball-running half. Talk has been heating up that Shaun Johnson could link up with the Green Machine and that would be just the ticket. Aidan Sezer and Sam Williams are both quality pivots, but they are organisers rather than ball runners, and the Raiders need someone willing to take the line on the way that Blake Austin did to keep opposition defences in two minds.

Read more: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-pr ... nt=control

[Timbo]

[greeneyed]

If we end up with Shaun Johnson... it'd be a different story. But we're short in the outside backs, particularly with Rapana out, and short a top line half.

[Sid]

This sort of article would make sense once the recruiting was actually finished.

[Northern Raider]

This sort of article would make sense once the recruiting was actually finished.

Theoretically recruiting for 2019 already has finished. Of course there will still be player movements over the off season though.

Hard to guage the Raiders roster moves. Boyd, Paulo and Austin being replaced by Sutton and Bateman doesn't look good on face value. Thing is our defense was what let us down in 2018 and 3 of the biggest culprits are moving on. Boyd and Paulo were completely ineffective unless you ran straight at them. Austin is up there with Bryce Cartwright as one of the worse decision makers in the defensive line. I can only see that part of our game improving next season. Whether we have the necessary firepower and depth in attack is yet to be seen.

[gerg]

I kind of agree with aspects of the article and I commented elsewhere. I loathed the predictable 'Austin show and go' over the past 2 seasons but at least he had a go at taking on the line. Sezer and Williams were the opposite and never took on the line which makes it tough for the outside backs because it's too predictable.
The article is a snapshot but a more detailed review would expand on the lack of depth in the backline, too many quality back-rowers, too light up front and we lack a 'head' and a head coach.

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[Matt]

This sort of article would make sense once the recruiting was actually finished.

Theoretically recruiting for 2019 already has finished. Of course there will still be player movements over the off season though.

Hard to guage the Raiders roster moves. Boyd, Paulo and Austin being replaced by Sutton and Bateman doesn't look good on face value. Thing is our defense was what let us down in 2018 and 3 of the biggest culprits are moving on. Boyd and Paulo were completely ineffective unless you ran straight at them. Austin is up there with Bryce Cartwright as one of the worse decision makers in the defensive line. I can only see that part of our game improving next season. Whether we have the necessary firepower and depth in attack is yet to be seen.

Agreed. Both GF teams played multiple backrowers for large portions of the season in the middle. You need to be more mobile in the middle these days. It makes your defense better and makes you attack faster. I still think defensively, Williams as 6 was better than Austin at 6, even if it was only marginally. He makes better decisions and at least forces his opponent to beat him, its not that hard, but, its better than giving up an easy beat.

Now, we lost 2 props and a half, and replaced them with a prop and a backrower. So player for play it doesnt look good. BUT... Looks at the quality of what we lost vs what we got. Boyd and Jr are Aussie reps at their best, BUT, they have never been consistently there. Bateman is a Pommy rep, and has played in a WC for them. Sutton is an English A player, and the last 2 English A players we bought are Whitey and Hodgo. So, I think C is a little harsh as we bought rep quality players.

Of course our recruitment figure would change massively if we sign SJ. I bet that C goes to an A.

Then, the thing that inst considered in recruitment, who comes up to replace the lost players? We have the likes of Guler, Murchie, Horsbough and Young all coming up the depth chart, and some into the 30 to fill spots. These guys are all highly rated young players.

[Timbo]

You'd have to suggest this announcement from Greenberg today that the NRL is banning heavily backended deals will snuff out even the faintest glimmer of hope that we were going to snare any more name players.

[edwahu]

You'd have to suggest this announcement from Greenberg today that the NRL is banning heavily backended deals will snuff out even the faintest glimmer of hope that we were going to snare any more name players.

According to the Furner believers we were supposed to have front loaded players. So it shouldn't matter for next year at least.

[edwahu]

This sort of article would make sense once the recruiting was actually finished.

Theoretically recruiting for 2019 already has finished. Of course there will still be player movements over the off season though.

Hard to guage the Raiders roster moves. Boyd, Paulo and Austin being replaced by Sutton and Bateman doesn't look good on face value. Thing is our defense was what let us down in 2018 and 3 of the biggest culprits are moving on. Boyd and Paulo were completely ineffective unless you ran straight at them. Austin is up there with Bryce Cartwright as one of the worse decision makers in the defensive line. I can only see that part of our game improving next season. Whether we have the necessary firepower and depth in attack is yet to be seen.

It's not finished until June 30 or we confirm a 30 man squad, and we haven't done either.

[Northern Raider]

This sort of article would make sense once the recruiting was actually finished.

Theoretically recruiting for 2019 already has finished. Of course there will still be player movements over the off season though.

Hard to guage the Raiders roster moves. Boyd, Paulo and Austin being replaced by Sutton and Bateman doesn't look good on face value. Thing is our defense was what let us down in 2018 and 3 of the biggest culprits are moving on. Boyd and Paulo were completely ineffective unless you ran straight at them. Austin is up there with Bryce Cartwright as one of the worse decision makers in the defensive line. I can only see that part of our game improving next season. Whether we have the necessary firepower and depth in attack is yet to be seen.

It's not finished until June 30 or we confirm a 30 man squad, and we haven't done either.

Thanks Ed. Already knew that. Thats why I said theorectically it had finished and said there would still be a few palyer movements. Be pretty stupid to delay all articles ranking club's recruitment for 2019 till 1st July in that year.

[Northern Raider]

You'd have to suggest this announcement from Greenberg today that the NRL is banning heavily backended deals will snuff out even the faintest glimmer of hope that we were going to snare any more name players.

Don't think we'd want any back ended deals anyway. It always ends in tears.

[RedRaider]

Muppet Foxsport writers. I agree with NR that our poor defense was the reason we didn't make the 8 in 2018. Their solution is that we need a running halfback? They haven't done their homework and they are talking through their fox hat.

[Matt]

Muppet Foxsport writers. I agree with NR that our poor defense was the reason we didn't make the 8 in 2018. Their solution is that we need a running halfback? They haven't done their homework and they are talking through their fox hat.

[gerg]

Muppet Foxsport writers. I agree with NR that our poor defense was the reason we didn't make the 8 in 2018. Their solution is that we need a running halfback? They haven't done their homework and they are talking through their fox hat.

But if you don't have a half willing to take on the line you basically have two blokes out there distributing the ball and other teams will work it out very quickly and shutdown our edges. Agree on the defensive aspects though.

There was a game at the end of the year where Williams did take on the line a few times which was good to see.

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[greeneyed]

Canberra raid UK Super League for new talent in 2019 NRL season

Where they’re lacking

Experience in the forwards and poise in the halves. Bateman and Sutton will be expected to play big roles in the middle straight away and as decorated as they are in England that’s no guarantee of success in Australia.

Guler and Knight are promising but inexperienced and will need to grow up fast.

The Raiders are built from the outside in and are unique in how little they rely on their halves compared to other teams but Sezer and Williams need to gel if the club is to return to finals football.

Best XVII

1. Jack Wighton 2. Nick Cotric 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Joey Leilua 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Aidan Sezer 7. Sam Williams 8. Josh Papalii 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Sia Soliola 11. Elliott Whitehead 12. Joseph Tapine 13. John Bateman 14. Siliva Havili 15. Ryan Sutton 16. Emre Guler 17. Dunamis Lui/Liam Knight/Luke Bateman

Read more: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport ... 5e895cb8c6

[Matt]

At least the tele has our best 17