Through green eyes 2021

All the news on the Canberra Raiders NRL team, all in one place

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The Nickman
Mal Meninga
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by The Nickman »

T_R wrote:When you see all those stats, you realise that luck has not been a factor at all this year - we're right where we deserve to be, and the problems are both structural and deep.
It’s fitness and the fullback that’s the problem. Once we have Duffty and the players jog more we’ll be sweet.
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Seiffert82
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by Seiffert82 »

greeneyed wrote: June 10, 2021, 4:04 pm Through green eyes: Mid season report card


Attack: D
Defence: C
Backs: D
Forwards: C
Spine: D
Overall: D

Best back: Jordan Rapana
Best forward: Ryan Sutton
Best playmaker: George Williams
Good summary GE. Totally agree with those ratings.

It has been an incredibly disappointing season. Stuart obviously thought he had one more tilt with this squad after basically adding just Ryan James. He was wrong.

The loss against Melbourne in the prelim had a bit of context, but the manner in which we lost was a real indicator of what has been wrong with this team.

Our outside backs lack punch, our kicking game has been below average at best and we have absolutely conceded way too many metres due to players being out of position or not being able to defend offloads. It's not like 2019 when we were happy to concede yards but ensure our line retained intact, this season we defend reasonably well for 3-4 tackles and then just let the opposition run through a gaping hole or draw into a game of touch footy.

The only other rating I would add is coaching being given a D. Stuart's use of the bench has been horrific and his gameplan has not adjusted with the personnel we have available. Discipline on and off the field has completely gone out the window. Ryan Sutton is perhaps the only player nearing his peak performances on a regular basis.

Largely due to the rule changes I have barely watched the footy this season. I spent most of the Origin game helping my daughter with her homework.

Until this team gets their defensive ticker back and brings in a player who can control the tempo of the game, we are toast.
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greeneyed
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by greeneyed »

Through green eyes: As I saw it

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"It feels better because I see the smiles back on their faces. We needed a win, we needed a spoonful of that in there now, to get a feeling of what it was like. We needed to play well tonight to get that mojo again, to get that feeling again. It's simple. We got our fundamentals right tonight both in attack and defence. We had our good players play really well. We our young blokes follow the lead. Our young blokes stood up and they played well. And that's what good teams do. From 1 to 17 they play good football. It's their job to play well, the coaches' to coach well. We're all in it together. We're nowhere near out of the woods, but that's a really good start to tomorrow, and into Monday and then we get our preparation going again. We won't get too excited on that game. If we're a good football team, we need to back it up. That's the really important part of it.

You look at the first two tries that Brisbane scored against us, they were through us not executing our fundamentals. And they got the football and they scored. But then we kicked and bounced back again. We haven't gone away. We've just lost a little bit of our mojo. But it's simple. You execute your fundamentals right and everyone plays well, you're a lot bigger chance of winning a game of footy.

Matt Timoko... he was great wasn't he? He was so good tonight. I was so happy for him because he's been on the fringe for a little while now. Like every young player, they get their chance, they take their opportunity and he did that tonight. I thought Bailey Simonsson was really good. I thought our back five were really good. They brought the ball back very strongly, they got some good metres, led by Bailey. He's playing like he can [take the No. 1 jersey for the rest of the year]. Absolutely. I was really happy for Bails. I said to him tonight, 'It's your position to lose'.

Sam Williams... we're very fortunate to have that type of intelligence from a footy brain. Smart organiser. We feel very fortunate to have him there as a person who has been a backup to our 7 and 6 over the last few years. But we're very fortunate to have Sam and I know the players love playing with him and they respect him

Josh Hodgson's on contract to us. He was brilliant tonight. He was a big reason why we played so well, as all our other leaders were. I'm very happy to have Hodgo here, he's on contract to us. I keep hearing it [Hodgson being linked to the Broncos], but I don't take any action on it. I don't even talk to Hodgo about it. He's here and I'm the lucky one because he's a brilliant player and he's a big part of our football team."

Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart


2021 Round 14. Canberra Raiders 38 - Brisbane Broncos 16. It was a good win, a much needed win, for the Raiders. The Raiders had won one game in their past eight matches - a two point win over the last placed Bulldogs. The club has been embroiled in off field issues for months. The victory gave the team a feeling that they have not had for a while.



Canberra was led strongly by some of the big names. Josh Papalii returned from a three week suspension and played like the Origin representative that he is. Josh Hodgson had one of his best games of the season. Jack Wighton showed some of the 2020 Jack Wighton. Bailey Simonsson - who was switched from the wing to fullback - definitely had his best game of the season, possibly his best game in green. He now offers the hope that the shoes of the injured Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad can be filled for the rest of the season. Matt Timoko - a two game rookie who was drafted into the centres, after Curtis Scott was stood down during the week - was simply terrific in attack and defence.

The Raiders started well and led well at half time, 22-10. There was no second half fade this week, the team went right on with it. However, it is too early to get too excited by the win. The Broncos won the wooden spoon in 2020 and have hovered around the bottom of the ladder this season. They have won just three matches in 2021 and sit in 15th place. They also played with 12 men for the final quarter of the match last night. The Raiders scored a try, but also conceded one during that final 20 minutes. But winning is a habit and winning is critical to rebuilding the confidence of the team. Hopefully this is the start of a winning habit in the second half of the season.

I thought that the decision to send off Broncos forward Kobe Hetherington in the 60th minute was the wrong decision. During its "crackdown" on high contact, the NRL has not properly recognised that accidents happen in a contact sport. And the incident last night involving Hetherington and Corey Harawira-Naera was just an accident. Harawira-Naera was ankle tapped and was falling. Unfortunately, he fell into the shoulder of the on-coming Hetherington, who was aiming to make a perfectly legal tackle. It certainly wasn't intentional, nor was it reckless, nor careless. It is another incident that has highlighted how the NRL has gone about its "crackdown" in the wrong way.

Stats that mattered?

The Raiders had almost 60 per cent of possession and 60 per cent of the territory in the first half. Possession turned in the second half - and the Broncos ended the match with a 51 per cent possession share. The Raiders still managed to dominate the territory in the second forty (64 per cent). The Raiders had the better completion rate (86 per cent, compared with 76 per cent for the Broncos). However, there was not much difference in the error count (Raiders nine, Broncos 10). Penalties were six apiece, while the Broncos got five set restarts, the Raiders four.

The Raiders dominated the attacking statistics. They made more running metres (1881-1425), post contact metres (529-491), kick return metres (233-99), metres per set (43-38), line breaks (an incredible 9-2) and tackle breaks (39-29). The Broncos made more kicking metres (590-505), with both teams kicking 19 times. They had to, given the running metres conceded. The kick defusal rate for the Raiders was low for both teams (Raiders 50 per cent, Broncos 64 per cent).

The Broncos throw the ball around a lot, and they posted 24 offloads (Raiders 13). That was reflected in the 39 ineffective tackles made by the Raiders (Broncos 19). The Broncos missed more tackles (39-29), but still had the better effective tackle rate (84.7 per cent, compared with 82.7 per cent for the Raiders).

Memorable moments?

There were some very good tries for the Green Machine. The first, to Sebastian Kris, was the result of a nice shift to the left, with Bailey Simonsson chiming in from fullback. Corey Harawira-Naera showed some great pace in getting to the try line, after Jack Wighton put him into a hole. I loved seeing the run from Matt Timoko to set up Sam Williams for a four pointer. He showed power and determination to force his way through the defence. It was also great to see the try from Jack Wighton in the second half - some trademark stepping and running to score under the posts. For mine, the best try was scored by Semi Valemei in the 55th minute - due to the outstanding around the corner pass from Bailey Simonsson to set it up.

I shouldn't leave out one very good little moment from Elliott Whitehead. Early in the second half, he charged down a Broncos kick, regathered and sent Seb Kris on his way downfield. That set up the ensuing Josh Papalii try.

Best performers?

Bailey Simonsson. 21 runs for 243 metres, 73 kick return metres, 66 post contact metres, one line break, two line break assists, two try assists, six tackle breaks, three offloads. I'll admit, I was concerned that Simonsson would be targeted by the opposition kickers and would be forced into error. However, overall, he was very solid in that department, while showing things in attack we've not seen before.

Josh Hodgson. Eight runs for 79 metres, one line break assist, one try assist, four tackle breaks, five dummy half runs, one offload, 29 tackles, 91 per cent tackle efficiency. I'm surprised he's only been credited with one try assist.

Josh Papalii. One try, 18 runs for 178 metres, 57 post contact metres, one line break, three tackle breaks, three offloads, 28 tackles, 93 per cent tackle efficiency.

Matt Timoko. 10 runs for 120 metres, 39 post contact metres, one line break, one try assist, five tackle breaks, one offload, 32 tackles, 92 per cent tackle efficiency. That's great defence in the centres.

Top tacklers: Matt Timoko 32, Emre Guler 30, Josh Hodgson 29
Most metres gained: Bailey Simonsson 243, Semi Valemei 199, Josh Papalii 178

My player ratings:

Bailey Simonsson 8
Semi Valemei 7
Sebastian Kris 6
Matt Timoko 7
Jordan Rapana 6
Jack Wighton 7
Sam Williams 6
Josh Papalii 7
Josh Hodgson 8
Dunamis Lui 6
Corey Harawira-Naera 6
Elliott Whitehead 6
Sia Soliola 5

Ryan Sutton 7
Tom Starling 3*
Emre Guler 7
Joe Tapine 6

* Limited minutes

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RedRaider
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by RedRaider »

Papa only a 7 GE? I reckon it was a different game when he was on the field. I thought he was an 8 M8.
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gangrenous
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by gangrenous »

Soliola a 5? Had a good game I thought. Really set the tone in defence with hits and pressure.
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greeneyed
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by greeneyed »

Through green eyes: The heyday of the hoodoo

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The Raiders travel to Wollongong on Saturday with the aim of getting their second back to back win of the season - against the Dragons. They've not had one since Round 2, when they beat the Sharks at Kogarah Jubilee.

The Raiders have had no better success rate against any other team currently in the competition than the Dragons. The winning percentage currently stands at 62.5. It wasn't too different back in the days before the merger between St George and Illawarrra as well. The Raiders won two thirds of the games that they played against both St George and Illawarra. Basically, the Raiders are the Dragons' hoodoo team.

Back in the heyday of the hoodoo - 2003 to 2013 - the Raiders lost just one of the 16 matches played. The Dragons broke the pattern when they posted four wins in a row between 2014 and 2016. But the Raiders have now won four of the past five clashes.

Are we on the brink of another extended period of success against the Dragons? I hope so. They're not the team that the Raiders fans love to see the team beat most of all these days. Think the Roosters, Storm and Panthers. Maybe the Broncos or Sharks. But some of my favourite Raiders wins of all time came from the heyday of the Dragons hoodoo. Here's my top three hoodoo victories.

Number 3: The Dragons hoodoo grows

Up until Round 18 of 2010, Canberra had won just five games. The Raiders were 13th on the competition ladder and had lost four straight matches. But in Round 18, Canberra came from behind at Brookvale Oval, to win narrowly over the Manly Sea Eagles, 24-22. It was the start of a late surge, led by Terry Campese. In Round 24, the St George Illawarra Dragons visited Canberra, winless in the national capital for a decade. But they had been running in first place on the competition ladder since Round 5. The Raiders, still outside the top eight, had to win to maintain their finals hopes.



The Dragons put on a show of their typical impenetrable defence in the first half, and they led 4-0 at half time. But the Raiders blew the match apart in the second half. It started with a Daniel Vidot try eight minutes after the break. Terry Campese quickly took control, scoring under the posts. "He's invented a new grubber kick... it's like a grubber, chip kick!" commentator Gary Belcher marvelled. Adam Mogg followed up.



Then Canberra scored two classic tries. Josh Dugan defused a dangerous Jamie Soward chip kick, bumped out of a Neville Costigan tackle, and just emerged out the other side of a group of Dragons defenders. He ran 80 metres to score under the posts. Shortly after, Jarrod Croker made a break wide out, 80 metres from the line. He flew and Joe Picker was backing up on the inside. He pushed Jamie Soward to one side with ease and scored in the corner. Terry Campese swarmed in, taking Picker to the fence to the arms of the fans. It was unbridled joy. It was five tries in 12 minutes. The commentary was ecstatic: "The Green Machine is rolling again! The glory days are back here in Canberra!"

''Everyone wants to play finals football,'' Terry Campese said after the match.

''If we can bring the attitude that we brought in the second half you never know what we can do. If we make the semis, if we make the top eight we're going to give it a real crack. We've got a very good squad and on our day we can beat anyone. We're starting to get the confidence and that's big in this game.''

It was an inspirational 32-16 win over the eventual premiers.

Dragons coach Wayne Bennett admitted Canberra was ''certainly as good as anyone we've played''.

The Raiders had posted 11 wins in their past 12 matches against the Dragons - and the "hoodoo" continued to grow.

It is no wonder many Raiders fans still ask themselves about the 2010 season: "What if?"

2010 Round 24 - Canberra Raiders 32 (Glen Buttriss, Terry Campese, Josh Dugan, Adam Mogg, Joe Picker, Daniel Vidot tries, Jarrod Croker 4 goals) defeated St George Illawarra Dragons 16 (Neville Costigan, Mark Gasnier, Brett Morris tries, Jamie Soward 2 goals) Crowd: 20,445

Number 2: Do you believe in hoodoos? Do you believe in miracles?



The St George Illawarra Dragons visited Canberra Stadium - winless in the national capital since 2000 - in Round 20 of 2011. The Dragons led 18-6 at half time, and Jamie Soward surely thought he had won his team the match when he landed a 40 metre field goal with just a minute left - giving the Dragons a 19-18 lead. But the Raiders' "hoodoo" was still to play its part.

Canberra regained the ball from the kick off and Josh Dugan scored an incredible last ditch try, chasing a Josh McCrone kick. The moment will live on through the classic call: "Do you believe in hoodoos? Do you believe in miracles?!" It gave Canberra the 24-19 victory.

"Duges called for the ball. All credit goes to him," Josh McCrone said after the match. "We'd seen Ben Creagh rush up outside, we thought there was an opportunity, we had the numbers on them, he shouted for it, I kicked it, he flew through and put it down. As soon as he got there I knew it was down."



"To be 18-6 down at halftime, and then get back in the arm-wrestle and keep them to one point in the second half... They are one of the best attacking teams, and one of the best defensive teams, so to score three tries in the second half to their none, it was a great feeling," Josh Dugan said later.

"As soon as Jamie kicked his field goal, I knew it was going over. I ran to the ball boy on the sideline and grabbed the ball so we could kick off. I saw a bit of space behind, Josh's first couple of kicks in the first half went a bit long, but he was pin-pointing them in the second half and that's when they counted."

2011 Round 20 - Canberra Raiders 24 (Josh Dugan 2, Blake Ferguson, Josh McCrone tries, Jarrod Croker 4 goals) defeated St George Illawarra Dragons 19 (Matt Cooper, Ben Creagh, Mark Gasnier, Brett Morris tries, Jamie Soward 1 goal, 1 field goal) at Canberra Stadium Crowd: 10,425

Number 1: Classic fiery clash with Dragons



It was expected to be a routine day at the office for the St George Illawarra Dragons, who were cruising to the minor premiership in 2009. Easily the best defensive unit all season, they came to Canberra Stadium and faced a hostile crowd of over 19,000 - and once again proved impenetrable. There were hostilities on the field as well, with Terry Campese in the thick of it.



A try either side of half time had the joint venture club up 12-0 and it was expected that the Dragons would simply suffocate the Raiders out of the game. Inconsistent all season, the Raiders then turned on undoubtedly their best thirty minutes of the season. An amazing try from a scrum by Jarrod Croker got the Raiders on the board, and only one set later boom winger Daniel Vidot had crossed in the corner. Immaculate kicking by five-eighth Terry Campese leveled the scores - and when Dane Tilse collected a grubber only minutes later, the Raiders were somehow in the lead.

Providing the blueprint to rattle the Dragons, ill-discipline gave the Raiders the chance to seal the victory with a string of penalty goals. It was an exceptional victory, one that the Dragons never recovered from in 2009.

2009 Round 23 – Canberra Raiders 24 (Jarrod Croker, Daniel Vidot, Dane Tilse tries, Terry Campese 6 goals) defeated St George Illawarra Dragons 12 (Darius Boyd, Brett Morris tries, Jamie Soward 2 goals) at Canberra Stadium Crowd: 19,350

****

Every week I rate the Raiders players on a scale of 0-10... and here is the points tally after the Round 14 clash with the Broncos. Tell us what you think of the ratings!

Total points

Elliott Whitehead 81
Ryan Sutton 81
Jack Wighton 76
Jordan Rapana 73
Bailey Simonsson 69
Josh Papalii 66
George Williams 65
Sebastian Kris 65
Hudson Young 63
Tom Starling 60
Josh Hodgson 59
Curtis Scott 58
Ryan James 54
Joe Tapine 47
Emre Guler 46
Sia Soliola 45
Siliva Havili 44
Caleb Aekins 42
Corey Harrawira-Naera 41
Dunamis Lui 37
Corey Horsburgh 35
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 31
Jarrod Croker 26
Sam Williams 19
Semi Valemei 18
Matt Timoko 7
Brad Schneider 2

Average points per match

Matt Timoko 7.0
Ryan Sutton 6.8
Jordan Rapana 6.6
Josh Papalii 6.6
Josh Hodgson 6.6
George Williams 6.5
Jack Wighton 6.3
Sam Williams 6.3
Hudson Young 6.3
Elliott Whitehead 6.2
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 6.2
Caleb Aekins 6.0
Semi Valemei 6.0
Joe Tapine 5.9
Corey Harrawira-Naera 5.9
Corey Horsburgh 5.8
Curtis Scott 5.8
Bailey Simonsson 5.8
Emre Guler 5.8
Tom Starling 5.5
Sebastian Kris 5.4
Ryan James 5.4
Dunamis Lui 5.3
Jarrod Croker 5.2
Sia Soliola 5.0
Siliva Havili 4.9
Brad Schneider 2.0

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Botman
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by Botman »

Just rewatched all those highlights and christ, young Josh Dugan was such an incredible football player.
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-TW-
Mal Meninga
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by -TW- »

He was, but I think he went too hard too early.

Ended up getting injured a lot, tried to bulk up to compensate and lost that xfactor he had.

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Braddrew
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by Braddrew »

Botman wrote: June 17, 2021, 2:30 pm Just rewatched all those highlights and christ, young Josh Dugan was such an incredible football player.
Imagine If we had the team we have now with a young Dugan and fergo coming through. Take all the off field stuff out of it, those young gun outside backs is the spark this current team needs
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greeneyed
Don Furner
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by greeneyed »

Through green eyes: As I saw it

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"We can't let it disrupt the good work we've been doing over the last three or four weeks. I feel as though we're really gaining a fair bit of momentum again. Although there haven't been a lot of wins over those last three or so weeks, we're playing better footy. A couple of little things we can improve upon definitely. But it was a tough slog. They probably handled the wind a little bit better, with a couple of 40/20s. There were a couple of smart kicks by Hunt and two tackle five tries. Disappointing, but that happens and we can't do much about it now.

In regards to that mess-up there at the start of the second half that was my fault. I thought that if a player gets put on report, I could use my 18th man so I had an outside back on the bench and I thought I will. There is a lot of confusion goes on, there has been a lot of rule changes this year and I get the mistake. I made it, so that is how that occurred. It's an error, we make errors. If you want to jump on to every error we've made no one would have a job. I suppose fortunately we didn’t win. It's an error, it's not the last one I'll make. If you want to look at it as a broader issue, that is how the rule should be. When you lose a player to foul play you should be allowed to enact your 18th man. But again, I say it was an error and I apologise.

The mindset is always you're going to score a lot of points with the wind. My opinion is you're going to get a lot of field position. Then transitioning that into points is the ability of the football team. Both teams probably scored the same amount of points with the wind. They might have scored a couple more. We weren't too far off. Every time we got up there we looked dangerous in the second half. We just couldn't get over the line in a couple of periods. There were times there where it was just a bounce of the ball. Two balls hit the ground off kick offs and we don't get the ball back. We're just not getting an ounce of luck at the moment. We get a bounce of the ball, an ounce of luck - you make your own luck, I get that - anything could have happened out there tonight. But it just wasn't our night. We were right in that fight tonight. We might win one soon with a little bit of luck. But we just can't disrupt the momentum we've got at the moment at training and at the club."

Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart


2021 Round 15. St George Illawarra Dragons 22 - Canberra Raiders 20. More pain in a season full of pain. The Raiders got to a 20-8 lead early in the second half, and then the Raiders faded. Again. The game was played in an absolute gale. One high kick put up by the Dragons in the first half saw the ball blown backwards - behind the kicker. But it was the same gale for both teams. The Raiders led 14-6 at the break, and it was more than an eight point "breeze". The Dragons used the wind much more effectively in the second half, than the Raiders did in the first. The Dragons produced two 40/20 kicks, while the Raiders did not even attempt one. And sure as eggs, the Dragons ran the Raiders down.





The Raiders went into the game with a deliberately conservative game plan in mind - in light of the conditions. Coach Ricky Stuart told us before the game that the Raiders had to have "control" and "calm" in their performance. The reports from the sheds at half time indicated that the instructions for the Raiders were to kick low and defend. The game plan didn't work. It seems like the Raiders are still back in 2019. The game has changed. The grinding, defensive tactics that were so successful - and delivered a Grand Final appearance - a couple of years ago don't work so well in 2021.

In the second half, the Dragons opened up the attack. The Raiders, however, experienced some of the same old problems. When they get into the red zone, they look like they don't know what to do with the football. They either look predictable or disorganised. Josh Hodgson is back in the role of chief play maker - and at times he looks great, other times not so much. Jack Wighton had an unhappy game. And while I love Sam Williams, he's probably not a first string half at most clubs. Still, Williams provided some valuable points with his goal kicking. It was an impressive kicking performance from him, in horrible conditions.

I was very happy to see Xavier Savage get his unexpected debut. He should be pleased with it and he is certainly going to play a lot more first grade football. Through no fault of his own, he had to leave the field after 11 minutes, because the Raiders had no right to send on the 18th man. There have been a whole lot of rule changes introduced by the NRL in the past two years, and the 18th man was introduced not so long ago. The rules surrounding the 18th man are unnecessarily complex and haven't been designed with player welfare primarily in mind. Ricky Stuart took responsibility for the mistake and that is to his credit. But it is the responsibility of the coaching team to get something like that right. It was the most crucial error of the night - because there is absolutely no doubt, that had the Raiders won, they would have been stripped of the competition points from the game. In a sense, nothing else that happened last night really mattered. The game was "lost" at the point that decision was taken.

One final thing. While coach Ricky Stuart says he gets that good teams make their own luck, clearly he doesn't believe that. "The bounce of the ball" isn't an excuse that good NRL teams should be using. Being "in the fight" isn't a standard that good NRL teams hold themselves to. Hoping "we might win one soon with a little bit of luck" isn't a standard the club should be setting for itself.

Stats that mattered?

The Raiders had 50 per cent of possession and 60 per cent of the territory in the first half, but the Dragons had a glut of both in the second half. The Dragons ended the game with 53 per cent of possession, despite having a slightly lower completion rate (79 per cent, compared with 82 per cent for the Raiders). Penalties were even (six apiece), while set restarts conceded (Raiders four, Dragons three) and errors (Dragons 10, Raiders four) were close.

The home team made more runs (186-169), line breaks (7-5) and tackle breaks (27-25). While the Dragons had more runs, the Raiders made more running metres (1569-1537), post contact metres (391-300), kick return metres (135-91) and metres per set (41-37). Canberra also produced more offloads (12-8). The Dragons made more kicking metres (579-460) - with both teams making 19 kicks.

The Raiders had a slightly better effective tackle rate (90 per cent, compared with 88.6 per cent for the Dragons). Canberra made more tackles (361-334), but missed more (27-25). The Dragons produced more ineffective tackles (18-13). The most important defensive statistic, however, was tries conceded. Raiders four, Dragons three.

Memorable moments?

I leave these reviews to the next day deliberately. To take some of the emotion out of the game. But I have to say, I'm struggling to find positive memorable moments for the Raiders. The decision to make an illegal substitute effectively made the whole game pointless. But here goes. The Raiders' second try was probably the best, with a great pass from Elliott Whitehead setting up Sebastian Kris. It was good work from Josh Hodgson to send the ball right for the first try, with Corey Harawira-Naera running a great line. There were some good efforts in defence to force a couple of line drop outs. Sorry, but I can't gather much more enthusiasm.

Best performers?

Bailey Simonsson. 23 runs for 234 metres, 89 kick return metres, 60 post contact metres, two tackle breaks. A few missed tackles and a couple of penalties conceded the blots on the copybook.

Josh Papalii. 17 runs for 182 metres, 43 post contact metres, two offloads, 29 tackles, 94 per cent tackle efficiency.

Top tacklers: Josh Hodgson 51, Dunamis Lui 33, Corey Harawira-Naera 33, Ryan Sutton 31
Most metres gained: Bailey Simonsson 234, Josh Papalii 182, Jordan Rapana 178

My player ratings:

Bailey Simonsson 7
Semi Valemei 6
Sebastian Kris 4
Matt Timoko 6
Jordan Rapana 6
Jack Wighton 5
Sam Williams 5
Josh Papalii 7
Josh Hodgson 6
Dunamis Lui 5
Corey Harawira-Naera 6
Elliott Whitehead 6
Sia Soliola 5

Ryan Sutton 6
Tom Starling 2*
Emre Guler 6
Joe Tapine 6
Xavier Savage 2*

* Limited minutes

Do you agree with the ratings? Let us know what you think!

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gangrenous
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by gangrenous »

Point off Rapana for his challenge
Point off Whitehead for allowing it
All points off Ricky for the game plan
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greeneyed
Don Furner
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by greeneyed »

gangrenous wrote: June 20, 2021, 10:59 am Point off Rapana for his challenge
Point off Whitehead for allowing it
All points off Ricky for the game plan
I took a point off Rapana for that. I feel so depressed about the whole thing really. I am so dispirited, not only about the game plan, but how on earth the club’s procedures allowed an illegal substitute - which basically cost the game, irrespective of what the players did or did not do.
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gangrenous
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Through green eyes 2021

Post by gangrenous »

For me it’s disappointing they don’t know the rules, but the in game screw-ups frustrated me the most (goal line, decoy runners, kick off breaking the plane) because those have been around forever and some of them we’ve screwed up multiple times this season. At least the 18th man is new and relatively unused.

I mean imagine if Ricky put Savage on again in three weeks time! That’s effectively what Rapana did with that challenge.

As far as processes go on the 18th man, the NRL has to wear a chunk of that too. Surely there’s a process where we say to the NRL official we’re activating the 18th man and they confirm that the circumstances allow that.

As for Ricky’s comments on luck and the bounce of the ball. How long have these guys been playing football? On the kickoff that bounced over about 4 Raiders and back to Saints - do they not practice short kickoffs and having players sweeping behind instead of all 4 contesting the drop? Do they know nothing of physics to expect a ball blown backwards is most likely to bounce backwards?
Last edited by gangrenous on June 20, 2021, 2:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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greeneyed
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by greeneyed »

Why on earth do our decoy runners stop in the line? Why? Why?
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gangrenous
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by gangrenous »

I have no **** clue. It blows my mind.
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by Rickmando »

The absolute hide of Rick to once again use the feeble “bounce of the ball/needing an ounce of luck” excuse. When is someone going to challenge him on rolling out this garbage week in week out?

And the sense of pride that “we were right in the fight”… why are we trying to measure our competitiveness against one of the worst teams in the comp? Why aren’t we trying to “blow them off the park”?? Because if the Dragons are our yardstick - that tells you just how directionless Rick is. End this rubbish! Flick Rick!!
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Botman
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by Botman »

greeneyed wrote: June 20, 2021, 2:09 pm Why on earth do our decoy runners stop in the line? Why? Why?
It was raised before by a few posters but it's 100% right
Its in the reptition and practice... i would bet good money any time someone doesnt finish their line at Storm training CB is chewing their **** **** out... he's teaching good habits.
Is that happening at our club?

Doesnt seem like it.
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by mick63 »

greeneyed wrote: June 20, 2021, 11:00 am
gangrenous wrote: June 20, 2021, 10:59 am Point off Rapana for his challenge
Point off Whitehead for allowing it
All points off Ricky for the game plan
I took a point off Rapana for that. I feel so depressed about the whole thing really. I am so dispirited, not only about the game plan, but how on earth the club’s procedures allowed an illegal substitute - which basically cost the game, irrespective of what the players did or did not do.
It’s your call but that is harsh on Rapana.His captain should have overruled him,unless Jordan truly believed the ball didn’t touch him.
Either way the week after the Bailey incident the coaches should have reiterated the rules to them all.
And again this week.
Would anyone put any money on that they did ?

It’s an old cliche that the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same result.
Yet that is Rickys plan.
**** it’s like hearing from Dave that ‘it’s the little things’ mantra being peddled by Ricky with his bounce of the ball or little bit of luck our way.
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by Rickmando »

Rick coaching first grade for 2 decades is one of the biggest long-cons in NRL history. What evidence do we have that he’s even league-average at coaching? Yet he never seemingly has his methods questioned, it’s quite incredible
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by mick63 »

How’s the irony though...the raiders have the best or near points for when to win the comp you needed to defend.
And then the rules change and now we can’t attack.
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by lomax »

In those conditions with a fullback playing his first game in the NRL i would have thought we would have kicked high to him in the first half, But rather our first kick was a chip that found him on the chest. Very poor tactical display.
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by RedRaider »

greeneyed wrote: June 20, 2021, 2:09 pm Why on earth do our decoy runners stop in the line? Why? Why?
It is multiple players who have been pinged for it GE. That has to be coaching. One or perhaps 2 players not knowing the rules is one thing, but this is beyond a couple. Same thing with the Xavier Savage decision. The rules were not known. No wonder we have not learned to play well under the new rules. We don't even know not to stop in the opposition defensive line which has been in place for some time.
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by gangrenous »

Look it’s absolutely an issue that the coaches don’t seem to be making sure that crap doesn’t fly. But the players need a decent whack of self responsibility. You’re a professional right? You shouldn’t as a professional footballer require drilling on something like that? No?
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by Botman »

gangrenous wrote: June 21, 2021, 8:17 pm Look it’s absolutely an issue that the coaches don’t seem to be making sure that crap doesn’t fly. But the players need a decent whack of self responsibility. You’re a professional right? You shouldn’t as a professional footballer require drilling on something like that? No?
These sorts of habits are established on the training paddock. They're cutting corners, not finishing because thats what they do on the training paddock
And it shows up on game day'
its on the coach to set the standard... the players should know not to do it, sure. But if you practice doing a task 20 times a week and that's how it's done, that's going to show up on game day
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by gangrenous »

I get that, but I also am sick of there being no apparent self-regulation from the players on the simple things like this. It’s like my boss having to train me each day not to hit myself in the face with my keyboard.
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by RedRaider »

gangrenous wrote: June 21, 2021, 8:43 pm I get that, but I also am sick of there being no apparent self-regulation from the players on the simple things like this. It’s like my boss having to train me each day not to hit myself in the face with my keyboard.
There could be other reasons your boss does not want you to stop doing it. :D Only joking Gangers, I'm sure you are both wonderful people.

I think Botman is on the money with this one though. Muscle memory should be for the players to run through the defensive line. Like most professionals, repetition at training translates to repetition on the job. So if they are not being called for stopping in the line at training then that's what they do in a match. The attacking assistant coach must also take some responsibility. Drill them all in opposed sessions until they do not stop in the line. To have the Jack Wighton try over turned in the Dragons match, stopped all momentum for the Raiders and it didn't need to be.
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by Botman »

gangrenous wrote: June 21, 2021, 8:43 pm I get that, but I also am sick of there being no apparent self-regulation from the players on the simple things like this. It’s like my boss having to train me each day not to hit myself in the face with my keyboard.
He shouldnt have to train you not to hit yourself with the keyboard every day, but if you show up to work and do it every day, its kind of his job to pull you aside and correct that behaviour :lol:
If he allows it when you're sitting at your desk because no harm, no foul... then he's running the risk of you pulling that **** in an important meeting.
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by gangrenous »

My boss is a woman you sexist!
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by Botman »

in my head, Ricky was your boss

a dream ill cling too
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by gangrenous »

Nah, I’m just messing with you. I probably don’t even have a job.
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by The Nickman »

Botman wrote: June 21, 2021, 8:27 pm
gangrenous wrote: June 21, 2021, 8:17 pm Look it’s absolutely an issue that the coaches don’t seem to be making sure that crap doesn’t fly. But the players need a decent whack of self responsibility. You’re a professional right? You shouldn’t as a professional footballer require drilling on something like that? No?
These sorts of habits are established on the training paddock. They're cutting corners, not finishing because thats what they do on the training paddock
And it shows up on game day'
its on the coach to set the standard... the players should know not to do it, sure. But if you practice doing a task 20 times a week and that's how it's done, that's going to show up on game day
Yep, 100%. And it's why every single Craig Bellamy-coached Melbourne Storm team looks like robots out on the field, they all know exactly what to do at every point of every game, in attack AND defence. I think we can finally put aside the myth on the GH that's been propagated for years that "Bellamy EDIT" and finally chalk it up to great coaching.

Look at our team in comparison, we're an absolute rabble! Even in 2019/20 at the height of our powers, the team was very unstructured and ad-lib, relying on individual brilliance rather than structures and set moves. And that style of team management all just unravels so fast, as we're seeing now.
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by greeneyed »

Through green eyes: The home straight

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The Canberra Raiders have had a season full of pain.

There have been dramas off field, with co-captain Josh Hodgson standing down from the role, homesick English half George Williams being released, and centre Curtis Scott being stood down after an alleged night club fight. That's just to mention just a few of the dramas.

On field, the Raiders have won just two games in their past 10 - against two teams anchored to the bottom of the ladder, the Bulldogs and Broncos. There have been just two wins at home. They now sit in 10th place on the ladder.

There have been a few close losses - by three points to the Warriors and by two points to the Cowboys and Dragons. The loss to the Warriors shouldn't even have been a loss, given the NRL later admitted that one Warriors try should not have been awarded, due to a forward pass.

But season 2021 is not a story of last gasp, narrow losses of the sort we saw in 2017 and 2018. 2021 has been a story of second half fades. The Raiders have often taken good leads, before conceding a whole pile of points in the second half.

So far this year, the Raiders have scored 187 points in their first halves, while conceding 114. In their second halves, they have scored just 90 points, while conceding 229.

The problems are likely to be many and complex. But basically, the Raiders seem to have been left behind by Vlandysball. The grinding, defensive game plans that were so successful in 2019 don't work too well in 2021. The team's fitness levels don't seem to be up to the faster paced game. The squad is ageing in an era where young teams are thriving. And speed has been missing.

Despite all that, the Raiders are just one win away from a top eight spot. The competition has been one of the most uneven in history. The top four teams have a break on the rest, and maybe the top six. But there are at least a couple of spots in the top eight that are up for grabs.

Can the Raiders do it? This is how the home straight looks:

Titans (H)
Sea Eagles (A)
Sharks (H)
Eels (A)
Knights (A)
Dragons (H)
Storm (A)
Sea Eagles (H)
Warriors (A)
Roosters (H)

And it looks pretty tough, with seven of the 10 matches against top eight teams. Two are against top four teams, away (Eels and Storm). Wins against the seventh placed Dragons and eighth placed Sharks will be essential - as well as wins against against the teams below them, the Titans, Warriors and Knights.

Even if the Raiders can make the finals, it'll be very tough going in the play offs. They are without their first choice fullback, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, due to injury. They have released their first choice halfback. And the top two teams are in a class of their own. Both the Storm and Panthers have a positive points differential in excess of 300 points. Both were ahead of the game that is now Vlandysball.

Realistically, the Raiders are probably back in a rebuilding phase. But I expect the team will be doing everything they can to get themselves into finals contention, this year. It all starts with the Titans on Saturday.

****

Every Canberra Raiders fan remembers "that" golden point loss to the Gold Coast Titans at Canberra Stadium back in 2011. The game was essentially wrapped up. But big name recruit, Matt Orford then knocked on at the base of a Raiders scrum win at their own end. And it was all downhill from there.



Canberra Stadium, however, is far from a happy hunting ground for teams from the Gold Coast.

The Raiders only ever lost twice to the previous incarnation of the Gold Coast, both at Tweed Heads. The Raiders beat the Gold Coast Chargers by 56-6 at Canberra Stadium back in 1995 - with Noa Nadruku scoring a hat trick, and Laurie Daley, Ken Nagas and Ruben Wiki all scoring doubles.

Things have been a lot more even against the Titans. But the Raiders have still won seven of the 11 matches played between the clubs at Bruce. And three of the Titans' biggest losses have come at the ground.

They lost 46-4 to the Raiders in 2008 when the Raiders piled on eight tries - against a Gold Coast team including a young Jordan Rapana. It was Rapana's third NRL game. He will play his 150th NRL match on Saturday, five for the Titans and the rest for the Raiders. That was a margin of 42. The Raiders also beat the Titans by 40 points in 2015 at Canberra Stadium in 2015, with Blake Austin and Jarrod Croker getting doubles in the 56-16 victory.

But the biggest loss for the Titans against the Raiders came in Round 18 of 2007 - a 56-10 thrashing. Yes, at Canberra Stadium. For a decade, it was the Titans' worst ever loss. It now ranks at their third worst. The Raiders broke a four game losing streak in the game, in style. In the previous week, Canberra had lost 58-16 to the Dragons. But the Raiders piled on 10 tries against the Gold Coast, six in the second half. The hero was captain Alan Tongue, who spent two straight nights icing his injured knee, so he could play. "I don't think there's any magic formula," Neil Henry said later. "You get beat; you work hard for the next week. To the boys' credit, they did a bit of soul searching during the week, and they came out today and put it together."

Here's hoping the Raiders put it together this Saturday.

2007 Round 18 - Canberra Raiders 56 (Todd Carney, Michael Dobson, Bronx Goodwin, Phil Graham, David Milne, Joe Picker, Alan Tongue, Michael Weyman, Lincoln Withers, William Zillman tries, Michael Dobson 8 goals) defeated Gold Coast Titans 10 (Brett Delaney, Luke O'Dwyer tries, Brett Delaney goal) at Canberra Stadium Crowd: 9,136

Canberra Raiders: 5. Bronx Goodwin 2. David Milne 3. Phil Graham 4. Colin Best 1. William Zillman 6. Todd Carney 7. Michael Dobson 8. Troy Thompson 9. Lincoln Withers 15. Dane Tilse 11. Nigel Plum 12. Glen Turner 13. Alan Tongue

16. Marshall Chalk 17. Michael Weyman 18. Joe Picker 20. Josh Miller

Coach Neil Henry


****

Saturday is a milestone game for two of the Raiders' great servants. As mentioned, Jordan Rapana will play his 150th NRL game against the Titans, while Sam Williams notches up his 100th. It's taken both of them a while, for various reasons. Both of them are much loved players.



Rapana holds the record for the most tries scored for the Raiders in a season (23 in 2016) and this year, overtook Mal Meninga as the fifth highest try scorer for the club. His enthusiasm for the game and the Raiders is infectious. Sam Williams, a local boy from Cooma, made his debut for the Raiders back in Round 1 of 2011 against the Sharks. A 19 year old Williams, then the captain of the Raiders NYC team, played in the No. 25 jersey - a late replacement for an injury Matt Orford. He was man of the match in the 40-12 win. He's been on a bit of a journey, playing five games with the Dragons, as well as in England and France. He played one game in the whole of 2020 - and was honoured with the captaincy in a game when a lot of regulars were rested. It showed how much Sammy means to the club. Best of luck to both players in their milestone game.



****

Every week I rate the Raiders players on a scale of 0-10... and here is the points tally after the clash with the Dragons. Tell us what you think of the ratings!

Total points

Elliott Whitehead 87
Ryan Sutton 87
Jack Wighton 81
Jordan Rapana 79
Bailey Simonsson 76
Josh Papalii 73
Sebastian Kris 69
George Williams 65
Josh Hodgson 65
Hudson Young 63
Tom Starling 62
Curtis Scott 58
Ryan James 54
Joe Tapine 53
Emre Guler 52
Sia Soliola 50
Corey Harrawira-Naera 47
Siliva Havili 44
Caleb Aekins 42
Dunamis Lui 42
Corey Horsburgh 35
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 31
Jarrod Croker 26
Sam Williams 24
Semi Valemei 24
Matt Timoko 13
Brad Schneider 2
Xavier Savage 2

Average points per match

Ryan Sutton 6.7
Josh Papalii 6.6
Jordan Rapana 6.6
George Williams 6.5
Josh Hodgson 6.5
Matt Timoko 6.5
Hudson Young 6.3
Jack Wighton 6.2
Elliott Whitehead 6.2
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 6.2
Caleb Aekins 6.0
Sam Williams 6.0
Semi Valemei 6.0
Joe Tapine 5.9
Corey Harrawira-Naera 5.9
Bailey Simonsson 5.8
Corey Horsburgh 5.8
Curtis Scott 5.8
Emre Guler 5.8
Ryan James 5.4
Sebastian Kris 5.3
Dunamis Lui 5.3
Jarrod Croker 5.2
Tom Starling 5.2
Sia Soliola 5.0
Siliva Havili 4.9
Brad Schneider 2.0
Xavier Savage 2.0

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greeneyed
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by greeneyed »

Through green eyes: As I saw it

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"We were outplayed. Everything I spoke about pre match... 'We just can't miss our assignment in defence tonight because they're a very good attacking team'... and we were very poor. And we were as poor with the football then when we got it. Simple as that. It’s unacceptable. It's not what we've practiced.

It’s happened all year where we haven’t got enough players, playing well. I’m in that too, coaches have to coach well, players have got to play well. It’s happened all year where we just haven’t had a high majority of our players all playing a good game of football. You could see out there tonight, we didn't have enough players play well. I've got to find some energy and the only way I am going to find some energy is with new faces.

There's no game that's easy. There’s not an easy game in the NRL. At the moment we probably can’t put our hand up and say that, because we’re making it pretty easy at the moment. It doesn’t take a lot to beat us if we’re missing that many tackles and unfortunately it’s very disappointing. I’m as embarrassed as anyone in regards to these poor people who come out here and brave these conditions and watch us play, and we play like that. I feel very sorry for our hard and loyal supporters. We’re not a shadow of ourselves in regards to where we've got to be. It was sad to put on that type of performance with those people there tonight braving those conditions."

Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart


2021 Round 16. Gold Coast Titans 44 - Canberra Raiders 6. The Raiders produced one of their worst performances in many years in going down to the Titans at Canberra Stadium in Round 16. There is no other word for it, than diabolical. The Titans had their biggest ever win and equalled their highest ever points tally. It was the Raiders' biggest loss since the 54-12 drubbing at the hands of the Warriors in Auckland back in 2014. The Titans came into the match sitting in 13th place on the competition ladder. Coach Ricky Stuart often tells us that the effort is always there, no matter the result. The effort was not there last night. Too many players showed little enthusiasm and a lack of pride in the jersey. Some, well, their bodies just don't let them play at first grade level anymore.



There was no intent or intensity in defence. The Titans made line breaks with ease, right up the middle of the field. There were 11 of them all up. There were 65 missed tackles from the Raiders. Can you believe that? 65. Eight tries conceded.

The attack was a shambles. The Raiders looked fairly good in the opening 20 minutes, with Papalii and Sutton making big metres. The strategy seemed to be to get some second phase play going, through offloads. Time after time, however, there was no player in support or players were not expecting the ball. The Titans grasped the momentum at the 20 minute mark, and then never let it go. Not even when David Fifita was sent to the sin bin for 10 mintues late in the first half, for a late hit on Sam Williams. The Titans piled on three tries during that period. On the occasions when the Raiders did get into into the red zone, they looked like they had no idea what they were doing with the ball. The Raiders' play makers were all at sea.

I'd like to say this more diplomatically, but the Raiders don't look like a well coached, committed football team right now. This morning, they sit in 13th place on the ladder - and that is what they look like. A bottom four football team. I heard an interview this week where CEO Don Furner said that the club believes that they started the season with a top four squad. So something is seriously amiss. There's going to be a lot more hard questions asked at Raiders HQ before 2021 is done. It looks like there is some clean sweeping needed. A significant rebuild is now on the cards. The problem is, the Raiders have completely missed the boat in the player market for 2022 - especially in the key positions which need to be bolstered. It's going to be a long rebuild.

The Raiders face the Sea Eagles at Brookvale on Thursday night. The Sea Eagles beat the Bulldogs last night, 66-0. The saving grace is that Tom Trbojevic and Daley Cherry-Evans will be missing due to Origin. Then again, the Raiders will be without Josh Papalii and Jack Wighton. With a top eight finish looking more and more unlikely, a lot of fans are calling for many of the younger brigade to be brought in. Ricky Stuart has said he needs some new faces, to generate some energy in the team. It's hard to argue with that, but I wouldn't want to see young players brought in before their time. You want to see what they can do in first grade - but you don't want to see their development and confidence affected either.

As we rise today, it is a bitterly cold morning in the nation's capital.

Stats that mattered?

The Raiders had just 42 per cent of possession with the Titans having almost nine more minutes with the ball than the Raiders. The Titans completed 39 sets, the Raiders 31 (89 per cent completion rate for the Titans, 76 per cent for the Raiders). The Raiders produced 11 errors (six for the Titans) and conceded six penalties (Titans four). The Titans conceded eight set restarts, compared to two for the Raiders - but that didn't seem to matter much.

The Titans made more runs (194-156), running metres (1822-1412), post contact metres (541-452), metres per set (41-34), tackle breaks (65-31) and, as mentioned, line breaks (11-2). The Raiders made more kick return metres (180-139) and offloads (14-5). The Titans made more kicking metres (795-521) from five more kicks (25-20) - and that helped the visitors keep control of the territory. They also peppered the Raiders with bombs (6-3) and grubbers (7-3) in the red zone - and the Raiders struggled to defuse them (55 per cent defusal rate, 67 per cent for the Titans). Both teams forced one line drop out.

There was not much difference in the effective tackle rate (Raiders 83 per cent, 82 per cent Titans) - despite the Raiders' huge missed tackle count (65, compared with 31 for the Titans). That's because the Raiders had to make almost 100 more tackles than the Titans, and the Titans posted more ineffective tackles (25, Raiders seven). The key defensive statistic, however, was eight tries conceded to one.

Memorable moments?

Half Sam Williams scored a try in his 100th NRL game, but it is probably not going to be a game that he or the other milestone men - Jordan Rapana (150 NRL games) and Ryan Sutton (50 Raiders games) - will want to remember. No one who bleeds green will want to remember it. Sadly, it'll go down in the record books as one of the Titans' best, and the Raiders' worst.

Best performers?

Josh Papalii. 16 runs for 166 metres, 53 post contact metres, four tackle breaks, three offloads, 19 tackles, 100 per cent tackle efficiency.

Ryan Sutton. 15 runs for 132 metres, 48 post contact metres, 23 tackles, 82 per cent tackle efficiency.

Top tacklers: Josh Hodgson 43, Corey Harawira-Naera 38, Emre Guler 32, Joe Tapine 32
Most metres gained: Josh Papalii 166, Bailey Simonsson 152, Ryan Sutton 124

My player ratings:

Bailey Simonsson 5
Semi Valemei 4
Jarrod Croker 4
Sebastian Kris 4
Jordan Rapana 6
Jack Wighton 5
Sam Williams 5
Josh Papalii 7
Josh Hodgson 4
Dunamis Lui 5
Corey Harawira-Naera 6
Elliott Whitehead 6
Ryan Sutton 6

Tom Starling 4
Emre Guler 6
Sia Soliola 3
Joseph Tapine 5

Do you agree with the ratings? Let us know what you think!

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-PJ-
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by -PJ- »

We were all very confident we’d regain some momentum and climb up the ladder after the bye.

We had a “soft” draw. 3 very winnable games.

Beat Donkeys..led StGeorge by plenty and folded..lost at home to Tits.

It’s been horrible, we are in freefall with no parachute..it ends in a tremendous thud !!

We’ve gone from premiership window open to arguably the worst team in world Rugbrugh Leeg..in 2yrs.
3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment..Old Faithful
#emptythetank :shock:
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BadnMean
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Re: Through green eyes 2021

Post by BadnMean »

I was not confident at all we'd pull up. We didn't.

Jees this must be painful to write every week GE.

Think you've been very generous to Rapana who got repeatedly caught out by the opposing winger/half and left grasping for miracle intercepts, left Simo high and dry on a couple of kicks and was constantly out of position when playing next to a rookie centre. Chook with his head cut off.

Tapine also- missed the first two tackles up the middle that started the rot and only wants a carry in the middle 40. I'd say a 3.
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