http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rug...street-cred-20120315-1v5wc.html#ixzz1pDooOd5F
Here is a nice fair write up
Junior development, salary cap restrictions, morals, souls, premiership-winning capabilities, ticker. What do these things have in common? They are all things the Sydney Roosters don’t have.
The Sydney Roosters are to the Canberra Raiders what the Empire was to the Rebel Alliance in Star Wars. The Rebel Alliance was brave and honest and heroic, and constantly fighting the evil forces of a corrupt and evil power that was destroying the universe. The analogy is obvious.
The Roosters’ mandate is this: see which players from other clubs are performing well and purchase them. Occasionally, they even recruit in themes, such as 2009-10’s infamous ‘Jail Bird’ drive where they targeted any player with criminal tendencies.
It is a simple policy and would be effective if the very act of playing for the Bondi club didn’t instantly reduce a player’s ability by half.
Perhaps it is because they are polar opposites or maybe it’s just Canberra’s ability to develop their own talent, but the Roosters have always had a fascination with the Raiders, poaching or attempting to poach about eighty players over the last decade. Roosters’ executives’ last great poaching attempt was for Josh Dugan two years ago but he, in classic Skywalker fashion, turned his back on the Dark Side.
The funny thing is, when the Roosters accidentally chance upon a good player they don’t even realise it, as was the case with David Shillington. A perennial bench-warmer with the Roosters, Shillo came to Canberra and, under the tutelage of Coach David Furner, became an instant Kangaroo. You would think even the Roosters could identify a big, thinking prop with good hands and abundant leadership skills as a keeper. Apparently not.
The two clubs displayed vastly different form last week; the Raiders easily accounted for the Titans while the Roosters failed to notch a single point in their humiliating loss to the Panthers. Adding to the Roosters’ woes is the fact that the Raiders have a terrific record at the Allianz Stadium, having won 100% of the matches between the two teams last year.
While the Raiders have an advantage in the key areas of forwards and backs, the Roosters should not be underestimated. Captain Braith Anasta was once considered to be a State of Origin player (despite a career of performances indicating otherwise) and Coach Brian Smith has a remarkable record of taking teams to within viewing distance of a premiership (without ever winning one).
The Raiders are without two of their deadly four-pronged prop rotation with Tom Learoyd-Lahrs and Dane Tilse out. Fortunately, the other half of the rotation, David Shillington and Brett White, are the two form props in the NRL and are much too strong for the Roosters’ pack to contain.
Raiders by 24
