>canberra = spoon
I dunno. There are a lot of things that could have happened there.
For a start, the Broncos/Redcliffe mob featured players who are in development as Broncos. Since the Broncos have one of the best (I'd argue the best) development program in the league, the up-and-comers are all very solid. Further, those players are getting coaching from Wayne Bennet, conditioning from some of the best trainers going around, and a host of other things.
On top of that, they may well be duelling with six-shooters for a slot in the Broncos 17. Last season, Dane Carlaw and Sam Thaiday both got sent off to Toowooomba until they could get their acts together.
Finally, don't discount psychological motivation. The honour of bagging an NRL scalp would have been a pretty major source of satisfaction. And since a good trial showing could result in an NRL promotion...
The Raiders, on the other hand, have lost some very handy players and acquired a new coach who is clearly trying some new things out. Trials are the best place to do that, because there aren't, what, 3 NRL points on the line if you get it wrong- but there could well be 3 NRL points coming your way if you get it right, win or loss.
Honestly, the Tigers managed a pretty ordinary win over a much, much less powerful team, and no-one's calling the wrath of the Wood Gods on them. Trial form will be a good guide to the first two, maybe three rounds, but after that it will be week-to-week.
I'm still going to tip the Rabbitohs for the Spoon. They've made it a tradition, after all.
