Team changes only part remedy
Doug MacDougall
Tuesday, 28 March 2006
Canberra Raiders coach Matt Elliott emerged from a team meeting yesterday wary of the fragile position the club hangs in after two huge losses to the Newcastle Knights and Sydney Roosters.
Elliott said he would make changes to the team that conceded 46 points in the final half hour of Sunday's match against the Roosters.
But he was adamant personnel changes alone wouldn't solve the team's defensive problems heading into Saturday's match against the Penrith Panthers.
The Canberra coach, who this week will plot against the Penrith side he will lead next year, said solutions to the structural and attitudinal problems had been harder to come by.
"I'd have to say, both as a player and a coach, I've never had to endure this," Elliott said of the Raiders' past two losses.
"We certainly can't get down in the mouth and think that this is the norm.
"What happened was unacceptable. We're in round three of a 26-round competition, and we need to fight hard."
Elliott said his preseason decision to join the Panthers in 2007 had not affected his performance as head coach of the Raiders. He said the suggestion that it had was "unfair".
"It hasn't been a factor in my relationship with a player, it hasn't been a visual factor, [and] you could ask the players that," Elliott said.
"It hasn't been a factor in the amount of time, effort and intensity that I'm putting in to what I'm doing here but, again, I could be just saying that."
Elliott was pleased with the efforts of forward Trevor Thurling and back William Zillman in last week's Premier League match, indicating the two would be considered for selection this week.
The coach also expected prop Michael Weyman to play in Premier League this Saturday after finally overcoming an ankle injury which sidelined him for all of 2005.
Winger Craig Frawley and forward Dane Tilse received valuable Premier League minutes last weekend and would also come into contention. Elliott said the returning players would help offset the loss of Terry Martin and centre Phil Graham, who will be sidelined for six weeks with a broken thumb. - Doug MacDougall
