How well will the Canberra Raiders do in 2012 ?

[Raiderdave]

Can't see a lot changing in 2012. I don't rate Furner as a coach. The three seasons he has been in charge we have looked horribly unprepared in the opening rounds. Campese will take a good 7-8 weeks to regain any kind of form. Dugan's fitness is a flip of a coin, he seems to have some new niggling injury every week. We also can't play for 80 minutes (unless its against the dragons).

People say McCrone was a shining light for us in 2011. To me he's like Gidley, a valuable player but gets too much recognition because he "tries" so hard. I would rather see McCrone in the centres or trialed at hooker than in the halves.

:crazy::crazy::crazy:

learn something about RL
then come back n see us then .... K ;-)

 

[2010Dragons]

lucky to make the top 10...in 2012

 

[POPEYE]

Depends entirely on who the halves are . . . they need to understand that 'direction' is more than just pointing at the posts.

Will have to superglue my fingers crossed but I reckon they'll do better than the bottom eight and 51% seems a pass mark in League

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

lucky to make the top 10...in 2012

They'll be lucky to make the top 16 :lol:

 

[newman]

I have it on very good authority (from a high level coach and long term supporter of the Raiders) that Furner is considered the worst coach in the NRL by a long margin. Until they fix that up they will never do well.

13th to 16th.

 

[Kirky]

Having our stars fit and firing on the field will see some improvement, but like many others I think significant advancement up the ladder won't happen 'till Furner is removed as head coach. It's not just the team's recent performance under him that grates, it's the perception of nepatism surrounding the board's undying support for him that boils my blood.

Sometimes players and staff just need a fresh start, and a change of head coach is often the perfect catalyst for a revival. It also tends to encourage players to impress the new coach and train/play like demons

I really hope i'm wrong, but I don't think we'll be playing finals in 2012.

 

[Card Shark]

Had their chance last year & this year won't be much better.

13th

 

[Raider_69]

im not sure how we had our chance last year when our top two players (dugan and campese) played around half a season collectively.

If we're going to win a comp with this squad it will be in the next 2-3 years. If nothing is done by then, we'll have to move on from a few blokes and look to rebuild... again.

 

[Card Shark]

I understand your injury woes & they were significant but I can't believe how the rest of the squad went from what I thought were top 4 to bottom 4.

All I can summise is they were a bit overrated. If it was in their mind, they may be able to live up to the hype of last year, this year. i.e they realize they gotta lift instead of expecting it to happen

 

[Raider_69]

They are over-rated without quality play makers. Croker is a classic example, people point to him and say he's not a good player, and i agree he had a poor year, but the fact is he's still 21 years old, in terms of age he's still green. Same with Fergo.

The melbourne storm backline and pack would struggle without Slater and Smith too (both well beyound campese and dugan i know, but its our equivalent), its tough to do well when your two best players and play makers

our biggest issue is without a doubt hooker. Which is why our star studded forward pack cant perform to its potential. If we can find solid hooker play, combined with an uninterupted season from Campese and Dugan, we'll be a darkhorse in the finals. The club has the raw talent to be a contender, of that there is no denying. Its up to the players and coaching staff to take the next step and become consistent performers in the NRL to put us back into contention.

 

[Card Shark]

Yeh it cannot be underestimated the importance a good playmaker has on the rest of the team. We'll see how it affects the Broncs this year.

As for the Raiders players, maybe they need to really have a dig & support the coach. Too often a coach is blamed for bad years even though he is largely responsible for getting results.

 

[Raider_69]

very fair comment
furner has stuck by them big time... its time they repay his faith

 

[Card Shark]

Rightly or wrongly, he's under the pump from a couple of directions (more than most coaches). If the Raiders are a well managed club, they will pull together on & off the field & make the semis.

Time will tell.

 

[Parra Pride]

Canberra will be relegated to the Kazahkstan RL.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

I thought in 2011 the Raiders looked a little sluggish around the middle of the ruck in defense. They have a massive prop rotation, perhaps too big, and the quick/smart players can expose this.

Having said that, a half decent hooker will help the big boys get a roll on. Going forward they're very hard to contain and if they can dominate field position off the back of that it makes defending that much easier.

Raiders are one of those sides who could finish anywhere from top 4 to bottom 4 and it wouldn't surprise me.

Before the Warriors entered the comp they were one of my fav teams along with the Tigers so I prefer they did well.

 

[Redback71]

no idea here depends on campese. ill go 9th or 16th :crazy:

 

[mene]

Roosters Spoon, Raiders 14th/15th

 

[Bicey_18]

16th.

Worst roster in the league

 

[Silent Knight]

14th. Until Jarrod Croker and Sam Williams actually learn how to tackle they will cost their team dearly. Most coaches will tell their players to run at these two.

Croker didn't have a clue when he lined up against the oldest player in the NRL (see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=253d27uXo0Q) so what hope does he have against younger, faster centres?

The answer? Not much. Another poor season is on the cards for the Raiders.

 

[Raidersrawesome]

Sam will start the year at the Mounties Id imagine, where hopefully he does work on his defence.