Knights not there yet as wheels wobble on road trip
BY ROBERT DILLON
TIMES were when the Raiders in Canberra was the most feared road trip in the business.
The national capital can be a cold, inhospitable place but that was especially the case in the halcyon years when names such as Meninga, Stuart, Daley, Clyde and Mullins featured on Tim Sheens's team sheet.
The 2009-model Green Machine, however, are a four-cylinder Hyundai hatchback compared to the Rolls Royce V8s of previous eras.
The only time the latter-day Raiders approach such greatness is when they walk past the bronzed statues of Meninga and Daley as they arrive at Canberra Stadium.
A young team under a rookie coach in David Furner, Canberra bowed out of the play-offs race almost two months ago and were 13th on the NRL table before last night's clash with the Newcastle Knights kicked off.
If the home side were playing for little more than personal pride, the stakes could hardly have been higher for their guests.
A win would have clinched Newcastle a berth in the finals for the first time since 2006.
A loss would have left them clinging to eighth rung on the ladder and facing a do-or-die final-round showdown with Penrith at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Sunday.
Despite their respective standings, the Knights had reason to be nervous.
Even after successive wins against Melbourne and North Queensland under new coach Rick Stone, Newcastle knew their record in Canberra was woeful.
In 16 previous trips across the border, they had returned victorious just twice. The portents were ominous for Newcastle from the kick-off.
Knights five-eighth Ben Rogers was positioned in his in-goal area to receive the Steeden but inexplicably allowed it to bounce.
The ball went dead, forcing Newcastle onto the back foot with a goal-line drop-out instead of carting it upfield in attack.
The Raiders capitalised on their good fortune and the first set of the game ended in a try in the corner for young winger Daniel Vidot.
Before long Newcastle were behind 10-0 and by half-time the score was 22-4.
Nine days earlier, the Knights were resilient enough to peg back a 14-point deficit against the Cowboys but get out of jail free cards are a commodity to be used sparingly.
A 48th-minute try to Junior Sau gave Newcastle some hope but their prospects deteriorated rapidly.
Frustrations flared in the second half when Rogers and Vidot exchanged punches, sparking a melee and earning each 10 minutes in the sin-bin.
Even worse for the Knights, flint-hard back-rower Zeb Taia was helped from the field in the 63rd minute nursing what appeared to be a serious shoulder injury.
Taia has been Newcastle's best forward for the past 24 months and has not missed a game this year and if he is ruled out of the Penrith match, it will be a shattering blow.
Last night's result was Stone's first taste of defeat since replacing the sacked Brian Smith three weeks ago.
Two out of three ain't bad, as they say.
Three out of four would be a damned sight better.
Herald
