Let's talk about the Canberra Raiders

[Firey_Dragon]

If we lost by 15 points the Broncos would be playing in the finals. We didn't lose by 15 though, actually we won the game against a very desperate side who wanted to keep the streak going. They were unable to do that because we were better.

You should be happy. It means they won't be knocking you out of the finals again....we might though.

You're just hating because you didn't rate us at the start of the year.
http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/showthread.php?t=353101&page=9
^Still waiting for you to eat your humble pie in that thread btw.

No forward pack in the comp has 3 forwards that are rated a 9... I explained that to you in another thread. With your backline and such a brilliant forward pack we should expect you to make it to the grand final if that is the case. Finishing 7th proves nothing at this point. You've had a good run of 5 games, congratulations. If you lost the game, and both Souths and Manly won, it wouldn't matter how much Brisbane won by, you would have been booted from the finals. You scored 2 tries from schoolboy fumbles and Brisbane butchered at least 3-4 tries. I re-iterate, you were lucky to win.

 

[Raiders_Premiers]

If we lost by 15 points the Broncos would be playing in the finals. We didn't lose by 15 though, actually we won the game against a very desperate side who wanted to keep the streak going. They were unable to do that because we were better.

You should be happy. It means they won't be knocking you out of the finals again....we might though.

You're just hating because you didn't rate us at the start of the year.
http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/showthread.php?t=353101&page=9
^Still waiting for you to eat your humble pie in that thread btw.

:lol: Good too see Firey Dragon running his mouth in that thread, then continuing to do so here in the same vein

 

[Bobby DIGital]

LOL oh Firey.

I think I know what would of happened if we lost and both Souths and Manly won. The fact of the matter is we didn't lose and haven't lost a game for 9 rounds (losing to the cheating scum Storm doesn't count). We're not always going to put 30+ on teams like we did to you. Sometimes we've got to battle for the win too ya know. Brisbane were desperate to keep that streak going. You'd think we'd at least get some credit for ending a 19 year record. What other thread btw?

And who said we wont make the GF?

 

[j0nesy]

Canberra are a team bristling with young, talented players. I rate them, but don't think they can keep their run of winning sudden death games going. However they are a team of the future.

 

[Firey_Dragon]

LOL oh Firey.

I think I know what would of happened if we lost and both Souths and Manly won. The fact of the matter is we didn't lose and haven't lost a game for 9 rounds (losing to the cheating scum Storm doesn't count). We're not always going to put 30+ on teams like we did to you. Sometimes we've got to battle for the win too ya know. Brisbane were desperate to keep that streak going. You'd think we'd at least get some credit for ending a 19 year record. What other thread btw?

And who said we wont make the GF?

I replied to you last time you brought up that quote from me.

Why would you get credit for ending a record? The teams they played in the other 25 rounds had just as much impact on them not making the finals as you did. You certainly didn't play well in the game either.

No one is saying you will or won't make the grand final. In fact it seems fans from every other club are the ones who aren't even mentioning the grand final, except for "some" raiders fans who think they've already won the trophy.

Congrats on making the finals, it's still a long way to go.

But if you want to mention the two games we've played against you this year, use a little perspective. First game you beat us when we had 7 players out, 2nd game you beat us in a 5 minute period where we were missing our two best defensive fringe players in Smith and Scott and we still almost came back from the dead. I hope we meet you in the finals, it will be a cracker of a game.

 

[skeepe]

So let me get this straight, when another team manages to win despite playing poorly, it's the sign of a great team, but when the Raiders do it, it shows that they're on the slide and have no hope?

Ah well, haters gonna hate.

Here's a thought. Maybe, just maybe, the Broncos played far better in that last desperate game than they had over the last three - their floggings happened away from home remember? Maybe, just maybe, some of the young, inexperienced Raiders were overawed by the occasion. The Raiders were playing in front of the biggest crowd they as a team had played in front of since 1994. The majority of the team (particularly the backline) have played less than 50 NRL games, and none of those games have been as high pressure as this one was.

So taking all that into account, a win by any margin is a great effort. That we won the game on our defence will stand us in good stead for the finals.

But hey, if you want to continue thinking that the fact we didn't thrash a desperate Broncos team, with everything to play for, playing for their lives in front of 40,000 screaming parochial fans means we're a sh*t team, be my guest. You'll be in for a massive shock. Does anybody think the Roosters are done because they played poorly against the Cowboys and didn't put plenty of points on them? Didn't think so.

 

[Firey_Dragon]

So let me get this straight, when another team manages to win despite playing poorly, it's the sign of a great team, but when the Raiders do it, it shows that they're on the slide and have no hope?

Ah well, haters gonna hate.

Here's a thought. Maybe, just maybe, the Broncos played far better in that last desperate game than they had over the last three - their floggings happened away from home remember? Maybe, just maybe, some of the young, inexperienced Raiders were overawed by the occasion. The Raiders were playing in front of the biggest crowd they as a team had played in front of since 1994. The majority of the team (particularly the backline) have played less than 50 NRL games, and none of those games have been as high pressure as this one was.

So taking all that into account, a win by any margin is a great effort. That we won the game on our defence will stand us in good stead for the finals.

But hey, if you want to continue thinking that the fact we didn't thrash a desperate Broncos team, with everything to play for, playing for their lives in front of 40,000 screaming parochial fans means we're a sh*t team, be my guest. You'll be in for a massive shock. Does anybody think the Roosters are done because they played poorly against to Cowboys and didn't pit plenty of points on them? Didn't think so.

The broncos made 14 errors in that game, they were completely and utterly incapable of building any pressure. Neither team played well. My point is you needed to win that game to stay in the finals, but fell over the line due to some elementary errors from the broncos. It wasn't a good performance to build the confidence or make your mark before the finals. Yet your fans are crying out that they deserve credit for ending a 19 years finals run? Puh-lease.

Broncos were severely underdone and you went down to their level. Broncos actually probably played the better football, but Winterstein had a shocker under the high ball.

 

[skeepe]

.

But if you want to mention the two games we've played against you this year, use a little perspective. First game you beat us when we had 7 players out, 2nd game you beat us in a 5 minute period where we were missing our two best defensive fringe players in Smith and Scott and we still almost came back from the dead. I hope we meet you in the finals, it will be a cracker of a game.

:lol: :lol:

Don't roll out the excuses too quickly, you'll need to keep some in the cupboard for when you crash out before the grand final again.

 

[skeepe]

The broncos made 14 errors in that game, they were completely and utterly incapable of building any pressure. Neither team played well. My point is you needed to win that game to stay in the finals, but fell over the line due to some elementary errors from the broncos. It wasn't a good performance to build the confidence or make your mark before the finals.

I just love the way you and everyone else gives no credit to the Raiders' defence for that.

Sure the Raiders were poor in attack, but we still scored enough points to win.

That's all that matters in the finals, in case you had forgotten.

 

[Firey_Dragon]

:lol: :lol:

Don't roll out the excuses too quickly, you'll need to keep some in the cupboard for when you crash out before the grand final again.

Save comments for that if it happens. I didn't realise the Raiders had such a stellar finals record in the last 15 years.

 

[skeepe]

Save comments for that if it happens. I didn't realise the Raiders had such a stellar finals record in the last 15 years.

No it's a shocking record. But we're not the ones making excuses for it either. We can admit we haven't been good enough.

 

[canberra_raiders2k2]

Raiders to cruise past the panthers by 13+!

I hope anyway, as I will be throwing away $100 for that result hahah.

 

[legend]

Matt Elliott is yet to win a finals game I believe so there will be a fair amount of pressure on him and his side to perform.

I'm not saying the Raiders will win the comp but unlike previous years, there is a sense of calm, stable leadership that hasn't been at the club since Daley retired.

For me, that's where the expectation levels have risen to. For the first time in a decade I have gone into matches feeling confident and sometimes comfortable that we will win the game. I feel this way about the Penrith game.

Let's take the game against the Sharks, a team who have been dominatiing us at home for years, regardless of their place on the ladder. They had just sacked Stuart and replaced him with Flanagan and in the past, this was a game we would have lost quite easily. We dug in and won the game. That was the sign for me that the Raiders were on the rise.

Even when we have lost, apart from the Roosters and Storm games, we have had every chance of winning. Our defence in the second half of the season has been resolute and desperate when it needed to be.

The goal is to beat Penrith and get a home final. That would be massive for the club and its fans.

 

[taxidriver]

The goal is to beat Penrith and get a home final. That would be massive for the club and its fans.

and there is the problem with the NRL system

this isn't Canberra bashing but given where you finished, the closest you should get to a home final is the SFS

 

[Bobby DIGital]

No one is saying you will or won't make the grand final. In fact it seems fans from every other club are the ones who aren't even mentioning the grand final, except for "some" raiders fans who think they've already won the trophy.

I haven't seen any Raiders fans saying we've got it won. Personally I haven't even said we'll beat Penrith. I'm confident but i'm as nervous as anyone about this weekend.

 

[Red&BlackBear]

Raiders have confidence but so do panthers who have posted two 50+ scores at home in the last 3 weeks and came back from behind against a motivated doggies team whilst being reduced to 12men. I think the panthers went through their season low point last month. They will be very dangerous as soon as petero comes back. It's a shame they have to player eachother now.

 

[Raider_69]

win or lose this weekend, won't bother me, whilst this is a very open comp and i believe we're as good a chance as any, if we go one and done, it will just serve to make the best young talent in the game hungrier for success, the raiders will be a feared team in 2011. Im just enjoying the 2010 ride, how ever much longer it lasts. But don't fool yourselves, publically they don't care but privately, the last side saints want to play in this final series is us. The comp is theirs to lose and canberra are one side that know how to beat them.

 

[Raider_69]

edit- double

 

[TheFrog]

I haven't seen any Raiders fans saying we've got it won. Personally I haven't even said we'll beat Penrith. I'm confident but i'm as nervous as anyone about this weekend.

Plenty of Raiders fans, no doubt all of them, are predicting their team will win on the weekend, which is fine. It's the kids who demean the opposition, saying they don't deserve to be there and that their forwards are soft that give Canberra supporters a bad name. Give yourselves an uppercut lads.

Those with a little nous acknowledge the opposition. No team has ever reached second on the table, or even seventh in a 16 team comp, without doing something right.

 

[Pete Cash]

lol get over a tiny group (like two people) deathriding the panthers. they are obviously a decent side. i think MAN FOR MAN there is as much talent in the Raiders line up though. the raiders talent is just starting to come into its own.

i am not sure if we will beat the panthers, they are the deserved favourites but i am hopeful we will give it a shot. we have been potentially finished every week now for 10 weeks yet we are still here. so i will have hope until we lose.

it has been an amazing turnaround and next year is looming as a big one.