http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/de...y_id=469549&category=General Sport&m=3&y=2006
We're the ones who failed fans Players take the heat off Elliott
Peter Fitzgerald
Thursday, 30 March 2006
Senior Canberra Raiders players have backed besieged coach Matt Elliott, saying it's the team members and not the coach that should take responsibility for the club's horror start to the 2006 NRL season. Captain Clinton Schifcofske and former skipper Simon Woolford both claimed comments this week from Canberra fans calling for club management to sack Elliott were "unjustified".
They also said axing the Penrith-bound coach would not result in better on-field performances.
Elliott has been under pressure since the Raiders lost 70-32 against the Newcastle Knights 11 days ago and 56-20 against the Sydney Roosters at Aussie Stadium on Sunday.
The losses were the worst and third-worst respectively in the club's 25-year existence.
Woolford, who has played with the Raiders for 13 seasons and under Elliott for the past five, expressed disappointment that it had been Elliott and not the players who had copped the majority of blame for the embarrassing losses.
"In some cases I think a coach copping sprays left, right and centre can be justified but in our case, it's not even close to justifiable," he said.
"We've certainly had the right plan heading into our past two matches to do the job and for parts of the game, that plan has worked.
"How can you blame the coach for the players not sticking to the plan long enough to win the game?"
In both of the past two games, Canberra has been in a position to at least be competitive against the opposition, if not win.
Against Newcastle, at Canberra Stadium, the Raiders trailed 12-8 midway through the first half and appeared well in the match before things went wrong.
And last weekend, against the Roosters, Canberra led 20-10 before capitulating and conceding 46 points in the final 29 minutes.
Woolford was disappointed with his and his teammates' efforts against the Roosters in a match he believed the side "simply should have won".
"We went into that game with a point to prove after what had happened against the Knights and we put ourselves into a position where we not only could have won but should have," he said.
"What happened in that last 30 minutes is not Matt Elliott's fault and I don't care what any punter thinks.
"I've taken more out of the comments [Raiders chairman John McIntyre] said about all the players needing to have a good hard look at themselves rather than a few fans saying Matty needs to be sacked."
Schifcofske agreed it was the 13 players on the field and four on the bench who were to blame.
"It's not the coach missing tackles, dropping the ball and losing concentration when we're under the pump," the captain said.
"The fans, they pay their money so I guess they can say what they like. All I know is the coach has our full support and that's surely all that matters here."
Schifcofske admitted it had been a "trying" week at training for Elliott but the coach had not spilled any of his frustration onto the players.
Elliott made five changes to his side that lost to the Roosters for Saturday night's home clash against the Panthers, the team he will coach next season.
"It's been tough for Matt, the past few days, as it has for all of us," Schifcofske said.
"But we're not hitting the panic button yet. It's not even round four yet."
We're the ones who failed fans Players take the heat off Elliott
Peter Fitzgerald
Thursday, 30 March 2006
Senior Canberra Raiders players have backed besieged coach Matt Elliott, saying it's the team members and not the coach that should take responsibility for the club's horror start to the 2006 NRL season. Captain Clinton Schifcofske and former skipper Simon Woolford both claimed comments this week from Canberra fans calling for club management to sack Elliott were "unjustified".
They also said axing the Penrith-bound coach would not result in better on-field performances.
Elliott has been under pressure since the Raiders lost 70-32 against the Newcastle Knights 11 days ago and 56-20 against the Sydney Roosters at Aussie Stadium on Sunday.
The losses were the worst and third-worst respectively in the club's 25-year existence.
Woolford, who has played with the Raiders for 13 seasons and under Elliott for the past five, expressed disappointment that it had been Elliott and not the players who had copped the majority of blame for the embarrassing losses.
"In some cases I think a coach copping sprays left, right and centre can be justified but in our case, it's not even close to justifiable," he said.
"We've certainly had the right plan heading into our past two matches to do the job and for parts of the game, that plan has worked.
"How can you blame the coach for the players not sticking to the plan long enough to win the game?"
In both of the past two games, Canberra has been in a position to at least be competitive against the opposition, if not win.
Against Newcastle, at Canberra Stadium, the Raiders trailed 12-8 midway through the first half and appeared well in the match before things went wrong.
And last weekend, against the Roosters, Canberra led 20-10 before capitulating and conceding 46 points in the final 29 minutes.
Woolford was disappointed with his and his teammates' efforts against the Roosters in a match he believed the side "simply should have won".
"We went into that game with a point to prove after what had happened against the Knights and we put ourselves into a position where we not only could have won but should have," he said.
"What happened in that last 30 minutes is not Matt Elliott's fault and I don't care what any punter thinks.
"I've taken more out of the comments [Raiders chairman John McIntyre] said about all the players needing to have a good hard look at themselves rather than a few fans saying Matty needs to be sacked."
Schifcofske agreed it was the 13 players on the field and four on the bench who were to blame.
"It's not the coach missing tackles, dropping the ball and losing concentration when we're under the pump," the captain said.
"The fans, they pay their money so I guess they can say what they like. All I know is the coach has our full support and that's surely all that matters here."
Schifcofske admitted it had been a "trying" week at training for Elliott but the coach had not spilled any of his frustration onto the players.
Elliott made five changes to his side that lost to the Roosters for Saturday night's home clash against the Panthers, the team he will coach next season.
"It's been tough for Matt, the past few days, as it has for all of us," Schifcofske said.
"But we're not hitting the panic button yet. It's not even round four yet."