Raiders lose plot

[jed]

from the Daily Tele http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1264&storyid=1726444

Raiders lose plot

By JAMES HOOPER
COMMENT

August 5, 2004

THE cold weather in Canberra must have frozen Raiders officials into thinking they were still living in a glorious era long past.

How else can executives at the club explain a recruitment policy which involves signing ageing veterans Jason Smith and Matt Adamson out of the English Super League?

There is no questioning the pair were once quality performers in the NRL, but to suggest they are a way for the Raiders to improve next season is laughable.

Players who head to the north of England over the age of 30 are generally regarded as past their use-by date in the NRL and looking for an easy retirement fund.

Bringing them back to try and move forward is akin to backing every horse in the Melbourne Cup so you don't miss the winner.

It smacks of desperation over a recruitment and retention policy gone horribly wrong over the past three months.

Smith will be 33 next season. Adamson will be 32.

Instead of investing $250,000 on a player like Smith, who has a history of injuries and is renowned as being an individual rather than a team player, the Raiders should concentrate on spending for the future.

What someone in Canberra management must raise their hand and admit to is the fact the rebuilding process currently in place has failed.

The departure of Joel Monaghan to the Sydney Roosters for less money than he was offered to remain with Canberra illustrates the state of affairs in the national capital.

Why Monaghan was allowed to go on the open market will remain one of the great rugby league mysteries.

The Raiders had all summer to lock him up long-term.

Add to the loss of Monaghan experienced stars Ruben Wiki, Luke Davico and Brad Drew and clearly the Raiders' plan to develop into a premiership force again has unravelled.

It started to go pear-shaped with the decision not to add a single player to the team which finished fifth in 2003.

While every club except Newcastle went shopping, the Raiders decided to sit tight.

They've been watching the rest of the top teams rush past them ever since.

At least the Raiders have started to move in the right direction with the signings of Craig Frawley, David Howell, Michael Howell, Bronx Goodwin, Jermaine Ale and Damon Alley-Tovio.

The re-signings of Todd Carney, Alan Rothery, Nathan Smith, Beau Mundine and Kris Kahler are also a positive step.

Perhaps once the weather warms up in Canberra over the coming months the officials might thaw out in time to come up with a new plan for next season.

 

[Prodigiousman]

I saw that, and couldn't believe Hooper wrote it. He's one of the few scribes that is worth listening to at times...

To be honest Jed, why did you bother posting it - it's sensationalism at it's best that does no Raider fan any good reading it. He talks down our recruitment complaining we have no youth kick - then our plethora of young signings gets barely a paragraph at the end.

I know I'm opinion based 90% of the time I post but I get frustrated when you read an article in the paper that is 'supposed' to be reporting on something and is instead one blokes views. I reckon analysis and opinion is a great read 90% of the time in papers but when you contridict yourself like Hooper does here... well I say get back on the beat run James.

 

[Steven Gerrard]

Is James Hooper Bay56? :lol:

 

[RaidersMalt]

Add to the loss of Monaghan experienced stars Ruben Wiki, Luke Davico and Brad Drew and clearly the Raiders' plan to develop into a premiership force again has unravelled.

Implying that Brad Drew is an "experienced star" just destroys any credability this article had.

The fact is that no one knows if bringing back these former NRL stars will work or not, I guess time will tell. This time next year we will either be singing Management's praises for a brilliant move, or calling for their heads (again).

 

[lotm]

Bringing them back to try and move forward is akin to backing every horse in the Melbourne Cup so you don't miss the winner.

he tried to invent a clever, insightful smilie, but failed dismally. so much for good journalism.

the Raiders should concentrate on spending for the future

we'll come back to this one later, shall we?

The departure of Joel Monaghan to the Sydney Roosters for less money than he was offered to remain with Canberra illustrates the state of affairs in the national capital

ah - using the ever-reliable sydney roosters as a source for this info, huh?

The Raiders had all summer to lock him up long-term

and we began negotiations with him in february. can management be blamed if he's a disloyal liar?

Add to the loss of Monaghan experienced stars Ruben Wiki, Luke Davico and Brad Drew and clearly the Raiders' plan to develop into a premiership force again has unravelled

oh yeah ... brad drew ... huge loss there. it's clear he doesn't watch many raiders matches (or atleast the ones featuring drew). he criticises the loss of experienced players, but also criticises the signing of experienced players. go fig.

It started to go pear-shaped with the decision not to add a single player to the team which finished fifth in 2003

admittedly, that was a mistake. we realise that and have tried to rectify it for next year.

At least the Raiders have started to move in the right direction with the signings of Craig Frawley, David Howell, Michael Howell, Bronx Goodwin, Jermaine Ale and Damon Alley-Tovio.

The re-signings of Todd Carney, Alan Rothery, Nathan Smith, Beau Mundine and Kris Kahler are also a positive step

now back to the above quote about spending for the future. it's good to see he contradicts himself so often. it spares me the time to contradict him myself.

what's he criticising, again?

 

[Raider Azz]

I hate the Sydney media.

 

[Livebynight]

That was a very stupid article.
Slamming the raiders about buying two old players an no youth then mentioning the youth right at the end.

He could of at least tried a bluff on stupid readers and not mentioned the youth at all. All the article did was display to the public how much of a moron he is.

 

[Bay56]

Is James Hooper Bay56? :lol:

Ha ha .. good one R_2004 ..... nah he's not, not even a relative, wouldnt know him from a bar of sopap, no connectons at all.

Yea, why post this artilcal jed ... c'mon mate it's just sensationalism, pure sensationalism, nuthin more, the guy obviously has an axe to grind with the Raiders

 

[Bay56]

I hate the Sydney media.

Why :?: :?:

 

[thickos]

Here's the letter I just sent the DT and James Hooper regarding that 'article':

---------------------------------------------------

Nice article there Mr Hooper. Good to see you partake in negative journalism at its best.

Despite barely ever getting a mention in your paper, for some reason I end up flicking through it to see what gets dished up this time. Forget about the good news stories, or facts... that kind of stuff never sells papers. The Raiders have had an ordinary time of late, on the field and in contact negotiations.... so lets kick them while they're down!

All Raiders fans wanted to see Joel Monaghan retained. The fact that it didn't happen is a shame but life goes on. What i found incredulous however was the fact that you cited his departure 'for less money' as a sign of the impending crisis down in the nations capital. Who do you use as your 'sources'? The ever-reliable Sydney Roosters media releases, who have come up with such gems like 'Shannon Hegarty will not be released' and 'Peter Cusack is a salary cap victim'? Or maybe the pathetic 'spies' that Rebecca Wilson uses in that garbage gossip piece she masquerades as a column every Sunday?

If you'd spoken to the players, or members of the club, you'd be surprised to hear that rumours abound that the Roosters' offer was not the smallest, but in fact the largest by quite a way. Third-party sponsorships are magical when it comes to that. How about that for a story? No... far easier to pin the blame on the Raiders. Write a story on how Ricky Stuart, Phil Gould et al use their position and influence regarding NSW Origin positions on attracting new players to the Chooks and then I will sit up and take notice.

Yes, signing Smith and Adamson is a gamble. Yes, it may not work. But both are Origin and test players. If any other club had signed them your paper would be doing cartwheels over what a coup it was. Not the Raiders though. Anyway, the proof will be in the pudding come the end of 2005. Buying two experienced players to help develop the incredible crop of talent coming through in Canberra may be one of the smartest things we've ever done. But nice work with the predictions one year out. No one rated us in 2003 and look what we did.

If you want something interesting to write about, how about talking about the form of our 'teen tyro' Michael Weyman. Or more importantly, about how the Raiders are planning to celebrate the contribution of Indigenous Australians in Rugby League with a 'Reconciliation Day' match against the Roosters in Round 24. The Raiders are wearing special 'Aboriginal' jerseys that day, and are giving up the lime green colours for the first time. What a great initiative, one that has not even been picked up by your mob as a 'feel good' story. Like I said, far easier to drag the Raiders through the mud. Thats what sells papers after all.

If you have nothing useful to say about us, don't say anything. Go back to your Sydney-centric view of the world and let the Raiders go about their business without ill-informed opinions such as yours clouding the public's judgement.

 

[GreenGuy]

Just when i thought the Sydney media was imroving on its anti-Raiders stance...

I do agree with this comment though...

It started to go pear-shaped with the decision not to add a single player to the team which finished fifth in 2003.

 

[I Bleed Green]

I couldn't have said it better myself thickos. Well done mate.

10 bucks says you won't get a reply.

 

[GreenGuy]

BTW nice work thickos

Keep us posted if HOOPS decides to shoot you back a reply

 

[jed]

Here's the letter I just sent the DT and James Hooper regarding that 'article':

---------------------------------------------------

Nice article there Mr Hooper. Good to see you partake in negative journalism at its best.

Despite barely ever getting a mention in your paper, for some reason I end up flicking through it to see what gets dished up this time. Forget about the good news stories, or facts... that kind of stuff never sells papers. The Raiders have had an ordinary time of late, on the field and in contact negotiations.... so lets kick them while they're down!

All Raiders fans wanted to see Joel Monaghan retained. The fact that it didn't happen is a shame but life goes on. What i found incredulous however was the fact that you cited his departure 'for less money' as a sign of the impending crisis down in the nations capital. Who do you use as your 'sources'? The ever-reliable Sydney Roosters media releases, who have come up with such gems like 'Shannon Hegarty will not be released' and 'Peter Cusack is a salary cap victim'? Or maybe the pathetic 'spies' that Rebecca Wilson uses in that garbage gossip piece she masquerades as a column every Sunday?

If you'd spoken to the players, or members of the club, you'd be surprised to hear that rumours abound that the Roosters' offer was not the smallest, but in fact the largest by quite a way. Third-party sponsorships are magical when it comes to that. How about that for a story? No... far easier to pin the blame on the Raiders. Write a story on how Ricky Stuart, Phil Gould et al use their position and influence regarding NSW Origin positions on attracting new players to the Chooks and then I will sit up and take notice.

Yes, signing Smith and Adamson is a gamble. Yes, it may not work. But both are Origin and test players. If any other club had signed them your paper would be doing cartwheels over what a coup it was. Not the Raiders though. Anyway, the proof will be in the pudding come the end of 2005. Buying two experienced players to help develop the incredible crop of talent coming through in Canberra may be one of the smartest things we've ever done. But nice work with the predictions one year out. No one rated us in 2003 and look what we did.

If you want something interesting to write about, how about talking about the form of our 'teen tyro' Michael Weyman. Or more importantly, about how the Raiders are planning to celebrate the contribution of Indigenous Australians in Rugby League with a 'Reconciliation Day' match against the Roosters in Round 24. The Raiders are wearing special 'Aboriginal' jerseys that day, and are giving up the lime green colours for the first time. What a great initiative, one that has not even been picked up by your mob as a 'feel good' story. Like I said, far easier to drag the Raiders through the mud. Thats what sells papers after all.

If you have nothing useful to say about us, don't say anything. Go back to your Sydney-centric view of the world and let the Raiders go about their business without ill-informed opinions such as yours clouding the public's judgement.

Nothing I can say will add any more value to what you've written.

 

[Kris_man]

- James Hooper is right. And did we really pay 250K for J Smith?!?!

 

[I Bleed Green]

How did I know you'd agree with Hooper..... #-o

 

[Kris_man]

- Maybe because I'm from Sydney. Or maybe because you know that I'm disssatisfied with our current state of affairs.

 

[thickos]

thanks for the support guys. But do you honestly believe they will reply? Of course not - because what I wrote doesn't fit their agenda. :roll:

 

[Tidus_Raider]

WTF is Damon Alley-Tovio? :-k

 

[I Bleed Green]

Souths lower grader who is apparently very good, but I haven't heard much about him.