Raiders lose plot

[Bay56]

Well Penrith finished dead last in 2001, and what happened in 2003?

errr, .. thanks scoop ... :lol:

 

[greeneyed]

"Not a competition!" I cannot believe anyone doesn't recognise what the ARU is trying to do in Canberra. They are trying to strangle our club out of existence! I won't have anything to do with those people. I won't go to union, I won't watch it on TV at any level. I hope every game that the Brumbies and Wallabies lose. This is because they want to kill us off, no doubt...... I am surprised this isn't obvious to everyone....

 

[Bay56]

I'm not betting. I'm just saying we should go into every season with an open mind. Not confine ourselves to finishing near last for the best part of a decade.

Agree totally edabomb ... unfortunately an "open mind" aint necessarily going to result in success ... hey if we were all guarnateed that we'd have won every premiership since 1982 (in fact so would every other team :lol: :lol: )

Edabomb what I'm saying is that I think we are going to have a couple of lean years (2005,2006) before management even realises something is amis. Another season of management/coach shuffling (2007) and a couple yeras of REAL rebuilding (2008,2009) by which time we will be REAL premiership contenders.

Hey, I like you, hope this time frame can be compressed but I think the above is a realistic time frame for us.

 

[Kris_man]

- Who said that it's not a competition between Brumbies and Raiders?! Of course it's a competition, as greeneyed said.
- To guys like Walt Flanigan and 2004: why are you so scared to be critical?! I don't like it when people say "it's not the coaches fault, it's the players fault". Or maybe you think it's our fault, as fans, for being negative. How ridiculous. Any coach must be responsible for their team's performance. The only rational ways to defend a coach are to say 1) the team is not actually performing badly, or 2) the team is performing badly right now, but things will improve soon. I assume that you guys are thinking the latter. Well, if I can have my own two bobs worth, I don't think we will get much better this season, and I certainly can't see us making much impact in the finals. We couldn't even win a final last year, when we were playing well, so imagine how we'll go this year, if we do make it. As for next year, I think it's very possible that we'll go good again. If we still suck next year, or even if we're ordinary, then I'll say that it's time to go for Elliott.

 

[Bay56]

- If we still suck next year, or even if we're ordinary, then I'll say that it's time to go for Elliott.

Why wait for then krissy :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Kris_man]

- If we still suck next year, or even if we're ordinary, then I'll say that it's time to go for Elliott.

Why wait for then krissy :lol: :lol: :lol:

- because I think there's still hope. And it's not "krissy", that's a chick's name. would you call Kris Kahler "krissy'?

 

[Bay56]

- If we still suck next year, or even if we're ordinary, then I'll say that it's time to go for Elliott.

Why wait for then krissy :lol: :lol: :lol:

- because I think there's still hope. And it's not "krissy", that's a chick's name. would you call Kris Kahler "krissy'?

point taken kris ... I suppose as long as there is a heartbeat there is hope .... apologies about the gender stuff ... seems like I touched a raw one there

 

[thickos]

"Not a competition!" I cannot believe anyone doesn't recognise what the ARU is trying to do in Canberra. They are trying to strangle our club out of existence! I won't have anything to do with those people. I won't go to union, I won't watch it on TV at any level. I hope every game that the Brumbies and Wallabies lose. This is because they want to kill us off, no doubt...... I am surprised this isn't obvious to everyone....

Totally agree with you on this one greeneyed. They are scum. I don't have anything to do with them, CBF'ed even following how union is going in the papers. Canberra Stadium etc give them all the running with regards to scheduling, use of the venue for training... its all corporate backroom dealing and 'who you know'. Fact is they are a manufactured entity plonked down into the ACT at the request of the ARU to deal with surplus state players from NSW and QLD. Come the end of the S12 the players run back to their crappy NSW club teams to play in front of two men and a dog. The Raiders are the real deal.

 

[Bay56]

I agree with you guys re the Bumbies ... unfortunately my workplace is full of them ... I'm the only one of two that fly the flag for the Raiders ... it aint too great on a Monday morining having to take the cheap shots ... still I give as good as I get.

 

[skeepe]

I guess I'm in a bit of a different position to you guys in that I support both teams, Raiders since as long as I can remember and Brumbies since thier first game in 1996, as I was playing the sport at the time.

I also don't follow this "ARU are out to kill the Raiders" mentality. As a Brumbies fan, it's common knowledge that the ACTRU does not have one single voice on the ARU board. It's run entirely by Queensland and NSW. Surely if the ARU had set out to kill the Raiders with the Brumbies, they would give the ACT a spot on the board. In fact, the suspicion around rugby circles is that NSW and Queensland, through the ARU are in fact trying to kill ACT rugby and the Brumbies themselves. This is why union will never be the number one code, there is far too much factionalism and in-fighting.

If the ARU really wanted to kill off the Raiders, they would schedule more matches in Canberra. For example, every year both NSW and Queensland play tour matches against whatever nation is in the country to play against the Wallabies. The ACT do not have this. There are no Wallabies tests played in Canberra. Sure there were a couple of world cup games last year, and a solitary test match a few years ago, but that's it. If they want to kill us off, they're not trying very hard to prove that they have a better product.

thickos, of course Canberra Stadium gives them first pick on scheduling, they are the highest drawing and therefore most profitable tennant. That is something that, unfortunately, won't change until the Brumbies start losing.

Now, I'll always be Raiders first, Brumbies second, but I see no problem supporting both codes, and I believe they can co-exist in Canberra quite happily.

 

[Walt Flanigan]

I was only pointing out that alot of Canberrans (including myself) are perfectly happy to have both the Brumbies and the Raiders in Canberra. As a fan of both games it's win win situation, as I think it highly unlikely that one team will cause the demise of the other.

 

[twistedbydesign]

well said Walt.

I dont really understand all this Brumbies paranoia. Irrespective of anything else, the bottom line is if the Raiders win consistently they will get the crowds back, and similarly if the Brumbies struggle their crowds will drop off. The Raiders got back in the top 4 for the first time in years last season and their crowds shot up straight away.

Generally speaking people will watch what they want to watch, so stop burying your heads in the sand and blameing the Brumbies for everything because ultimately the raiders destiny is in their own hands.

 

[greeneyed]

I guess I'm in a bit of a different position to you guys in that I support both teams, Raiders since as long as I can remember and Brumbies since thier first game in 1996, as I was playing the sport at the time.

I also don't follow this "ARU are out to kill the Raiders" mentality. As a Brumbies fan, it's common knowledge that the ACTRU does not have one single voice on the ARU board. It's run entirely by Queensland and NSW. Surely if the ARU had set out to kill the Raiders with the Brumbies, they would give the ACT a spot on the board. In fact, the suspicion around rugby circles is that NSW and Queensland, through the ARU are in fact trying to kill ACT rugby and the Brumbies themselves. This is why union will never be the number one code, there is far too much factionalism and in-fighting.

If the ARU really wanted to kill off the Raiders, they would schedule more matches in Canberra. For example, every year both NSW and Queensland play tour matches against whatever nation is in the country to play against the Wallabies. The ACT do not have this. There are no Wallabies tests played in Canberra. Sure there were a couple of world cup games last year, and a solitary test match a few years ago, but that's it. If they want to kill us off, they're not trying very hard to prove that they have a better product.

thickos, of course Canberra Stadium gives them first pick on scheduling, they are the highest drawing and therefore most profitable tennant. That is something that, unfortunately, won't change until the Brumbies start losing.

Now, I'll always be Raiders first, Brumbies second, but I see no problem supporting both codes, and I believe they can co-exist in Canberra quite happily.

I am not particularly au fait with the structure of the Brumbies board and ACT rugby union machinations. But it seems to me that the Board structure you have described only underlines the point that it is a deliberate strategy of the ARU to take over the Canberra district for union.

These people have powerful corporate connections and we should not underestimate how ruthless they are. And they have been remarkably successful so far in building up a minority sport.... Super 12s and international Tests.... only a short while ago they would have trouble filling Ballymore or Concord Oval for such events, now they can sell out Telstra Stadium or Suncorp Stadium for top line clashes. Without John O'Neil I guess we will see if they remain so successful.

The ACT Brumbies have been given some matches against lower international teams. The bottom line, though, drives what they do with their international program, and the ARU knows that they can only sell 25,000 tickets in Canberra (probably a lot less given what they give away to corporate hospitality) compared to what they can do in Sydney/Brisbane and even Melbourne/Perth. For this reason alone, Canberra will not be given Wallaby Tests....

As to scheduling at Canberra Stadium, the Brumbies have long been given priority and did not reflect relative crowd drawing.... it reflected the fact that the ARU wanted the Stadium for particular dates and was able to tell them what precise dates they wanted for their whole Super 12 season. The NRL won't. The NRL only makes a schedule for 5 weeks ahead at any one time.

 

[ball boy]

the bottom line is people that go to the brumbies are.. Tinyboppers that go to walk around and try and pick up they dont have a clue whats going on in the footy.. and the other just go to get pissed i can rember a family friend going on about he was going to the rah rah and the only reason he was going was to get f**king wasted

 

[Walt Flanigan]

It's a shame people can only restrict themselves to following one sport. I am from Canberra, thus I support Canberra in every sport in which we have a team. My loyalty is with my home town. As for some your conspiracy theories Greeneyed, I find them ridiculous as you seem to have absolutely no idea about the Rugby Union side of things. Next you'll be acusing the Canberra Capitals of an espionage plot against the Raiders and involve the Bushrangers in a plot to take over Bruce Stadium.

 

[Steven Gerrard]

I think its good to watch different types of sports. But say The Brumbies, and The Raiders were playing at the same time, I'd be at the Raiders game for sure!

 

[paulquinn49]

I follow numerous sports including Footy... ah... ping pong and squash and womens tennis

 

[Walt Flanigan]

For sure 2004, I'm Raiders over the Brumbies. But I still enjoy watching the Brumbies.

 

[Steven Gerrard]

ONLY when they don't clash, I go watch the swans. 8)

 

[greeneyed]

They aren't conspiracy theories Walt. They are publicly stated goals... from the CEO of the ARU himself, to become the dominant code in the eastern states of Australia. They are open about it.