It's an awful piece of journalism, Bay56.
Lets take a look -
The Forgotten NRL Team: Canberra Raiders
January 25, 2008
It’s amost like Groundhog day every single year for the Canberra Raiders; limited playing talent and predictions they will collect the spoon before the NRL season starts. It’s easy to forget their previous glory days and just as easy to forget they were home to household names such as Ricky Stuart, Laurie Daley, Mal Meninga and a whole host of others.
How is it easy to forget the glory days? Ask 100 league fans who the greatest team of the 80s/90s was. I guarantee 80 of them will name the 89-94 Canberra Raiders, regardless of bias. Similarly, I'll bet 100% of them know exactly who Stuart, Daley and Meninga played for.
It's the weakest opening paragraph of all time. There's even a spelling mistake in the first line.
Some how the team they used to call the Green Machine became known as the Washing Machine, as they started getting beaten regularly and hung out to dry by opposition teams. Occasionally performing out of their skin, the Raiders through the likes of Simon Woolford, Ruben Wiki and Adam Mogg in recent times have had some impressive performances but it seems the Raiders supporters cannot expect any premierships in the short term future. In 2008, the same is expected of the Canberra Raiders - the odd good performance, followed by another season of just ‘competing’ with the big guns. While to their credit, they are rarely if ever ‘flogged’ - you simply can’t expect to continue to exist in today’s environment with consistently mediocre results.
Who the f**k calls us "the Washing Machine"? Is that a joke? Very funny.
Why can't we expect a premiership in the short term? Did this idiot turn the telly off during '03 and '05? If the Panthers and Tigers can take the title with those playing rosters then I think we have every right to expect success.
Did he watch season '07? I recall us getting "flogged" on numerous occasions. I also remember every other team bar Melbourne getting flogged too. What's his point?
Still producing some good young talent, the Raiders do possess some great players on their roster for 2008 - the likes of Todd Carney, Adrian Purtell and the hard working Alan Tounge - but on the back of dwindling crowd figures, rare off-season purchases and low confidence, it rarely seems as if the Raiders will become a consistent week to week powerhouse club.
Hang on. Didn't he say earlier that the Raiders have "limited playing talent"? Now all of a sudden we've got "some great players". However, I wouldn't classify Purtell as great.
Granted, crowd figures are down on 1994. Is there any club that has increased their average in the last decade? I think crowd figures are more a symptom of the game itself, not the Raiders.
I think we've bought well in the last couple of years, given our position in the market. But that's a whole other argument.
I'm not going to bother with the last bit of this paragraph. I can't get my head around his use of "rarely seems".
In modern day NRL, the salary cap ensures that all teams will suffer a ‘rebuilding phase’ at some stage, but surely the Raiders cannot remain in this mode permanently?
This bit's true. We are rebuilding. Just like every other team in the comp except Melbourne who seem to be able to keep the same team every year.
Ok so it might not be the most enticing spot in Australia to reside, but Canberra has the unique advantage of a graveyard style home stadium. Opposition teams always fear the cold, unwelcoming track at Bruce Stadium and the road trip to Canberra should be seen as a huge plus for the men in Green. Also on their side, the fact that they can tap into a large supporter base - the capital of Australia and a hometown craving winnings, the ingredients are there for success if the club wants to take hold of them.
This is the most lucid part of the article. I agree with everything here except "craving winnings". That doesn't make sense.
Oh, and Canberra's a great place to live. f**k him if he doesn't think it's "enticing".
For the Raiders to truly become a force, it will take some creative back office plays to start really building for the future.
True. I think management are well on the way.
Just like Souths have done, chase the corporate backing first and start improving current facilities to entice the top tier of players into your corner.
This doesn't even deserve rebuttal.
It takes some smart planning to get the snowball effect happening, if players won’t jump on board then maybe the Raiders should look at signing a big name coach in the future; one that will attract the big name NRL stars like bees to a honeypot.
Hmmm... maybe someone like the assistant QLD origin coach?
That is no reflection on Neil Henry, the impressive up and coming coach has seemingly done a wonderful job with what he has had to work with.
Yeah, it must be terrible coaching a Washing Machine with sub-standard facilities and limited playing talent.
Put simply, with every season that goes by the Canberra Raiders seem to slip more into the oblivion.
I disagree.
It’s a shame that such a once powerful club is struggling as the likes of new teams such as the Titans spring up quickly and become a force in a matter of months
.
It's also a shame that this bloke thinks the Titans are a force. It just serves to reinforce my opinion that he's got no idea.
If the Raiders don’t start thinking big soon, the only horse left in the town might be a Brumby.
And right on cue, he finishes with a Brumbies reference. Typical.
