The 'rebuilding' phase.

[Timbo]

Melbourne Storm:

Premiers 1999. (high)

6th, 9th, 10th 2000 - 2003. (low)

Premiers 2007

Key signings in period:

Finch, Cross, etc.

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

St. George-Illawarra Dragons:

Runners Up 1999. (high)

9th 2000
10th 2003
13th 2007 (low)

Currently equal 1st on ladder.

Key recent signings:

Sailor, Soward, Bennett, etc.

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

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

11th 2000
2nd

2001
Premiers 2004 (high)
12th 2005
Spoon 2008
2nd on table [current]

Key recent signings:

Kimmorley, Hannant, Morris

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

Wests Tigers

10th 2000
13th 2002/03 (low)
Premiers 2005 (high)

Key recent signings:

Ellis, Galloway

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

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

Premiers 1996 (high)
Left competition 2000, 2001, 2002
14th 2003
13th 2004
8th 2005
Runners Up 2007
Premiers 2008 (high)

Key recent signings:

Orford, Kite, Lyon

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

Now, I could continue, but I think you all know what I'm doing here, so without going through all of the other teams...

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

Canberra Raiders

Premiers 1994 (high)
Equal third 1995
Equal 3rd, 1997 (Super League)
Equal 6th, 2000 and 2003 (best result in unified competition since 1995)
14th - 2005, 2007 (low)
Presently 14th

Key recent signings:

Shillington, Harrison, Learoyd-Lahrs

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

Ok, so the point I'm driving at here...

Barring South Sydney, every single side in the NRL barring us has had a period of peaks and troughs. A few rough seasons here, a few great seasons there. Play well, get slapped by the cap, lose your stars and re-build. Play well and repeat.

We never seem to get out of that zone. 6th-14th. This is where we live. We're not re-building, management seems content with the sh*tty duplex in the bad suburb that we're living in at the moment.

Even when you look at the signings, all the other clubs have signed star players here or there...Except us.

When is it going to be our turn to leave this trough we've been in since, effectively, 1997?

 

[matt]

Hard to answer that Timbo,When??...I suppose when it wants to be.

 

[sydraider]

Expansion of the comp has crippled us more than any other team.

We need a coach of Bennett proportions if we are ever to hit the heights again.

 

[Russell Crowe's Band]

when are ya gunna win it again?

could be a very long time.

theres no accountability here. theres no media scrutiny in canberra about results at all. whos gunna start it? the ABC? Pfft. this is a small market team that has largely been pushed out of sight.

this has allowed the furners to take control with no real opposition buy anyone.

infact, they dont really have to try and win the comp. as long as the place keeps ticking over id say theyre perfectly happy.

 

[aussies1st]

when are ya gunna win it again?

could be a very long time.

theres no accountability here. theres no media scrutiny in canberra about results at all. whos gunna start it? the ABC? Pfft. this is a small market team that has largely been pushed out of sight.

this has allowed the furners to take control with no real opposition buy anyone.

infact, they dont really have to try and win the comp. as long as the place keeps ticking over id say theyre perfectly happy.

Sad but true, sums up the crap we will be putting up with for decades to come.

 

[Timbo]

We're destined to be mediocre untill there are massive front office changes.

Sad thing is, we've been like this for so long we're happy when we run 7th or 8th. Hell we were ecstatic running 6th last season.

No other club would put up with this, we shouldnt have to either.

 

[ME SO HORNBY!]

We're destined to be mediocre untill there are massive front office changes.

Sad thing is, we've been like this for so long we're happy when we run 7th or 8th. Hell we were ecstatic running 6th last season.

No other club would put up with this, we shouldnt have to either.

The dragons ran 7th last season and i know all dragons fans were VERY disappointed with last season. It shows the difference in culture between the two clubs. A shame really cos i really like the Raiders and their fans in comparison to other teams.

 

[Raidersrawesome]

We're destined to be mediocre untill there are massive front office changes.

Sad thing is, we've been like this for so long we're happy when we run 7th or 8th. Hell we were ecstatic running 6th last season.

No other club would put up with this, we shouldnt have to either.

last year was different from the others. we ran 6th with an injury toll that left us with barely a team to field. there was also the Carney and Goodwin sagas.
no other team would of made the semis with the adversity we had.
Thats what makes it more disappionting this year. relatively injury and incident free.

our record for making the top 8 , is up there with the best , but since 94 we have failed to go on with it , bar 2003 when we should of made the GF but thanks to Boogers we didnt.

 

[Timbo]

last year was different from the others. we ran 6th with an injury toll that left us with barely a team to field. there was also the Carney and Goodwin sagas.
no other team would of made the semis with the adversity we had.
Thats what makes it more disappionting this year. relatively injury and incident free.

our record for making the top 8 , is up there with the best , but since 94 we have failed to go on with it , bar 2003 when we should of made the GF but thanks to Boogers we didnt.

That is my problem!

People are so happy with the fact that we're constantly scraping into 7th or 8th place...Not good enough!

We've hosted three home semi's since Super League! How can anyone be happy with that???????

 

[matt]

Cultural reform Timbo.

The big broom.

 

[Hanscholo]

You need to go heavily into the market and buy a couple of outstanding players. Offload a heap of middle of the road players to do so...get the young guys coming thru mixing with them, and a couple of smaty buys and your on your way. The club has stagnated for too long...time for a shake up.

 

[Russell Crowe's Band]

i think its a canberra thing actually.

look at the brumbies.

they had the golden period, much like the raiders.

then they mucked about...hired a guy that looks like the paddle pop lion to coach the team. they miss the finals and are pretty mediocre. lost good players etc.

however. with a stroke of luck, a snak oil salesman was found out to be who he really was. the money disappeared and Giteau is back to canberra.

funny how luck works.

anyway, until there is a genuine accountability in this town about results..well then you'll get the same sh*t.