As promised, here it is. Started in 2001, here is my account of the past season for the Raiders. I must admit this has been a tough one as it is the first season where we have dropped in performance compared to the last - so the mood is not great. Compared to my 2004 Preview where I was proclaiming the arrival of the Raiders as a force, this is an (unfortunately) sad picture on the disappointment of 2004.
I hope it provokes a bit of controversy and a fair bit of discussion. Tufnell and the good folk at raiders.com.au will have it up there with all the pretty pics and adornments as well.
Enjoy...
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Canberra Raiders 2004 Season Review
By thickos
In the end, the conclusion was fitting. Disposed of quickly, painfully, ruthlessly by the Sydney Roosters in week one of the finals series, the pinnacle of the NRL calendar that, in the end, we were lucky to squeak into in the first place. If 2003 was the year when the Canberra Raiders showed what they were capable of achieving, 2004 marked a return to the bad old days and it arrived with a thud.
Maybe the hype was too much. After all, the Green Machine was dubbed one of the contenders for the 2004 title in March the Daily Telegraph proclaimed us as The New Dark Horse after a 2003 season where we exceeded the Sydney medias opinion of us and the fact that very little had changed within our playing personnel. And given the steady improvement coming from the Raiders over the past few seasons from wooden-spoon material in 2001 to a top 4 contender only two years later, the expectations on the club were warranted. After years of underachieving the fans were hungry for success in 2004, and keen on the new breed to take us back to the top after ten long years of waiting. As mentioned in my season preview, it was time.
Sadly, for the tens of thousands of Raiders fans hanging on the fortunes of the team each and every week, season 2004 did not deliver the desired results on the field, plus it provided heartache off the field as many favourite sons left the nations capital.
So what went wrong??
Closing Out the Tough Ones
There were times this season where myself, and Im sure plenty of others, wished that a special rule was introduced where games involving the Raiders only went for 70 minutes. Too many times this year, in crucial situations, did a game plan that was going along swimmingly for the majority of the match, fall in a giant heap in the closing stages. Three stand out and all of them could have changed our season. As early as Round 2, the Raiders hosted the reigning premiers Penrith on a balmy Friday night and stuck it to them in what was a fierce contest with big hits and great attacking play from both sides. With the Raiders up 18-16 and looking for the killer blow, a Mark McLinden cut-out pass ended up in the arms of Amos Roberts. From there 5 tries were piled on in quick succession, and the chance to build early season momentum was gone.
The other two that got away were from the middle period of the season, a time when confidence was low after a string of cataclysmic losses. The Raiders ventured to Melbourne in Round 11, keen to avoid a 4th loss in succession, something that had not happened for 7 seasons. Against a team that Canberra had not defeated in their last three outings, the match looked in the bag thanks to a Joel Monaghan double and an 18-10 lead with five minutes to play. However the Raiders are the authors of the book How to lose a match in the final five minutes, and two late, heartbreaking Melbourne tries sunk the Raiders deeper into the mire. Similar events transpired across the Tasman against the (then) bottom-placed Warriors two bad refereeing calls followed by two late tries turned an 8 point lead into a 6 point loss. For morale, these losses were shattering, and they prevented any chance of the Raiders consolidating a top 8 position.
As Matthew Elliott said himself, during 2003 one of the secrets to our success was grinding out the close wins and not letting the opposition back into the contest. Winning only one of those games this season would have prevented us from having to negotiate the final round scrap for a finals place winning a few of them could have seen us challenge for a higher position. But this is all part of the learning curve, and it is a trait that the top teams have.
On the Road Again
Especially for the Sydney-based Raiders community, 2003 was somewhat of a dream; wins at Leichhardt, Penrith, Parramatta, Souths, Cronulla, Kogarah, Brookvale and the Showground and only two narrow, heartstopping losses to premiership heavyweights the Roosters and the Warriors. After years of inadequacy on the road, the Raiders were a travelling force again. Yet sadly 2004 saw a return to the 2002 form of good at home, shocking away, with only three wins chalked up outside of Bruce Stadium and only one of those in Sydney a narrow win over the Dragons on the opening weekend of the competition. While this was counteracted by our above average home form, it proved to be a great indicator of the teams inconsistency across the season. Too many times a strong home win was followed up by a shattering away loss the 36-22 drubbing at Brookvale springs to mind as possibly the worst effort of the season. For the Green Machine to return to the top, it is a matter of being able to claim points on their travel and be competitive in every fixture.
That said, it was ironic that the Raiders best performance of the season took place at The Cauldron a brilliant 21-14 victory over the high flying Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. It was a day to remember, as the Wiki-less Raiders rolled their more fancied opponents in a brilliant display of uncompromising football.
Sadly, it was one of too few performances like it across the season.
Pick a Turning Point, Any Turning Point
The funny thing is that it all started well enough. A solid win on the road against the Dragons, followed by a spirited showing against the reigning premiers and it seemed that the Raiders had picked up where they had finished last season. The club headed to Toyota Park in Round 6 in equal first position, and were expected to account for Cronulla with ease.
How wrong they were.
In a massive boilover, the understrength Sharks turned on a football lesson to humiliate the Raiders 38-24. The loss was bad, but the repercussions from it were devastating, with enforcer Ruben Wiki missing the next 5 matches due to a high tackle. Out of those 5 games Canberra dropped four of them, with the inspiration that Wiki provides sadly missing. Ruben ended up sitting out 8 games through suspension in 2004, meaning that the team line-up had little to no continuity throughout the year.
The return of Wiki seemed to lift his team-mates and after a month of disappointing performances, the team responded with a 48-22 pounding of the lowly Sea Eagles. The win lifted the team back to the fringe of the eight, and hopefully, it was to be the win that kick-started their campaign. Yet against the odds, the Warriors ended a week of turmoil by snatching a dramatic victory from Canberra, and a chance to climb the ladder was lost.
The pattern is evident and repeats itself throughout the rest of 2004 - a tremendous win against the Broncos and a run of good form comes to an abrupt end with a 42-8 thrashing by Penrith; a golden-point heartstopper against the Warriors is followed by 4 straight losses two of which were to lowly Newcastle and Manly. Each and every time an opportunity was there to turn the season around, the Raiders fell back into bad habits. The result anchored to the middle of the table, with the top teams pulling away.
It was simply not to be.
Half the Problem Again?
In my Season Preview, I proclaimed that the answer to our halves drama that has plagued us since Ricky Stuart departed was over Mark McLinden was the man to take us to our next premiership. He may well be, but 2004 was a clear indication that the major problem that this team faces is in the 6 and 7 jerseys.
McLinden was hailed as the saviour yet his form deteriorated so badly that he was benched for the last four games of the season. Brad Drew was brought down from Parramatta to wear the #7 yet injury and poor form meant he spent the majority of the back half of the season in the stands or in Premier League. Jason Croker did his job admirably in the five-eighth role, yet was there mainly for defensive purposes and did not generate much attack, while Matt Gafa tried his hardest. Todd Carney and Terry Campese were given a short go, but at their tender ages could not be expected to carry the first grade team.
It was clear; there was a crisis in the halves again.
The problem manifested itself most noticeably when the Raiders were deep in attack inside the opposition 20. Unlike the top teams, the Raiders struggled for coherence and structure in attack, with many tries coming through individual brilliance rather than great lead up play. While it sufficed against the lower teams, the Raiders were found wanting against the premiership heavyweights.
The team did know how to attack however, with a blistering 62 points coming on the back of some scintillating tries against South Sydney. But this was the exception not the rule in 2004, with the inability to score points leading to costly losses throughout the season.
2005 brings some optimism however, with the likely blooding of rookie half Todd Carney, who earned NSW Rep Honours this season. Signed until 2008, he is likely to become the focal point of our attack along with new signing Jason Smith so hopefully we should have more attacking options in the near future.
Time to Say Goodbye
Has there been a more tumultuous weekend for the Canberra Raiders than the Round 18 fixture this season against the Cowboys? For those of us who made the trek to the game, all the talk prior, and all the talk after, was not about the football it was about the apparent player crisis.
It had kicked off on the Friday, when club legend Ruben Wiki announced he was departing the club for a three-year contract with the New Zealand Warriors. While it was gutting to see The Muss leave, there were personal issues entangled within the decision, and after all of the loyalty Ruben had shown us over the years, not one Raiders fan begrudged his choice. But there will be no replacing Ruben Wiki.
More of a surprise was the sudden, unexpected release of Luke Davico to English powerhouse Wigan on the Saturday. With a year still to run on his contract and with no real intention of departing, Wigans offer and Statues release came out of the blue. Another experienced campaigner gone, another massive hole to fill.
And then there was Joel. Joel Monaghan, the tryscoring machine, the local junior, the hottest property on the market. It seemed like it was a done deal months beforehand Ive spent the first 22 years of my life and I plan on spending the next 22 here. But as offers from Manly and the Roosters came in, and contract negotiations became more and more drawn out, the chances of retaining Monaghan became slimmer and slimmer. E-mails and petitions urging Joel to stay in Canberra came rolling in to Raiders HQ, but that Sunday, 48 hours after two Raiders legends said goodbye, a future star also said farewell.
For Raiders fans across the country this was a difficult period, with questions being raised over the recruitment/retention policy being adopted by Raiders management. For all these big names to depart and being replaced by older players in Matt Adamson and Jason Smith for 1-year deals, it was hard to see what future direction the club was taking beyond 2005.
Thankfully, a host of exciting youngsters were snapped up, with the likes of Jermaine Ale, the Howell brothers, Craig Frawley, Bronx Goodwin and Damien Alley-Tovio sure to provide excitement for the Green Machine in the future. It has been great to see management adopt a youth-oriented policy over recent months, with the possibility of bringing Lincoln Withers home as well. But 2004 has not been an easy year for Raiders fans so accustomed to seeing Wiki and Davico rip into the opposition they will be sorely missed.
The Future Looks Bright
The one overwhelming positive out of 2004 is the form of the kids that are going to take us through the next few years. At the time of writing, the Raiders Premier League side is on track for back to back titles, despite a fair turnover in playing talent. What is most exciting is that 11 members of that team now have first grade experience, and all of them will be called upon to step up in 2005.
It was great to see players like Marshall Chalk, Nathan Smith, Todd Carney, Josh Miller, Kris Kahler, Alan Rothery and others acquit themselves in first grade as well as they regularly do in Premier League. In Chalk and Smith the Raiders have unearthed two gems on the wings, while the glut of great young forwards coming through will attempt to fill the void left by our departing stars. Similarly, one player who made his debut last year, Michael Weyman, looks to be the hottest front-row prospect in the game today and will be a key component of the engine room in the future. As for Todd Carney, the sky is the limit.
In 2003 as the Raiders bowed out of the finals race in dramatic circumstances and fellow bolter Penrith won the premiership, it was a case of what might have been. This season also gives me the same feelings, but under different circumstances. 2004 could have been the year where the Raiders gave the competition an almighty shake, but a variety of events, as well as poor, inconsistent form, led to an unexpected, disappointing ending.
Canberra fans are an expectant lot. It has been 10 long years since our last triumph and we are ready to see our team climb to the top of the mountain again. 2004 has been a disappointment, but for some reason I feel 2005 will be a new dawn for the Raiders. I for one cant wait for the new season, with the new Green Machine hopefully proving the pundits wrong once again.
Success is long overdue.
-----------------------------------------------
I hope it provokes a bit of controversy and a fair bit of discussion. Tufnell and the good folk at raiders.com.au will have it up there with all the pretty pics and adornments as well.
Enjoy...
-----------------------------------------------------------
Canberra Raiders 2004 Season Review
By thickos
In the end, the conclusion was fitting. Disposed of quickly, painfully, ruthlessly by the Sydney Roosters in week one of the finals series, the pinnacle of the NRL calendar that, in the end, we were lucky to squeak into in the first place. If 2003 was the year when the Canberra Raiders showed what they were capable of achieving, 2004 marked a return to the bad old days and it arrived with a thud.
Maybe the hype was too much. After all, the Green Machine was dubbed one of the contenders for the 2004 title in March the Daily Telegraph proclaimed us as The New Dark Horse after a 2003 season where we exceeded the Sydney medias opinion of us and the fact that very little had changed within our playing personnel. And given the steady improvement coming from the Raiders over the past few seasons from wooden-spoon material in 2001 to a top 4 contender only two years later, the expectations on the club were warranted. After years of underachieving the fans were hungry for success in 2004, and keen on the new breed to take us back to the top after ten long years of waiting. As mentioned in my season preview, it was time.
Sadly, for the tens of thousands of Raiders fans hanging on the fortunes of the team each and every week, season 2004 did not deliver the desired results on the field, plus it provided heartache off the field as many favourite sons left the nations capital.
So what went wrong??
Closing Out the Tough Ones
There were times this season where myself, and Im sure plenty of others, wished that a special rule was introduced where games involving the Raiders only went for 70 minutes. Too many times this year, in crucial situations, did a game plan that was going along swimmingly for the majority of the match, fall in a giant heap in the closing stages. Three stand out and all of them could have changed our season. As early as Round 2, the Raiders hosted the reigning premiers Penrith on a balmy Friday night and stuck it to them in what was a fierce contest with big hits and great attacking play from both sides. With the Raiders up 18-16 and looking for the killer blow, a Mark McLinden cut-out pass ended up in the arms of Amos Roberts. From there 5 tries were piled on in quick succession, and the chance to build early season momentum was gone.
The other two that got away were from the middle period of the season, a time when confidence was low after a string of cataclysmic losses. The Raiders ventured to Melbourne in Round 11, keen to avoid a 4th loss in succession, something that had not happened for 7 seasons. Against a team that Canberra had not defeated in their last three outings, the match looked in the bag thanks to a Joel Monaghan double and an 18-10 lead with five minutes to play. However the Raiders are the authors of the book How to lose a match in the final five minutes, and two late, heartbreaking Melbourne tries sunk the Raiders deeper into the mire. Similar events transpired across the Tasman against the (then) bottom-placed Warriors two bad refereeing calls followed by two late tries turned an 8 point lead into a 6 point loss. For morale, these losses were shattering, and they prevented any chance of the Raiders consolidating a top 8 position.
As Matthew Elliott said himself, during 2003 one of the secrets to our success was grinding out the close wins and not letting the opposition back into the contest. Winning only one of those games this season would have prevented us from having to negotiate the final round scrap for a finals place winning a few of them could have seen us challenge for a higher position. But this is all part of the learning curve, and it is a trait that the top teams have.
On the Road Again
Especially for the Sydney-based Raiders community, 2003 was somewhat of a dream; wins at Leichhardt, Penrith, Parramatta, Souths, Cronulla, Kogarah, Brookvale and the Showground and only two narrow, heartstopping losses to premiership heavyweights the Roosters and the Warriors. After years of inadequacy on the road, the Raiders were a travelling force again. Yet sadly 2004 saw a return to the 2002 form of good at home, shocking away, with only three wins chalked up outside of Bruce Stadium and only one of those in Sydney a narrow win over the Dragons on the opening weekend of the competition. While this was counteracted by our above average home form, it proved to be a great indicator of the teams inconsistency across the season. Too many times a strong home win was followed up by a shattering away loss the 36-22 drubbing at Brookvale springs to mind as possibly the worst effort of the season. For the Green Machine to return to the top, it is a matter of being able to claim points on their travel and be competitive in every fixture.
That said, it was ironic that the Raiders best performance of the season took place at The Cauldron a brilliant 21-14 victory over the high flying Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. It was a day to remember, as the Wiki-less Raiders rolled their more fancied opponents in a brilliant display of uncompromising football.
Sadly, it was one of too few performances like it across the season.
Pick a Turning Point, Any Turning Point
The funny thing is that it all started well enough. A solid win on the road against the Dragons, followed by a spirited showing against the reigning premiers and it seemed that the Raiders had picked up where they had finished last season. The club headed to Toyota Park in Round 6 in equal first position, and were expected to account for Cronulla with ease.
How wrong they were.
In a massive boilover, the understrength Sharks turned on a football lesson to humiliate the Raiders 38-24. The loss was bad, but the repercussions from it were devastating, with enforcer Ruben Wiki missing the next 5 matches due to a high tackle. Out of those 5 games Canberra dropped four of them, with the inspiration that Wiki provides sadly missing. Ruben ended up sitting out 8 games through suspension in 2004, meaning that the team line-up had little to no continuity throughout the year.
The return of Wiki seemed to lift his team-mates and after a month of disappointing performances, the team responded with a 48-22 pounding of the lowly Sea Eagles. The win lifted the team back to the fringe of the eight, and hopefully, it was to be the win that kick-started their campaign. Yet against the odds, the Warriors ended a week of turmoil by snatching a dramatic victory from Canberra, and a chance to climb the ladder was lost.
The pattern is evident and repeats itself throughout the rest of 2004 - a tremendous win against the Broncos and a run of good form comes to an abrupt end with a 42-8 thrashing by Penrith; a golden-point heartstopper against the Warriors is followed by 4 straight losses two of which were to lowly Newcastle and Manly. Each and every time an opportunity was there to turn the season around, the Raiders fell back into bad habits. The result anchored to the middle of the table, with the top teams pulling away.
It was simply not to be.
Half the Problem Again?
In my Season Preview, I proclaimed that the answer to our halves drama that has plagued us since Ricky Stuart departed was over Mark McLinden was the man to take us to our next premiership. He may well be, but 2004 was a clear indication that the major problem that this team faces is in the 6 and 7 jerseys.
McLinden was hailed as the saviour yet his form deteriorated so badly that he was benched for the last four games of the season. Brad Drew was brought down from Parramatta to wear the #7 yet injury and poor form meant he spent the majority of the back half of the season in the stands or in Premier League. Jason Croker did his job admirably in the five-eighth role, yet was there mainly for defensive purposes and did not generate much attack, while Matt Gafa tried his hardest. Todd Carney and Terry Campese were given a short go, but at their tender ages could not be expected to carry the first grade team.
It was clear; there was a crisis in the halves again.
The problem manifested itself most noticeably when the Raiders were deep in attack inside the opposition 20. Unlike the top teams, the Raiders struggled for coherence and structure in attack, with many tries coming through individual brilliance rather than great lead up play. While it sufficed against the lower teams, the Raiders were found wanting against the premiership heavyweights.
The team did know how to attack however, with a blistering 62 points coming on the back of some scintillating tries against South Sydney. But this was the exception not the rule in 2004, with the inability to score points leading to costly losses throughout the season.
2005 brings some optimism however, with the likely blooding of rookie half Todd Carney, who earned NSW Rep Honours this season. Signed until 2008, he is likely to become the focal point of our attack along with new signing Jason Smith so hopefully we should have more attacking options in the near future.
Time to Say Goodbye
Has there been a more tumultuous weekend for the Canberra Raiders than the Round 18 fixture this season against the Cowboys? For those of us who made the trek to the game, all the talk prior, and all the talk after, was not about the football it was about the apparent player crisis.
It had kicked off on the Friday, when club legend Ruben Wiki announced he was departing the club for a three-year contract with the New Zealand Warriors. While it was gutting to see The Muss leave, there were personal issues entangled within the decision, and after all of the loyalty Ruben had shown us over the years, not one Raiders fan begrudged his choice. But there will be no replacing Ruben Wiki.
More of a surprise was the sudden, unexpected release of Luke Davico to English powerhouse Wigan on the Saturday. With a year still to run on his contract and with no real intention of departing, Wigans offer and Statues release came out of the blue. Another experienced campaigner gone, another massive hole to fill.
And then there was Joel. Joel Monaghan, the tryscoring machine, the local junior, the hottest property on the market. It seemed like it was a done deal months beforehand Ive spent the first 22 years of my life and I plan on spending the next 22 here. But as offers from Manly and the Roosters came in, and contract negotiations became more and more drawn out, the chances of retaining Monaghan became slimmer and slimmer. E-mails and petitions urging Joel to stay in Canberra came rolling in to Raiders HQ, but that Sunday, 48 hours after two Raiders legends said goodbye, a future star also said farewell.
For Raiders fans across the country this was a difficult period, with questions being raised over the recruitment/retention policy being adopted by Raiders management. For all these big names to depart and being replaced by older players in Matt Adamson and Jason Smith for 1-year deals, it was hard to see what future direction the club was taking beyond 2005.
Thankfully, a host of exciting youngsters were snapped up, with the likes of Jermaine Ale, the Howell brothers, Craig Frawley, Bronx Goodwin and Damien Alley-Tovio sure to provide excitement for the Green Machine in the future. It has been great to see management adopt a youth-oriented policy over recent months, with the possibility of bringing Lincoln Withers home as well. But 2004 has not been an easy year for Raiders fans so accustomed to seeing Wiki and Davico rip into the opposition they will be sorely missed.
The Future Looks Bright
The one overwhelming positive out of 2004 is the form of the kids that are going to take us through the next few years. At the time of writing, the Raiders Premier League side is on track for back to back titles, despite a fair turnover in playing talent. What is most exciting is that 11 members of that team now have first grade experience, and all of them will be called upon to step up in 2005.
It was great to see players like Marshall Chalk, Nathan Smith, Todd Carney, Josh Miller, Kris Kahler, Alan Rothery and others acquit themselves in first grade as well as they regularly do in Premier League. In Chalk and Smith the Raiders have unearthed two gems on the wings, while the glut of great young forwards coming through will attempt to fill the void left by our departing stars. Similarly, one player who made his debut last year, Michael Weyman, looks to be the hottest front-row prospect in the game today and will be a key component of the engine room in the future. As for Todd Carney, the sky is the limit.
In 2003 as the Raiders bowed out of the finals race in dramatic circumstances and fellow bolter Penrith won the premiership, it was a case of what might have been. This season also gives me the same feelings, but under different circumstances. 2004 could have been the year where the Raiders gave the competition an almighty shake, but a variety of events, as well as poor, inconsistent form, led to an unexpected, disappointing ending.
Canberra fans are an expectant lot. It has been 10 long years since our last triumph and we are ready to see our team climb to the top of the mountain again. 2004 has been a disappointment, but for some reason I feel 2005 will be a new dawn for the Raiders. I for one cant wait for the new season, with the new Green Machine hopefully proving the pundits wrong once again.
Success is long overdue.
-----------------------------------------------
