Your 2004 Highlights and Lowlights.

[thickos]

Well the season is almost at an end, so I thought it time to reflect? We all acknowledge its been a poor year, but there has been a few bright points. What are yours?

For mine, the best win by a mile was the Broncos victory. That was a win straight from 2003 - built on pure G&D, great defence and taking our chances. Everyone played well that day, Marty put on a show. I thought it was going to be the win that turned our season around...

Another highlight, despite the last 10 mins, was the super effort vs Penrith in Rd 2 on Friday night. Geez we pounded the crap out of them for MOST of that match, some bell-ringers and we played tough, uncompromising footy. I remember discussing with burley_griffin that after our Rd 1 win @ Kogarah and our good showing against Penrith that 'no one is gonna touch us this season'... how wrong we were...

Some player highlights for me have been the return of Matty Gafa to the fold after 7 years - he must be pinching himself. And he's playing great footy. Kudos to Mick Hodgson as well, before his bad luck with injury he was a pillar of strength and carried us well in Rubes' absence. He is a top first grader now.

Lowlights.... there are just too many. I've attended too many insipid performances for my liking - Sharks, Roosters, Panthers, Manly... and seen to many other ordinary efforts on TV. We just have not got it together.

There is no denying the 'player crisis' has killed the back-end of our season... 1 golden point win from our 6 games since Joel capped off the worst weekend in a long time with the 'triple whammy'. But it was Ruben's departure which hurt the most - you can't replace gentlemen like him. He is one of a kind.

What memories do you take from 2004?

 

[Raider_69]

Highlights? what are these "highs" you speak of?
Besides that game against the broncos i cant think of any

Lows? well where do i start
i will remember season 04 as the only one that i can think of that was destoryed in a single 10 minute period

 

[Montz]

High: Wining against the Warriors in Extra time.
Low: Losing Joel, to the roosters losing Ruben - playing against him, losing Davico a year early and Drew not giving a toss.

 

[Raider_69]

Drew not giving a toss.

amen, that was the most pathetic thing ive seen from anyone in a raiders jersy, certainlly knocked Mullo on macca off the perch

 

[I Bleed Green]

I agree, although I have to say the last two weeks he's played much better. I have to give him some credit for coming back after his woeful performance against the Warriors.

For me the best three games this season were -- in order -- the Broncos, Roosters and Bulldogs. Even though we lost the last two of those aforementioned, we stuck it to the competition heavyweights and it's really sad to think that we play our best footy against the best teams, especially since we should be caning the lower opposition, which we've only done once this year (Manly round 1),

Lowlights? I'd rather not as I do need sleep tonight...

 

[paulquinn49]

Highlights - St George and Brisbane. Both Away. Also Newtown beating us in PL was a good match.


Low - The rest

 

[Steven Gerrard]

Highlight: Campeses Debut, Warriors etc time win, Debut of a new Alternate strip.

Lowlight: Thrashing at Penrith Stadium and at Manly.....

 

[SOULS 04]

Highlight: Brisbane game for sure

Lowlights: Manly a win there prolly would have put us in the eight for sure and we stuffed it hard

bring on 2005
ahh well a summer of the beach for me

 

[Kris_man]

Highlights (in order): 1)the return of Phil Graham against the Bulldogs. proved to all of us that he's still got it. in fact, i don't think he ever lost it. 2)i loved what i saw of toddy carney, especially the game against the tigers at bruce. 3)win against the broncos (would probably have been higher, but i couldn't watch the game live) 4)michael weyman and ben cross stepping up as quality first graders.

Lowlights (in order): 1)the 4 mtach losing streak from rounds 21-24. just one win out of those games would have almost certainly seen us into the finals, and i hate not being a part of september. 2)the loss of the "big three". i still haven't got over it (apart from joel, i'm over him) 3)the panthers game in round 2. we looked so good and played so well, but couldn't win. it was a friday night game on channel 9, to beat the premiers would have been awesome. but they ended up flogging us. 4)mclinden's failure to be a consistent first grade halfback.

 

[Bobby DIGital]

Highlights - Weyman & Carney

Lowlights - The Rest

 

[mike83au]

Highlight - Broncos @ ANZ, Weyman

Lowlight - Too many matches to pick from, so J.Monaghan (what happened there???) & Weyman.

 

[thickos]

Highlight - Broncos @ ANZ, Weyman

Lowlight - Too many matches to pick from, so J.Monaghan (what happened there???) & Weyman.

I'm assuming Weyman's injury was the lowlight, not his form? :?

 

[Raider Ultra]

Highlight: Win up at Brisbane, performance against Dogs, winning in extra time against the Warriors

Lowlights: Where to start, Manly was far and away the worst performance of the season. Broncos at home, Melbourne at home etc...

 

[mike83au]

Highlight - Broncos @ ANZ, Weyman

Lowlight - Too many matches to pick from, so J.Monaghan (what happened there???) & Weyman.

I'm assuming Weyman's injury was the lowlight, not his form? :?

Of course. Not only because he was injured late in the year but also his 2nd wrist injury which prevented him from playing most of the season.
Very disappointing when you think what might have been.

 

[Tik]

Highlights:

Minichiello and Walker smacking into each other contesting the high ball.

 

[thickos]

totally agree mike. We could have used Weyman's enthusiasm and ability to break the line in many of our disappointing early losses. He could have helped when we were missing Wiki through suspension, but the main thing is that his wrist is OK. We can't afford to lose him.

69 will kill me for saying it but Cross has been a major disappointment. I know he has been hampered by injuries but he started as a first grade regular and is now not even looking like he is in with a chance of getting back in.

 

[brenno]

highlights:- The rnd 1 victory against the dragons and then the gutsy effort against penrith for 65mins.

Lowlights:- The last 10 mins against penrith and then the rest of the season.

 

[Raider_69]

michael weyman and ben cross stepping up as quality first graders.

please, not even i can say cross has stepped up, he hasnt played shit all first grade, next season he will come good

69 will kill me for saying it but Cross has been a major disappointment. I know he has been hampered by injuries but he started as a first grade regular and is now not even looking like he is in with a chance of getting back in.

A good off season and injury free 2005 will have people saying Crusher Who? :mrgreen:

 

[raiders_lover_18]

Highs
- Weyman
- Broncs Game
- Warriors Game
Lows
- Everything else!!!!!!
- Manly Loss
- O'Hara's Gaem time in Origin one
- Weymans Injury's
- Campese's Injurys

 

[woodgers]

Season highlights for me were the win in Brisbane obviously. Seeing Rhino in Blue made me get that proud feeling again. The trip to Gosford with the Army and the minibus trip to the SFS to watch the Roosters were both crackers and there were unforgettable moments on both. Looking back at the games at bruce I will think of the times this year when I closed my eyes in the stand and listened to the singing, especially against the Roosters and Penrith round 2 and it took me back to Leicester in England at Filbert Street (well, maybe not quite) but it was great to think of the effort and how far us guys have come this year, both in Canberra and the guys in Sydney. Good work guys

My low was definately when Ruben annouced he was leaving. I was gutted and still am. Watching him do a lap in 8 days will tear me up. A close second was his suspension for 5 weeks after the sharks match. I am still bitter as I still believe there is no way that was a nasty or malicious tackle and we have seen the same thing go unpunished all year. The effort against Melbourne at home and Tigers away were both pitiful and I was steaming after those games. Also the decision from Shayne Hayne against the Warriors in NZ that let them back in it still has my blood boiling. Go back and have a look at the tape and see the call on Gafa trying to play the ball in the 69th minute that went against us. That allowed them to win the game and could have been a huge turning point for us.

Hindsight is wonderful.