Finally the Raiders get a win

 

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By Mr Sports, 9 Apr 2009 Mr Sports is a Roar Pro

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 Canberra Raiders, David Shillington, Josh Miller, NRL, Rugby League, Scott Logan, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs

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Finally. The Raiders are finally off the bottom of the table and things are looking up again. After three painful and disappointing weeks the Lime Green finally put it all together on Monday night against the Cowboys.

Many in the mainstream media were keen to suggest that this win might mean more coming as it did against former coach, and traitor Neil Henry. As the self-appointed voice of the average fan I can honestly say I could not have cared less if Guus Hiddink had been the Cowboys coach (wanna bet he couldn’t master rugby league). A win is a win is a win.

After being robbed by the officials twice already this season (and even the referee’s boss admitted that) the Raiders were finally able to make superior play count.

In a gritty display the Raiders clung on to win despite only scoring three points in the entire second half. However with Johnathan Thurston mercifully out of sorts and with colossal performances across the entire forward pack the Lime Green did just enough – although not without giving my heart condition a work over.

The Good
Two things leap to mind this week. First was the performance of the entire forward pack. With Thurling and Plum down injured from the 30 minute mark the Lime Green were always going to struggle late in the proceedings. However by the time exhaustion began to overwhelm the Raiders forwards the Cowboys forwards were well and truly whipped, with the Raiders able to advance down the field almost unhindered.

I had intended to single out a David Shillington and Scott Logan for their superb performances however that would be unfair to Big Tom Learoyd-Lahrs and Josh Miller. And to Picker and Harrison. And to Tongue and… well you get my point (and a good thing too because I just ran out of players to congratulate).

The second pleasing thing to come out of this game was the excellent performances of the youngsters, Dugan, Carney and in particular Croker. Whilst both Croker and Carney still have work to do on the defensive side of the ball (more on this later) they both look tremendous in attack. Croker looked good enough that he is probably second outside back on the team sheet after Monaghan at the moment.

As for the debutant Josh Dugan it is fair to say that he had a good but not extraordinary game. It was clear that Johnathan Thurston was convinced that he was a liability but not matter what variation Thurston applied to his kicking game Dugan defused it admirably.

The Bad
Hmmm… That defence really worries me. In the first few weeks it was the cannonball Justin Carney who couldn’t seem to stop himself from rushing out in defence. On Monday night the culprit was Jarrod Croker. Twice in successive weeks now Croker has attempted an intercept and failed leading directly to an opposition try.

I understand that the step up from Toyota Cup to First Grade can be quite challenging especially in defence but these young players need to remember that in First Grade they aren’t faster and stronger than everybody else anymore.

Also I remain unconvinced by Stuart Flanagan. Perhaps it was just fatigue across the board from his teammates but the team seemed to have less verve when he was on the field.

The Ugly
The ugliest part of the game was the sight, immediately in front of where my friends and I sit, of Trevor Thurling writhing in pain after sustaining what we now know is a 4 week ankle injury. The Freight Train is a crucial aspect of the Raiders game plan and let’s hope that he gets back on the field as soon as possible.

Mr Sports’ Verdict
Obviously Raiders fans will be pretty happy this week. The team finally got a win and just as importantly they showed admirable grit in succeeding with only two men on the bench. The forwards all played well and even Marc Herbert looked more dangerous than in previous matches. Seven and a Half Victors.

Next Up
Next up the Lime Green meet the troubled Sharks at Toyota Park. The Sharks will be without their captain and number one thug Paul Gallen along with their several other players through injury and suspension.

However much as many people despise him Ricky Stuart does have a remarkable man-management ability so expect the Sharks to be ready to prove the doubters wrong.

Final Thought
Have a thought for David Milne. After three performances that looked pretty good from a fans perspective Milne was dropped for the victory against the Cowboys. It now looks like he will be stuck carving up Queensland Cup for Souths Logan for some time.

Oh and good luck to Shaun Fensom should he make the match day squad. Hmmm that was really two final thoughts wasn’t it – oh well its my column.

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