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On Monday night at a freezing GIO Stadium in front of only friends and family, the Canberra Raiders hit an all-time low.
Some predicted an upset against the Brisbane Broncos, who have never enjoyed the road trip to the nation’s capital, but how wrong they were.
Yet another loss has compounded what is without doubt the toughest time in the club’s history. The 28-4 caning at the hands of the Broncos leaves Canberra third from the bottom of the NRL table, with only Newcastle and Cronulla below them.
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But a victory on the field would only temporarily stem the bleeding at the once proud club.
Long gone are the days of iconic figures like Mal Meninga, Laurie Daley, Glenn Lazarus and Brad Clyde. There’s no Brett Mullins, Ken Nagas or Noa Nadruku either.
Today, the Raiders couldn’t attract a quality top-line player if they offered him the contents of Fort Knox.
The most embarrassing part of it all for Canberra and Coach Ricky Stuart is how public they made their stance on recruitment.
They came out beating their chest with two big bags of money under their arms. They targeted young Wests Tigers prodigy James Tedesco, Penrith flyer Josh Mansour, Melbourne forward Kevin Proctor and Canterbury skipper Michael Ennis.
All but Ennis have decided to stay at their respective clubs for less money, though the Bulldogs rake is expected to join the Sharks from next season.
So what has everyone so spooked about Canberra?
The weather, lifestyle and the current stigma of the franchise all weigh heavily on a pending signature, but the Raiders have never recruited heavily. All those legends began their careers with the club and became superstars at Canberra.
One argument is that the NRL needs to step in and give the Raiders salary cap exemptions to draw quality players to their list. The other argument is that Canberra should be on a level playing field with everyone else, and need to take a leaf out of the Storm’s book by building a culture that attracts players naturally.
Under Craig Bellamy, himself a former Raider, Melbourne have built a system that creates stars and keeps them at the club despite the city being an AFL stronghold.
Canberra may not be able to attract players, but why hasn’t anyone asked why they can’t keep their stars? Maybe it’s time we looked within the Raiders system before anyone starts blaming the weather or a city.
Like Daley, Lazarus, Clyde and Mullins before them, a new breed of Raider was coming through the ranks not that long ago.
In 2004 they unearthed a kid called Todd Carney who quickly became the saviour of the Green Machine, but a string of off-field incidents left Carney and the club spinning. He was out the door in 2008, never to be seen in a lime green jersey again.
Tuggeranong junior Josh Dugan became an instant hit with Canberra fans, making the fullback spot his own and in the process became a State of Origin star for New South Wales. But Dugan’s contract was terminated in 2013 for ongoing off-field dramas and he was promptly snapped up by St George Illawarra.
Dugan’s mate Blake Ferguson joined the club in 2011 and soon found himself in representative jerseys. The sky was the limit, but after only one Origin appearance last year Ferguson was axed for a nightclub altercation in Sydney and hasn’t played football since.
And let’s not forget Australian representative winger Joel Monaghan, who was banished to the English Super League after a Mad Monday gag went viral.
It’s not like these guys left for the bright lights of Sydney or took massive offers from rival clubs.
Can you imagine what the Canberra side could have been if Carney, Dugan, Ferguson and even Monaghan were the focused rugby league players they should have been?
Keep in mind too that the Raiders won the inaugural under-20s decider in 2008. That side included Dugan, Jarrod Croker, Daniel Vidot and Shaun Fensom.
To make matters worse, young gun Anthony Milford is on his way to the Broncos in 2015 despite Canberra’s best efforts to keep him at the club.
It is easy to blame everyone else, but the fact is Canberra shouldn’t be in this position. The club’s own internal culture has put the Raiders where they find themselves today.
Strap yourself in if you’re a Canberra fan, because there’s a long road ahead.
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