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Given the situation that the Raiders find themselves in it is more than a little apt that The Bell Shakespeare Company are currently performing Henry V in Canberra right now.
The play is the Bard’s romanticised portrayal of The Battle of Agincourt in Northern France in 1415. The outnumbered and disease-weakened English army was trying to retreat to Calais, but found its way blocked by the French and was forced to fight or be destroyed.
The tale goes that King Henry walked among his troops the night before the battle to rally their flagging morale and steel their resolve.
Just like those soldiers all those years ago, what the Raiders are suffering is a crisis of confidence. Following the confirmed loss of Anthony Milford to Brisbane, the Raiders – angered that the NRL had done nothing to help them retain their own junior – decided to share the pain around and poach other teams’ players.
The problem was that none of them came. Effectively, the Raiders own retreat to Calais was blocked and now, down on morale and belief, they are forced to fight against the odds.
To say the players feel unloved right now is an understatement. Not only did the targeted players not want to come, but they also turned down huge money – money that the majority of the Raiders squad are not likely to be on.
And the media has blown the whole thing up into a crisis.
But it’s not a crisis, it’s actually business as usual. The last big-name signing the Raiders made was Mal Meninga in 1985. Every other Raiders star has been developed at the club.
And what’s more, this maligned and beleaguered squad looks very similar to those that stormed to the finals in 2008, 2010 and 2012. In each of those seasons the players made a stand, and from it they built belief.
This Raiders squad has a clear choice to make: give in to the doom and gloom that surrounds them, or decide as a unit to strive for victory.
They should take heart from a tale only a decade old in which a raw young prop from Penrith addressed his team mates at half time.
“I’m flaming sick of losing,” declared called Joel Clinton, along with a lot of expletives.
It was their Henry V moment. Not only did his side – which had come 13th the previous season and claimed the spoon the year before that – come back to beat the reigning premiers that day, they carried that form all the way to the 2003 premiership.
The Raiders have the troops to do the same thing. Heeding Shakespeare’s words, the boys in green should not care about what players don’t want to be there, only about those that do.
“That he which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart; his passport shall be made, And crowns for convoy put into his purse; We would not die in that man’s company.”
They need to squeeze everything they have out of themselves as a team.
If you examine the stats, you’ll see that the Wests Tigers and Parramatta Eels defence is as shaky in 2014 as it was last year. The difference is that they are attacking with more intent and venom, scoring more points and giving their opponents less of the ball as a result.
The Raiders’ big problem is their intent. If I had a dollar for every time I’d watched a Raider do a half-hearted kick return or hesitated before hitting the ball up this year, I’d probably have around a grand.
They need to rip in like Joel Clinton did all those years ago. Like Terry Campese did following Todd Carney’s sacking in 2008. Age may have wearied Campo but he still bleeds green, and in recent weeks has shown his fight of old is still there.
While he is probably the best man to inspire and lead them into the fray, he also has some excellent troops.
Paul Vaughan is the best young prop in the game. He can bend a line as well as Joel Clinton ever did, and he isn’t scared to either.
Now back at centre, Jack Wighton looks a million dollars in attack and defence. He will be a superstar. His centre partner in Jarrod Croker is a brilliant attacking player whose defence has only gotten better.
Shaun Fensom is desperately unlucky not to have played for Country Origin this year. His defence is superb and his attack is getting dangerous.
Glenn Buttriss, Josh McCrone, Brett White, David Shillington, Josh Papalii, Joel Edwards and Dane Tilse are all experienced campaigners who know how to do their bit well. Kyle O’Donnell, Jarrad Kennedy and Sami Sauiluma add youthful enthusiasm to the mix.
What is missing is faith in their game plan and confidence in each other.
Some changes could be made too. Tom Learoyd-Lahrs is rearing to get another run in first grade. He runs the ball as hard as anyone I’ve ever seen. While coach Ricky Stuart is only giving Shannon Boyd an average of 15 minutes a game, it is strange that big Learoyd-Lahrs doesn’t get another crack.
Then there is the fullback role. Milford does possess an ‘x-factor’ in attack, but his ability to make one-on-one tackles is very poor. Further, the Raiders make the fewest kick-return metres in the NRL. For a very quick player, he runs the ball back with a lot of hesitation.
Given that Tony Milford going to go ‘home’, perhaps Reece Robinson should get the No. 1 jersey and Milford can take the utility role on the bench. History shows that Robinson’s stats at fullback are far better than what he provides on the wing, and he would probably stay in green if asked.
Finally, Mitch Cornish is unquestionably the future for the Raiders at halfback. Just like it did for Luke Brooks at the Wests Tigers, that future needs to start right now.
But most of all the Raiders need to heed the words of King Henry, come together as a team and smash into their opponents as hard as they can. They must create their own redemption through a brotherhood forged in battle.
A brotherhood those that presently deride them will wish they had been part of.
Tim Gore is a broadcaster and stats wizard for ABC Grandstand. He can be found on Twitter @gorskiopork .