The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Ricky overwhelmed as the Raiders unravel

19th August, 2014
Advertisement
Ricky Stuart would be adept to handling himself in Game of Thrones. (WLFTV, YouTube)
Expert
19th August, 2014
50
2065 Reads

Being the optimistic, understanding type, I’ve been willing to give Ricky Stuart until mid-2015 to reverse the fortunes of the Canberra Raiders.

After witnessing last weekend’s post-match presser, I’m no longer certain he’ll make it that far.

As an amateur workplace psychologist, I’ve witnessed several senior colleagues slowly crumble under the weight of relentless pressure in the publishing and film production industries.

There are few things as demoralising as coming to the realisation that the person you’ve been looking to for guidance doesn’t have the answers themselves. You’re often left with only two choices – scramble to foster other workplace alliances to keep things afloat, or go down with the ship.

I’m not privy to the inner workings of Canberra Raiders HQ, but the demeanour of their coach after a fifth straight loss – one which ended a 14-year run on home turf against St George Illawarra – was not pretty.

Let’s forget the words for a second and focus on the delivery.

Stuart looks like a man who’s finally come to terms with the enormity of the task in front of him, and doesn’t like what he sees. The voice is shot, the face is crimson, and the eyes are just a few yards short of the thousand mile stare.

Advertisement

Stuart is a figure for whom the term ‘haters gonna hate’ seems insufficient, but it would take a pretty cold-hearted hater to witness that husk of a man front the cameras and not feel at least a small shred of empathy.

A lot of rugby league fans, and quite a few Raiders ones, are determined to dance on the grave of Stuart’s coaching career. With very little to show from his past five years as an NRL coach, it’s almost as if his demise has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Stuart isn’t helping himself with some frankly bizarre decisions at the selection table.

These decisions include but are not limited to: playing rookie halfback Mitch Cornish for 20-minute stints in losing causes without ever letting him run the team; utilising gun prop Paul Vaughan in so many different ways that he’s barely been able to find rhythm; Bill Tupou. So help me God, Bill bloody Tupou.

But he hasn’t been helped by the fact that the Raiders of 2013 lost such talent as Josh Dugan, Blake Ferguson, Sandor Earl and Joel Thompson, and only signed one semi-established first grader in Lagi Setu – a second rower who’s spent the entire season with NSW Cup feeder team Mounties.

There’s also the Raiders’ propensity for capitulations of the highest magnitude, rivalled in 2014 only by the Wests Tigers’ pitiful efforts against the Cowboys and Roosters over the past fortnight.

Saturday’s 34-16 scoreboard against the Dragons might not look like a capitulation on paper, but the manner in which the Raiders folded after leading 16-12 with 35 minutes to go was all too familiar.

Advertisement

Three minutes later, half the Raiders team watched Gareth Widdop casually crab across field before throwing Dugan through a saloon passage to the tryline. Edrick Lee later had a dainty leap rather than concerted effort at a Benji Marshall cross-field kick that landed in the arms of Jason Nightingale for another try, while Bill Tupou – Bill bloody Tupou – didn’t know if he was coming, going or staying in either attack or defence.

To top things off, fill-in fullback Jordan Rapana, one of the side’s best performers in his two games in lime green, suffered a fractured skull trying to prevent another Dragons try.

No wonder the coach looks like he’s about to blow a gasket. Fans aren’t doing it much better.

Mid-2015 feels a long way away. I hope we all make it there in one piece.

close