After a disappointing first season back at the club he served so magnificently as a player, Canberra coach Ricky Stuart believes the Raiders’ strong finish to their 2014 NRL campaign is a sign of better things to come.
Canberra saved the best performance of a dire season until round 26, producing a strong effort to beat Stuart’s former club Parramatta 33-20 at a freezing GIO Stadium on Saturday.
The win ended the Eels’ slim finals hopes and ensured the Raiders closed the season with three straight wins.
With Jack Wighton impressing at fullback and promising young forwards Paul Vaughan, Joel Edwards and Shannon Boyd producing strong performances, the former NSW coach said he was confident of a much-improved 2015.
“I was so proud of the way we defended. It was by far our best defensive effort all year,” Stuart said.
“I’ve said all year, even in the tough times, this team is growing and we will remember the tough times and learn from them.”
Wighton was imperious at fullback. Stuart has played him at centre and five-eighth this year and admitted he was still unsure about what his best position was.
“Long term we will worry about that as we go,” Stuart said.
“But Jack was the best player on the field tonight.”
The game was the final game for retiring former NSW prop Brett White and Brisbane-bound Anthony Milford, and Stuart said the players were desperate to send them out with a win.
“It was our only motivation to send Milf and Brett, who has been a real backbone of the forwards here for a number of years, out on a high,” Stuart said.
“Our contribution was to put a game on for them to remember us by.”
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