On the weekend NRL fans witnessed something special. Spine chilling. An event onlookers would one day tell their bored grandchildren about.
The struggling Knights and the wily Wayne Bennett upsetting the game’s reigning premiers, I hear you ask? Or perhaps the Cowboys breaking their long-held Melbourne hoodoo?
Piffle. Both of these pale in comparison to the real story of round 19.
Yes, I am of course talking about the era that ended abruptly yesterday afternoon in the sublime winter sunshine.
In what is looking like a turning point for the code’s future, the Raiders’ winning streak came to a shocking end in front of a stunned Canberra Stadium.
For two magical weeks that seemed to stretch on for eternity, the Canberra Raiders were invincible. Sides would look on in awe as enigmatic superstar Reece Robinson slid in for try after try, and David ‘Oracle’ Furner glowed a glorious red at each victorious press conference as he extolled the virtues of his paradigm-shifting approach to rugby league.
Even occasional first-graders like Sandor ‘Star-Spangled’ Earl quickly rose to the upper echelons of greatness after pulling on a simultaneously traditional and avant-garde lime jersey, slotting in seamlessly to the well-oiled green machine.
So what went wrong? How could Furner’s ‘unbeatable’ game plan be so ruthlessly decoded? His heavily tattooed tyros trampled?
Watching the match unfold, it was easy to suspect that some skulduggery was afoot. The fans at the ground caught wind of the likelihood of underhandedness, booing the corruption of it all at the half-time break.
Or, maybe there’s just the smallest chance that Canberra weren’t really that good.
Now, I’m all for football teams displaying confidence, don’t get me wrong. And for someone like Sandor Earl to come out and publicly back the game plan of a coach who spends most of game day updating his LinkedIn account is a nice show of loyalty (or epic brown nosing).
But for Earl to declare that “he didn’t know how the Raiders could possibly lose” earlier this week was right up there with an American boxing scribe labelling Anthony Mundine ‘The David Beckham of Rugby’. That is, at best a little ignorant.
This was a team that had lost its best playmaker. Their best attacking weapon. Who three weeks ago had 40 points put on them by the Cowboys. But somehow the brains trust at ASIO had developed a super plan that would see the Raiders scoring nothing but Ws for the foreseeable future.
Granted, kudos should be given to be given to Canberra for exposing the Storm’s defensive vulnerabilities the week before, something the rest of the NRL is sure to remember come Christmas-card time.
But, when your own defence is decimated by tactics amounting to John Cartwight saying “You, big dreadlocked man, run at puny head-geared centre,” it’s probably wise not to race out and get that Black Caviar chest tattoo just yet.
The future does bode well for the Raiders, and even if they fall short of the finals this year you would have reason to believe that a lot of success is not too far away.
However, most of us would be happy to see a few more outcomes before they go yapping to the media.
After all, there’s a whole bunch of people in the big house down on the hill in Canberra that we’re already paying to do that.
Follow Chris on Twitter: @Vic_Arious
Gareth
Guest
I'm not sure who was more disappointed - we Raiders fans or the bus driver we ran into who had the Titans by 13+. It must do your head in as a bookie trying to price the Raiders. You'd be thinking "Oh yeah, they're a good chance, so let's wind 'em in a bit... but then if they think they're a good thing, they're certain to lose, so I'll just wind them out a bit... but now they're the scrappy underdog with something to prove, so I'll wind them in a bit..." Before you know it, a feedback loop has fried the bit of your brain responsible for critical reasoning and you've sponsored the Panthers.
JVGO
Guest
I am emailing all these tips to Shane Flanagan for this week. We can't afford another stuff up against an also ran. The tip about hitting the posts on the kick off could prove the difference between making the top4 for the Sharks. Poms is my man for the Ray Price pose. Most of the Sharks game plan no doubt revolves around humiliating Fergo.. specifically if Poms can get hold of him Thanks for all this CC. But who is Steve Michaels? And the Lamb wrap is that move that Dessie has Benny Barba doing with the Dogs lately right?
Chris Chard
Expert
There have been reports that the sky is falling at the Titans for two years now, and they did sell the Titanium bar last week in a blow to cheap schnitzel lovers everywhere. However, the ARLC wants a team on the gc and any new consortium would be kidding themselves if they wanted to re-brand the coast yet again. Personally I think they'll be sweet, but new week new story I guess. The least they can do is hang around long enough for Steve Michaels to play his 300th nrl match... CC
Chris Chard
Expert
Do they still play each other for the 'brad drew' cup?
Its a Beets up
Guest
Good story. Are you applying for a gig at the telegraph?
PJ
Guest
By all reports the Titans might not be around next year. It seems the esteemed leader of the organization may have allegedly known of forged documents that were signed in order for the CoE to pass the safety certificate. Would hate to be a player or employee of that basket case of a club -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Aleks Duric
Roar Guru
The glass is still half full for Canberrans...at least they're not Eels fans!
Chris Chard
Expert
By the sounds of it Turbodewd I should have made your lamb wrap my Fantasy Coach captain...great stuff! And Titans have made an artform of hitting the cross-bar from kick-offs this year, have seen them hit at least 4 or 5 CC
Chris Chard
Expert
Titans love a pass shy centre; Delaney, Champion, Michaels...although Michaels seems to be purely a winger these days. And yeh the big M has re-signed untill 2015, which being a GC juniour the club is pretty wrapped with....Boyd and Hannat are GC juniours too y'know Searle! CC
Chop
Guest
Hasn't he just re-signed with the Titans? I was at the game to, I think the worst thing that happened was the Raiders scored first and did it easily. If they weren't over confident before the game, that certainly would've increased their confidence. The Titans attacked through Ferguson and Williams (that combination was never going to be any good in defence) with great results and then changed over to put Idris against Croker who kept leaving poor Edrick Lee with 2 and 3 players running at him.
Jimbo Jones
Guest
Tell us more about the Lamb wrap! Sounds a lot better than the junk I end up eating at the Footy!
Brendan
Roar Rookie
That's why he plays for Burleigh Bears and not a Titan's regular.
Hoy
Roar Guru
That'll do me. Gold. Man, he is the worst professional football player I have ever seen I think. I can't shake my head enough when I see him attempt to pass the ball to a man standing next to him, and see it go over his head. How does a centre make it to the NRL without passing skills? WIthout being able to consistently pass the ball to a man next to him. How? How?
Will Sinclair
Guest
Poor weekend for footy fans in Canberra...
Kris Swales
Expert
Hopefully commonsense has now prevailed and Sandor Earl has slapped a lifetime media ban on himself.
Will Sinclair
Guest
Had Canberra -6.5 into Dragons 1-12 into Newcastle into Penrith +9.5 into Cowboys +6.5 to win a small fortune. Not. Happy. Jan. Canberra were absolutely RUBBISH.
turbodewd
Guest
I was at the game. The Raiders lacked urgency and communication in defence. They also looked like an un-drilled team. I would have thought a team has at least one player whose job it is to field the kickoff if it hits the goalposts - and it did, but the Titans got the ball! Also, Reece Robinson kicked a kickoff out on the full (or was it a general play kick, i cant remember). I mean dont they practise this stuff?! My highlight was a lamb wrap me and the Mrs shared before the game. It was unusually good at I thought $10 was fair, coz it was big. The meat was tender and marinated well! There was tzatsizki yoghurt in there too, tomato, lettuce. The wrap was also thick and soft. It was a great feed. But if anyone wants further details please email me. Now also the sausage roll I had was very nice too, not big but not soggy. It came with those proper little sauce saches which u squeeze in half and the sauce squirts out automatically from the middle. Now we also shared a large Lift, my fave soft drink. So NRL game food can be very good indeed. Highlight of the day. Damn it was cold!!!
oikee
Guest
You could see the nerves in the dressing room before the game. Canberra only came to life when it was all over.
xaviercrane
Roar Rookie
The unbeatable game plan; officially foiled by Steve Michaels