When it comes to supporting a sporting team, you need to know when to walk away – but, equally, you need to know when to return.
And it is at this point, with the Canberra Raiders all but assured of an NRL finals berth – in fact, potentially even a home final – that I re-swear my allegiance to the Green Machine.
The Canberra Raiders are a difficult team to follow. They are not a team for the emotionally fragile.
If I were a doctor forced to prescribe a rugby league team as medicine for a patient – assuming that premiership success is some form of antidote to ill-health (stay with me, this analogy is going somewhere) – then I’d have to prescribe a strong, sturdy, reliable team like the Melbourne Storm.
But no, not the Raiders. Take your pre-existing heart condition elsewhere, pal.
But that’s all changed now, suddenly, with the Raiders poised to claim a home final should they beat the Warriors this week.
In fact, former Raider Glenn Lazarus has tipped the side to “create havoc” should they go on to qualify for the finals series.
And havoc is something we know the Raiders are capable of.
I had given up on the Raiders following their 40-0 capitulation at the hands of Wests Tigers back in round 13.
I even gave up my cowardly online attacks on Raiders’ coach David Furner.
My rationale was that by not caring, the Raiders would somehow turn their form around – and I would come swooning back as they made their charge towards the finals.
And, sure enough, just a few weeks later, things began to magically turn around for the boys.
It all started with Furner, who – having sensed his side’s inability to win games at home – fooled his players into thinking ‘home’ games were actually ‘away’ games.
He booked the team into Canberra’s insalubrious Eagle Hawk Rydges motel before a home game against the Broncos a few weeks ago – a match they promptly won.
Following the win, captain David Shillington praised Furner’s surreptitious masterstroke, adding that the team would be up for pretending every home game was actually an ‘away’ game.
“The boys play cards or watch Olympics together, get a bit of physio on-site, have hydration tests and everyone’s eating the same types of food,” he reasoned.
“I’ll get confidence out of knowing we’re doing everything possible right to prepare for this game and all our teammates are doing the same thing.”
This cunning manoeuvre immediately endeared Furner to me (it also endeared the entire Raiders roster to me, once again, for going through with this hilarious form of NRL roleplay), but I was careful not to get dragged into the hype.
But a few wins later and with a finals berth now all but locked in, it may be time to open my heart again to the Raiders – despite having been burned so many times before.
Instead of deliberately ignoring NRL articles in my newspaper of choice, I’ll actively pursue all Raiders-related coverage with renewed zeal.
Dane Tilse’s groin ailments will once again interest me.
I’ll actually care, once again, whether Sam William’’ concussion is going to keep him from taking the field.
Raiders fans, I think it’s time to come back to the fold.
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