Raiders will struggle but it's not Stuart's fault

this stint with the Raiders could be the end of Stuart's coaching career IT might be a better career path given his people skills

One thing is certain for Raiders fans. If your club does go poorly this year, you can guarantee it won't be Ricky's fault...just ask him. He will blame the refereeing, the media, the roster he was left, the board, the inheritd structures but NEVER himself and admit that he is one hell of an abysmal coach. Raiders actually have a decent roster, if Stuart cannot get them to around the 8 at years' end don't blame the roster or Furner. Stuart is one of the most dishonest people I have witnessed including used cars salesman, media types and real estate agents. Good luck Raiders fans, you are going to need it.

It may be that Stuart is poison but I think that Parramatta, as a club, is worse. The political infighting and childish bickering that has gone in that place since forever is incredible. I think the problems with that club are a much, much worse problem than any negatives Stuart brings with his coaching style. What's worse than Stuart activating a get-out clause because of club in-fighting is the very fact he thought it necessary to have one in the first place. Parramatta are a rabble.

The words Stuart and coach should never be used in the same sentence.

This is why Furner was punted. He was too easy on bad boy players. You can't just keep giving blokes chances. Sad thing for Furner is that the guys he tried to help cost him his job. Ricky will not stand for nonsense and for that reason alone the raiders will be better than last year. Blokes only learn when you set clear rules and stick to them.

That would be good Dogs Of War

You're probably spot on.

gday sham, why would you say so many gifted players have been sacked from raiders, Monahan, carney, dugan, fergo and probably others ? there must be a reason for their ill discipline.

The Raiders completely fell apart at the end of last year but for quite a bit of the season they were in touch with the top 8. Also don’t forget that they made the finals in 2012 and beat Cronulla well in the first round. The dusted the Cowboys at home and dusted Newcastle last year at home. They had some good wins against top 8 sides including the Roosters. All the drama with Fergusson cost them and he is a class player. Anyone doubting that should see what he did to Newcastle last year. As for this year well easy money is there to be made from most punters as they always seem to think that the previous year will repeat itself. How many people picked the Roosters to win the comp at the start of last year? Thankfully each season is not just a re-run of last year. The raiders have a good squad. I do agree that their front rowers lack lateral movement at times but their back rowers are quite mobile – Papalli is a class player and Joel Edwards is a good defender. No coincidence also that the Raiders slide at the end of last year coincided reasonably closely to the loss of Fensom. Having him back is key. Furner was not that bad a coach. In the end I think that he went as he tried to be too accommodating to some players. The other key weakness that the Raiders had at times was their left edge defence. At times that was a turnstile and it was not addressed quickly enough. I don’t see the same issue with that now.

I am a old Raiders fan from day one..was at their first win 9after plenmty of losses at old Sieffort) ....their first GF appearence..their first second and third GF wins..and yes Ricky was a damn great half back...but he is also a annoying little pratt and as we have seen coaching wise is destructive and hopeless..okay one year taking Roosters to a GF but it was pretty much set up for him in a very weak competition at the time..I was hoping poor old Dave Furner (a great player) would be replaced..but by this angry, divisive , grumpy little man I am not happy...backward step....WTF the Board needs to go....I hope for the Raiders sake I am wrong but I see very little coaching skill from Ricky..look at the damn Blues when he was in charge....pathetic...

LOL, just harden up. Northern Hemisphere Footballers are laughing at your comment...And yes, I've played there in sub zero temperatures for many years myself. Ice cold weather makes you run harder. Watch EPL and notice the freakish pace ;)

Agreed. It might even entice the hipsters of braddon eh?

Cry me a river ron. Its not actually that cold. The NFL plays in blizzards ffs. As an ex-Canberran, its not the cold that keeps fans away...its the truly atrocious location of the stadium. The parking is appalling, the bus system even worse, on top of it all you have to pay through the roof ($30 bucks for general admission into the seats behind the sticks...which you are a mile away from the ground as well) to watch in substandard conditions with appalling music blaring constantly in the background. Even the brumbies last year, when they were going great guns, couldn't pull a crowd until the finals, and they play most of their season before winter kicks in. Unless you are within reasonable distance (in Canberra reasonable is 5k) no one goes to the games. Its astonishing that you would advocate moving the raiders because its cold. Its a winter sport mate.

if you are a Canberran, this shouldn't pose a problem. It rarely drops below 4-5 anyway, hardly freezing.

Long term Hooker will be Mitch Cronin. He is a mile in front of McIllwrick for skill & speed. Young player from Souths in Q Cup.

I heard they have plans for a new stadium in the Civic precinct with a roof. That would do wonders for crowds in Canberra.

playing footy on freezing cold nights is not an inspiring idea for fans, or players, especially when one team has to travel for hours on a bus and or plane, players and fans are not stupid. either change the game times, or shift the raiders to another city, also the idea of stadiums with a roof should be looked at, but will they, nup.

I really cannot disagree more strongly. A lack of talent within the Raiders lineup doesn't explain their decade old MO - mostly average performances broken up by the biennial string of a dozen or so world-beating performances. This year's squad may not be as strong as last year's but it's still a squad capable of beating any side on its day. The biggest hurdle facing this squad is their own mentality. And that's always on the coach. Dave Furner couldn't consistently get the best out of his players, but if they got on a roll and fueled their own confidence we'd see strong, committed performances against all sides. There's nothing in Ricky Stuart's history to suggest that he'll do any better. Yes, he managed to convince the NSW Origin side that they could win, but his culture of blame shifting meant that when they didn't, it was everyone else's fault. If you look at the mentality of the consistently good teams there's not just that confidence, but also accountability when they don't meet that expectation of victory. What scares me though is Stuart's track record with his previous teams that seems to suggest that once morale and confidence reaches a low point, he's absolutely incapable of doing anything but driving it to rock bottom.

If McCrone's got an ego I don't know what he's basing it on! An honest toiler at best, but I do think we'll get better value out of him at 9 than 6 or 7. Looking at the Round 1 squad, there's not a lot to disagree with really - I'd have Vaughan starting, Cornish at 7 and Wighton at 4, but the coach has seen more of these guys than I in the pre-season so we'll how it pans out. And I do agree with AJL. We're clearly short on cattle, but if Ricky can get us lean and mean (and bad and mean for that matter) with no heartless capitulations, then throw the chequebook at a tough 80-minute hooker for 2015 (some outside the box thinking is required here - McIlorum from Wigan looked good to me, or the French chap from the World Cup whose names escapes me), I'll be happy. An unlikely run to the finals would be even better.

I work with the Raiders under 20's and the club looks set for a better year with some unknown player's in the competition. Personally I am excited about Allwood and Boyd debuting this year, hopefully we can keep Milford onboard, he will be super damaging this year. Underrate at your own risk.