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It is the three inescapable certainties of life: death, taxes and the rugby league community having a strong dislike for Ricky Stuart.
We have all read the articles, seen the news, and heard the rumours that Ricky Stuart is no good as a coach, he’s what’s wrong with the Raiders, he sent Parramatta into a tailspin, no one wants to go to Canberra, Terry Campese is in the way, etc.
I was an avid fan of the South Queensland Crushers and after their demise I haven’t realigned my allegiance with any NRL club. I don’t fly anyone’s colours and remain neutral. I am Switzerland in the world of rugby league.
However I find myself living and working in Canberra and find myself wandering into Canberra Stadium from time to time to see how the local club is faring.
Ricky Stuart has been labeled (unfairly I believe) as the destructor of Parramatta and apparently now he is doing the same to Canberra. However, I wandered into the chilly abyss on Monday night to watch the Men in Green throw themselves in front of the football semi trailer that is Brisbane. As many predicted they were mowed down like the light brigade.
And all around the league community everyone cried “rejoice!” Predictions about Stuart having lost all control of the Raiders were ringing true and everyone shrugged and said “that figures”.
However, there was something there that no one has mentioned. Something that has been present all season apart from the two hidings the Raiders received at the hands of Manly and the Warriors, and that is effort.
Yes good people it is true, I am leaving the trench and standing in no man’s land alone waiting to be bombarded as I declare that Ricky has got the Raiders on the right track.
Apart from the aforementioned two cricket scores, the Raiders have not lost by big margins. And yes Brisbane took them to task on Monday night but it took until the 30th minute for the first try to be scored and prior to this the game was even.
The Canberra Raiders are trying and they are trying hard. Ricky Stuart and his troops are clocking up the overtime, trying to get out of this dark place. That was on show against Brisbane for the first 30 minutes. They pushed Brisbane to the limits but it was a few simple errors that ended up turning the tide.
“So if there’s effort where are the results?” I hear you cry. It is simple, the Raiders just aren’t good enough. They are gutsy, they are playing for each other and for their coach Ricky has them busting their backsides, but they don’t have a game breaker outside of Anthony Milford. As we have seen if you can shut down Milford you shut down the Raiders.
Campese is trying but with all due respect to the big man he can’t change the course of a game. There are some solid performers in the backline with Messrs Jack Wighton and Jarod Croker, but on the whole the Raiders are a bunch of solid workhorses.
Good solid workhorses will be competitive and they will win a few games, but they won’t be able to match it with the teams laden with superstars – no matter how hard they try.
Stuart knows this, hence his attempts to lure game breakers like James Tedesco and Josh Mansour to the capital, but if players don’t want to come here then he just has to do the best with what he has.
And so I stand alone in the Ricky Stuart supporters corner. While I won’t be at the game next week I can assure you that win, lose or draw the Raiders will be trying their absolute best to notch up a win.
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