Ricky is repairing the Raiders rot that started with his sacking

Graeme Souness was once asked what he thought his Blackburn Rovers’ chances were of winning the EPL. His answer was classic Scotsman:

“There’s five clubs that have the money and resources to win the title and the rest of us are all just battling to avoid relegation.”

Apart from this year, where minnow club Leicester City may actually live the Cinderella story, Souness’ sentiments are still, unfortunately, spot on the money.

And it is pretty similar in the NRL. While the Brisbane Broncos, Manly Sea Eagles and Sydney Roosters are regular contenders, there are a number of clubs you just can’t imagine winning the title.

The poor old Gold Coast Titans seem to lurch from crisis to crisis. The Wests Tigers’ in-fighting and dysfunction is epic in proportion – although it pales in comparison to the circus at Parramatta. The Cronulla Sharks have never won a title and I find it hard to believe that will change anytime soon.

And then there are the once mighty Canberra Raiders.

Back in the early 1990s, they were sensational. But then it all went pear-shaped very suddenly. Since 1998 they haven’t even played in a preliminary final, let alone a grand final. In fact, they’ve won only four finals games since 1998.

Why? It is because the management in the late 1990s squandered the culture of success and club loyalty that had been so carefully grown by excellent men like Don Furner Sr, Wayne Bennett and Tim Sheens.

That same club culture developed excellent leaders by the fistful: Craig Bellamy, Kevin and Steve Walters, Mal Meninga, Glen Lazarus, Gary Belcher, David Furner, Alex Corvo, Michael Maguire, Andrew McFadden, Laurie Daley and, of course, Ricky Stuart.

In August 1998, then Raiders CEO Kevin Neil made the decision to sack club legends Brad Clyde and Ricky Stuart. Even at the time, I could see the risk that posed for jeopardising all the player loyalty and tight-knit culture at the Raiders.

I wrote to Neil and told him that I thought what he was doing could cripple the Raiders for years to come and asked him to reconsider.

I reminded Neil that in 1991 when the Raiders were embroiled in a salary cap scandal, both Stuart and Clyde re-signed with the club for far less money than they could have received elsewhere.

Although the Raiders lost valuable players such as Nigel Gaffey and Glen Lazarus, Clyde and Stuart’s loyalty – along with the retention of Daley, Belcher and Meninga – managed to shore up the teetering club.

The good juniors wanted to come play with them and required less money to do so. The likes of Ruben Wiki, Brett Mullins, David Furner, Jason Croker, Noa Nadruku and Ken Nagas did come and play and the resulting premiership in 1994 was due in no small part to that loyalty those star players showed.

I pointed out to Neil that if he cut Stuart and Clyde it very clearly told every player in their squad, and every potential player, that it didn’t matter how great you’d been – both represented NSW and Australia, Clyde won two Clive Churchill Medals, Stuart one and the Dally M – or how loyal you’d been at cost to yourself.

There would be no loyalty shown to you. It was business, not friends.

Neil’s response to all of us who pleaded with him to reconsider was that tough decisions had to be made to stay under the salary cap.

Of course tough decisions must be made. But short-sighted ones are best avoided. Football list management cannot just be short-term thinking. It must be the long game too – even if that sometimes costs immediate results because you retain your very best clubmen when they are older and more injury prone in the name of long-term culture and loyalty.

The malaise that subsequently beset the once mighty Canberra Raiders has lasted for almost two decades now and I still believe that Neil’s decision to cut Clyde and Stuart can be found at its root.

I’ve been told by a former Raiders player from the time that in August 1998 David Furner went to Neil to try and get him to give Clyde and Stuart a farewell season in 1999. My source alleges that Furner was basically told that if he didn’t like it he could leave too.

Neil had once allegedly bragged that he’d never failed to sign a player he wanted. In 2000, those words – if true – would have been haunting him.

In 2000, when it was widely thought that Furner would take over the captaincy from the retiring Laurie Daley, Dave instead left at the end of his contract and went to England. Ben Kennedy left to go to Newcastle. Mullins also shot through and the likes of Lesley Vainikolo also didn’t hang around.

From that point on the Raiders roster, with all due respect to the multitudes of players who donned the green, has mostly been a motley menagerie who could be put into one of the following categories: has been, never was, and never would be.

Make no mistake, I’ve loved and cheered for many of them and still hold many in great affection. But let’s call a spade a spade.

Of course the team has been interspersed with strong players like a Terry Campese here, a Clinton Schifcofske there and a Alan Tongue trying to be everywhere. However, Canberra also had to deal with the likes of Todd Carney, Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson causing chaos and distraction, as well as misfortune like Campese’s knee going.

Attracting good players and retaining the juniors has been a real struggle for the Raiders even after Kevin Neil was punted and went on to other things – such as presiding over the Australian swimming team during the ill-fated London Olympics campaign with the culture issues and poor results.

That the Raiders’ fortunes may be about to change under the stewardship of prodigal son Ricky Stuart is no coincidence. Since his return for the 2014 season, he has been rebuilding and reinvigorating the club.

After losing star junior Anthony Milford to Brisbane and having James Tedesco renege, Ricky’s subsequent recruitment has been superb.

The retention of Jack Wighton, who could have the left-centre spot at his choice of club (and should have it in Sky Blue), was a massive vote of confidence in Stuart.

There have been three other signings that have set the side up for possible success.

The first is Blake Austin. Why on earth did the Wests Tigers let him go? Not only is his attack Laurie Daley-like in its unpredictability and enthusiasm, but he is also a superb guy.

Come wait out the back of Canberra Stadium after a game and you’ll find him talking to all the fans and loving it. He loves playing league and is grateful for the opportunity – and it shows. The boy from Mount Druitt has been raised right and his family should be very proud.

The second, Josh Hodgson. What a great buy he’s turned out to be. He’s subsequently made the England No.9 jersey his own and has gone a long way to fixing the Raiders’ dummy half passing and ruck defence. His 40/20s from dummy half are a fantastic weapon too.

Lastly, there is Sia Soliola. Stuart lured Soliola back from the English Super League, reuniting the duo after a stint together at the Roosters in 2005. Soliola seemed a bit of an odd buy but he has been superb.

While Jarrod Croker rightly is the team captain, he certainly has had very good support from Soliola. His on-field leadership of the forwards has been clear to see and his effect on the work ethic of his side has been akin to that of Kevin Campion on the 2002 Warriors team.

Soliola’s big hits have brought the Green Machine pack respect they haven’t had for many years. He has probably been the best-established player signing for the club since Mal Meninga in 1986.

Ironically, had Milford been retained, and Tedesco not reneged, there may not have been the salary cap space to buy these three, as well as the 2016 arrivals of Elliot Whitehead and Aidan Sezer.

The news that junior Kiwi wunderkind Joe Tapine has now chosen to sign with the Raiders suggests that just maybe the worm has finally turned for the club in regard to attracting good players.

However, as Lachlan Bickley pointed out on The Roar, the Raiders must now learn how to win the tight games if they are to realise their obvious potential. Better still, they need to learn how to not make games tight in the first place.

A quiet anticipation is growing among Raiders fans that their team can do just that and possibly match it with all comers for the first time in a very, very long time.

If that turns out to be the case and Stuart takes his club back to championship glory, I can only hope that this time the powers that be will realise the long-term value of showing loyalty to great club servants and they won’t repeat the mistakes of the past.