As the NRL season begins to enter to its disjointed but highly important ‘middle-third’, a number of NRL teams will look to either capitalise on their origin-effected counterparts, or make use of their own origin-free squads.
While the NRL’s perennial mid-season achievers – the New Zealand Warriors – will once again take advantage of their predominately Kiwi-based side. Free of the Origin discomforts some clubs bear, the big-movers in 2017 will likely be the men from Australia’s capital.
If from Rounds 10 to 19 is considered the middle of the season following rep-round and after the last bye, then Canberra went 6-2 last season.
But they then continued their charge to the end of the 2016 regular season with a remarkable 13 wins from their last 15 games, leaving them with an impressive second-place finish.
Arguably just a dropped pass away from a grand final last year, the Raiders have seriously become a force since Ricky Stuart returned home in 2014. While they ran 15th in his first season in charge, a 10th place finish in 2015 preceded their near unchallengeable run home last year.
However the Green Machine have experienced a mixed start to 2017, falling to four teams who finished inside the top eight last season. Their wins coming against battlers; the Titans, Warriors, Tigers and Eels.
(AAP Image/Paul Miller)
If they’re serious about making a play for the title this year, they need to begin to get their act together.
Having lost their last two games in tight fashion against unheralded Manly and the mixed-bag Bulldogs, there will be no doubt Coach Stuart will be looking for a highly-dominant performance against the Newcastle Knights this Sunday at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Given hope by many at the start of the season as genuine-contenders for the Premiership, the Raiders largely enjoyed a player turnover-free off season.
Losing just regular-starters Paul Vaughan and Edrick Lee from their main 17, along with Brenko Lee and Shaun Fensom from the extended squad, it could be argued Canberra are one of the best-placed sides to carry consistency among their playing squad through to this season.
The addition of Junior Paulo midway through last season proved to be a gamble that has paid dividends, with troubled forward making huge improvements to his game. And, as a consequence, adding another element to the Raiders’ already formidable pack.
Never a club to be short of a man-mountain in their range of forwards, Stuart added the enigmatic Dave Taylor over the off-season, who returned from the South of France after a year in the English Super League.
Taylor has played just one-game for the Raiders this season, but knowing Ricky Stuart it would be foolish to think he hasn’t added Taylor to the squad without a plan in place.
The ‘Volcano that has never erupted’ has returned to an extended bench for this Sunday’s clash against the Knights and if he plays, it could just be the extra piece of the puzzle the Raiders have been lacking.
(AAP Image/ Action Photographics, Colin Whelan)
While things won’t be easy as 2016 for the Raiders’ run home this season, they will need to turn their historically dismal away record around in their next four out of five games outside of the ACT.
Just seven out of their last 15 games this year will be at GIO Stadium and while you would expect them to make that a fortress during the colder winter months, currently sitting in 10th place on the ladder will require a number of away wins to place them in a title-winning place at the end of the season.
With a playing-group that could be completely exempt from Origin football, Canberra look ready to make a mid-season move up the NRL ladder.
Should they do so, then perhaps their ever-improving squad can live up to its puff, learn the lessons from their Final’s knockout and make a committed crack of bringing a fourth Premiership back to the Capital.
With Stuart at the helm – who was involved in winning all three – they probably have their best chance since 1994 to take home the trophy.
TigerMike
Guest
Along with the Knights hey
Ron Swanson
Roar Guru
Leuilua from Origin centre to Mounties centre on current form. They are too big and lack lateral movement in the forwards. Shut down Leipana and the game is won. The halves are lacking creativity and are too predictable.
Steve
Guest
After todays performance, the raiders don't deserve a top 8 finish.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
I like your thinking here Joe but we are still waiting for the halves and hooker combination to really fire at the Raiders - but if they do - look out.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Could be a personality thing TB - I can't really comment - but maybe Sezer needs to be more assertive. Hodgson takes off from dummy half a lot of the time instead of just passing to the halves - a bit like Robbie Farrah - which sometimes works but sometimes confuses the rest of the players particularly with set plays. Sezer has to demand more of the ball in my opinion. I thought Sezer was great at the Titans - he really seemed to be in charge of the team - setting up tries with pin point kicks or taking on the line and passing. Plus he was nailing his conversions. I was really looking forward to seeing Sezer at the Raiders given his form at the Titans but we are still waiting for him to own and run the Raiders.
bearfax
Guest
I suggested early on a Penrith-Canberra grandfinal. Seems the chances of that are now 100-1. But both teams have the talent and Canberra and Penrith I think are suffering from the recognition that both are teams are to be taken seriously by their oppostion. Last year they came unexpectedly from no where. This year I think other teams have woken up and improved their efforts against them. But Canberra is still a big chance of making a move towards the top. They have an outstanding attack, but their defence is still a little brittle. A little tweaking and they could still be there.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Sezer is an interesting one. As an ex-Bulldogs player I've kept an eye on him since he went to the Titans. He looked far more confident at the Titans steering the team around the park. Maybe it's having better, more experienced players around him that he's not sure when he should be demanding the ball and over calling.
Joe
Roar Rookie
Raiders really need to make a run or they miss the top four bus and Origin would be the best time to do it. They just haven't been as hungry and teams have worked out Leipana. The halves really need to step up although I don't think it has to be an either/or with Hodgson and Sezer, they can both steer the team like a Smith/Cronk combo. When one is heavily marked the other takes off.
Albo
Guest
Spot on Geoff ! There has been too much reliance on Rapana & Leilua to continue to provide the winning moves that got them home regularly in the past. The last two matches against Manly and especially the Dogs, have shown that coaches have now worked out a way to minimise the effect of these two ! Aim a lot of traffic at them and work them over constantly. The Raiders need more impact from their halves to provide some new areas of attack and better use of Croker , Cotric and Wighton would be a start. In saying that , the Raiders still have a hell of a proven squad that will always prove hard to beat in any match this year.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Hope you're right Maximus. The Raiders have been a huge disappointment this season. Failing to deliver on all the hype built up after their impressive second half of the season last year. Losing Paul Vaughan was a mistake in hindsight given the lack of forward depth but you could understand letting Fensom and the two Lees go. There have been some improvements - the Raiders goal line defence is much stronger than previous seasons and Austin and Sezer look fitter than they were last season but still need to take games by the scruff of the neck. Austin's kicking game has improved but I'd like to see him run more which is his biggest asset. And I'd like to see Sezer running the show. There still seems to be some confusion between Sezer and Hodgson as to who is actually steering the team. Sezer needs to stamp his authority and Hodgson needs to pull his head in a bit. I thought he played much better for the Poms where he didn't overplay his hand. There is still a lot of talent in his team but opposition coaches and players have prepared much better in countering their strengths. The last two matches are cases in point where Rapana and BJ were taken out of the game by keeping the ball away from them. Both games would have been marked down as wins on paper for the Raiders but Manly and the Bulldogs found ways to out enthuse the Raiders to win in fairly tight games. Very few of the Raiders have staked claims for origin jerseys on form apart from Papalii, Junior Pauko and perhaps BL Leilua so the Raiders will have no excuses for poor performances in coming weeks.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Remains to be seen if it's fortunate or unfortunate but their good players on the fringe of origin haven't played well enough to demand selection. In the off season I had Leilua pencilled in for an origin jersey but his form hasn't been consistent enough those season to demand selection. Wighton, Crocker, Austin may be discussed but I don't think any of them will be selected. I reckon it might be only Boyd or Paul that are selected for NSW but probably not both. Papalii for Qld. And they should be able to cover those pretty well.
Peeeko
Guest
M not sure Ricky has Allan with Taylor , sounds like he fell their lap