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As I write this it is Father’s Day and there are lots of things going on that I should really be enjoying.
I’ve lit the coals in the Weber with petrol, which is always fun. I’ve put the well-salted pork leg on for lunch. One child is preparing the veggies and the other two are out with the missus so I can have some quiet time.
The sun is shining, it is warm enough to wear just a t-shirt outside and the smell of wattle is everywhere.
I should be feeling good, if not great.
But I’m not.
All I feel today is hollow pain. Why? Because my beloved Canberra Raiders have missed the finals.
In seasons past this has hurt nowhere near as much because, frankly, I knew we weren’t really contenders. However, this year it is so different. This year I know that we blew it. This Raiders squad is far too good to be the semi-interested people watching the finals from their lounge chairs that they will be.
And we’ve only got ourselves to blame.
Eight matches lost by six points or less, three of them in extra time – two on the back of dodgy decisions – sealed the side’s fate. The difference between sides who make the finals and those who don’t is the ability to win ugly, to grind out victory on the off days.
(AAP Image/Paul Miller)
By coach Ricky Stuart’s own admission, the Raiders fell into the trap of trying to play pretty before gritty platforms were laid. That pretty turned into lots of ugly, wasteful, unnecessary errors. Those errors turned into lots of close losses. Those close losses killed our season.
The 26-point loss to the Melbourne Storm equalled their Round 2 loss to the Cronulla Sharks. These two games were the only ones the Raiders lost by more than 14 points. While they were well beaten in those two games, the side that went out against Melbourne simply had nothing to play for and it showed.
Nothing hurts more than potential wasted and I know the Raiders coaching staff and players will know that more than anyone right now.
They sure don’t need a fat, chinless bloke like me to tell them.
But I need them to drink that pain and disappointment this Mad Monday. I want them to look each other in the eyes and resolve that they will do everything in their power to make sure that this time next year their season is not over and the opposition fans aren’t inviting us to enjoy our mad Monday.
I want them to throw themselves into their preseason training so hard that next September they won’t have consigned their coach, who loves them and has worked tirelessly for them, to yet more joyous vitriol from the blind haters who say things like this.
"I've got 17 blokes that are hurting in there…..mainly because I've got 4 more years on my contract."#NRLStormRaiders
— Former Legend (@Former_legend) September 2, 2017
They should be working relentlessly with assistant coach Dean Pay to rebuild their superb defensive wall from the 2016 season so they won’t waste the efforts the likes of Dave Taylor’s dedication to come back to top form, or Nic Cotric’s brilliant rookie season, or Elliot Whitehead’s consistent professionalism and tireless work.
They need to refocus and rededicate themselves so the likes of Buzz Rothfield can’t cast aspersions upon the superb culture that has been grown within the club within the last three seasons.
Need to fix culture. https://t.co/yCDXe0oEyF
— BUZZ ROTHFIELD (@BuzzRothfield) September 2, 2017
However, mostly they’ve got to do it for their fans who had such high hopes for this season and turned up and signed up in the biggest numbers since 1995.
You owe it to us. And we believe in you. For all the disappointment this season has brought, the vast majority of the fans on Twitter, Facebook and the online forums have not been blamestorming and calling for the heads of players or the coach.
We know you can do it. There are no excuses. Your talent is blatant and your skills outstanding. All that’s missing is discipline and focus. We know that.
But we are so sick of reliving triumphs from past eras. The 1989, 1990 and 1994 grand final wins are ancient history now. They don’t keep me warm anymore. They have little relevance. The oldest player at the Raiders – the retiring Jeff Lima – was seven years old when the Raiders won the 1989 grand final. Captain Jarrod Croker wasn’t even born.
(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
It is time to bring your dedicated supporters another premiership.
And the first step in making that come about is that you all take a long walk through the room of mirrors, have a good look at yourselves and decide as a team who you want to be and then dedicate yourselves to achieving it.
2017 has been a wasted year for the Canberra Raiders. If it isn’t to be repeated in 2018, this Mad Monday the Raiders, along with their beverages of choice, should drink a big dose of regret and steely resolve to make amends.