Ricky dances into the night

Sometimes it’s unclear whether it’s more entertaining to watch the Raiders players or their coach.

Ricky Stuart wears his heart on his sleeve more than any other first grade coach. And we all get a front row seat to his emotions as he lives every run and tackle from the sidelines.

Whereas most other coaches prefer the height and security of the coaches box, Ricky likes to smell the grass and feel the game from ground level. We feel his pain and experience his joy. We see it first hand.

We’ve seen plenty of emotion from Ricky this year, as his much-hyped side has failed to win a game so far despite some strong performances.

Luckily for him, he finally had a reason to celebrate with his first win of the season.

Leading 12-0 early in the second half, the Raiders had many chances to inflate the scoreline, but failed on the last pass. Then Kieran Foran scored for the Bulldogs after a piercing run through the middle.

It was suddenly 12-6 even though the Raiders had dominated. Ricky’s concern was etched on his face. Would the Green Machine snatch defeat from the jaws of victory again?

But the Raiders defence stood firm on numerous occasions. Not that the Bulldogs showed much flair during their attacking sets near the line, but the green line could not be breached.

Late in the second half, the Raiders were cruelled by injury, with only one replacement left on the bench. But they somehow prevailed to give their home ground fans a courageous victory, thanks to some well-placed kicks from Aidan Sezer and great leaps from captain Jarrod Croker.

Besides these two dominant players, the standouts for the Raiders were Joey Leilua, young star Nick Cotric and second-rower Joseph Tapine. Special mention must also go to coach Stuart for somehow sidestepping another heart attack from the sidelines.