Ricky Stuart’s Raiders left to rue what might have been
RICKY Stuart sat in the media conference on Sunday night in Canberra and couldn’t help but notice the television featuring the live game between Melbourne and Cronulla.
RICKY Stuart sat in the media conference on Sunday night in Canberra and couldn’t help but notice the television featuring the live game between Melbourne and Cronulla.
And after watching his team lose another close game, Stuart highlighted how hard it would be for the Storm to succeed without Cameron Smith and Bill Slater to help people understand why it had been such a tough year for the Raiders.
He recalled how the Raiders played the first half of the year without star hooker Josh Hodgson because of an injury he suffered at the World Cup.
And just when he got back, Jack Wighton’s suspension pretty much kicked in.
“That is where it is critical. You talk about being disjointed,” Stuart said.
“It is not an excuse. But it has been the factor of our season.
“Josh is as important to us as Cameron Smith is to Melbourne. And we had 14 weeks of having to put up with (his injury). And we did a wonderful job to hang in.
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“Then losing our fullback, which is no fault of anybody but ours’ and Jack’s, it is nothing on the NRL, is crucial.
“And that’s your Billy Slater to your Melbournes.
“That is why they are hanging around the top four and we are hanging around 10th.
“They have been two massive, massive blows to us.
“I stress it is not a coach having a whinge, it is not a coach trying to make up excuses because that is not in my DNA. I am just telling you the cold, hard facts.”
But the cold hard facts also are that if Canberra’s season wasn’t dead and buried before Sunday’s loss, it certainly is now.
With three rounds to play, they remain in 10th spot on 18 competition points and can only look back on this as a year of missed opportunity.
Originally published as Ricky Stuart’s Raiders left to rue what might have been
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