How it all went wrong for the Raiders in season 2017
CANBERRA’S inconsistent season put them in 10th spot — not an accurate measure of their ability, but a fair summation of their performance.
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CANBERRA’S inconsistent season put them in 10th spot — not an accurate measure of their ability, but a fair summation of their performance.
WHERE THEY FINISHED?
10th, well ahead of the pack of teams who made up the foot of the ladder but several wins away from the finals.
WHAT WENT WRONG?
An inability to win the close games cost Canberra dearly.
Eight losses by six points or less meant Canberra were continually subjected to heartbreak late in matches. No game summed this up more than the Round 14 loss to Penrith, where the Raiders led by 10 points with 90 seconds left and managed to lose.
It was a defeat that took the club weeks to shake off and was the middle of a four-match losing streak that ultimately torpedoed their finals hopes.
WHAT WENT RIGHT?
It would be wrong to assume Canberra were miles away from top eight football — they scored two wins over the Eels, a terrific victory away from home against the Sharks and had four losses in golden point.
If one or two plays had gone their way, they could have easily snuck into the finals and altered the trajectory of their season.
But don’t sugar coat it too much — Canberra did not perform anywhere near their ability in 2017.
STAT THAT SUMS UP THE SEASON?
The aforementioned eight losses by six points or less, four of which came in golden point.
IT’S A SHAMBLES!
Canberra’s attack was still productive this season — they scored the third/fourth most points in the league but their defence let them down time and again, especially late in matches. The Round 24 loss to Penrith, where they conceded the matchwinning try to the Panthers from dummy half, was a good approximation of their failure to perform under pressure.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE SEASON?
The 18-14 golden point win over the Dragons in Round 19. In the midst of a four-match losing streak, a length of the field try to Aidan Sezer helped push the match to golden point before the same man booted a sensational 40/20 in extra time to put Canberra within touching distance. Dave Taylor proved the unlikely hero, popping an offload for Elliott Whitehead to score. Canberra went on a run after the match, winning four/five of their last seven. In a season of narrow losses, a narrow win was somewhat cathartic.
LOWLIGHT OF THE SEASON?
The two ill-tempered golden point losses to Manly go close but the disaster in Bathurst takes the cake.
BIG-NAME RECRUITS
Charlie Gubb is the only new player on the books next season but the club will be hopeful Dave Taylor decides to stay rather than head to Toronto.
BIG-NAME LOSSES
Apart from the mid-season departures of Adam Clydsdale and Zac Santo, no players will be leaving Canberra.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT YEAR?
Canberra still have the cattle to win the competition — all of the talent is still here from the preliminary final run of last season and it seems statistically impossible to lose as many tight matches as they did last season.
Freed of expectations, Canberra will be expecting a return to the finals next season and a top six berth is a realistic goal.
With the bulk of the playing group having been at the club for several seasons, the window for premiership contention should still be open.
However, the lack of development of halves Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer will be of serious concern to Ricky Stuart.
The duo were wildly inconsistent during the season — they could look like world beaters and reserve graders in the same match. Swapping sides of the field helped the matter late in the season but they need to be firing from the jump in 2017. The two played every game this season and their third season as a combination must be the year they get it right.
They’ll also need more from their middle forwards. Junior Paulo was one of their best most weeks but Shannon Boyd took a step backwards and they lacked impact from their bench until the introduction of Taylor.
COACH SAFETY RATING
Ricky Stuart is safe as houses. The board will give him as much leeway as they can justify but anything less than a return to the finals next season should be counted as a failure.
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