Some perspectives on this season

[cat]

There was a lot of negativity about our win last weekend,

I thought I would put a few facts out there to show we are actually out performing teams with a lot more than we have right now and we need to recognise this and keep our cool when we do lose, cause it's going to happen.

We are currently 3rd with the best for and against in the competition and that's with us having the youngest and most inexperienced team in particular in key positions.

We have 2 19yr olds playing in key spots both with less then 10 games experience in NRL
Fogs has only played 86 NRL games, our halves combination has less than 100 games experience between them

Our current backs are all under 25, with Seb and Timoko being the most experienced with 69 and 68 games each, then Savage with 29 , Schiller with 13.

Our forwards aren't much better once papa and Taps come off. Hudson is next with 103, the Saulo with 55. Then we drop to Ata with 22, Similar 17 and Trey with 6.

Hookers are a little better with Danny on 122 and Tom on 92.

You look at the lack of experience and that includes lack of senior players to "calm everyone's farm" then we'll done to the team not being thrown off course by the Titans tricks last week

It also explains why we get distracted sometimes

We have a brilliant young team who will bring us a load of success in the future, we just have to keep supporting them until they have the experience

[Billy Walker]

It’s a good post Cat, way too much criticism of a great win last weekend. Dare I suggest the wonderful season we are enjoying is off the back of the exuberance of youth. Yes all teams need good leaders and experience, but I think sometimes you can put too much emphasis on those things. This group is cutting its own path, setting its own culture and isn’t tied down by links to the past. I say give the kids the keys to the castle.

[Seiffert82]

This is a very inexperienced squad and is exactly what the punters have called for.

And yes, there will be ups and downs. Expectations of us being a well oiled attacking machine at this point of the season are unrealistic IMO. However, I can already see marked improvement from last year, in both attack and defence.

That's a great sign.

Sent from my CPH2021 using Tapatalk

[pickles]

This is a very good post Cat. We are a very inexperienced team and while this is going to bring plenty of excitement it is also going to bring some inconsistency.

Games like the weekend will be a good learning experience for the team and they did a lot of things right and dominated most areas of the game but still almost managed to lose the game.

There are very positive signs for the future with the talent coming through but consistency can take a while to achieve.

Ricky is as right though. They stuck to their processes through the whole game and it pid off in the end.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dubby]

Good perspective, Cat.

I think it speak volumes of our leaders like Tapine and Papa who have both been great this year. Rapana has also been good.

I've been encouraged by the improvement in Saulo, also.

Levi looks to be gaining confidence and to his credit he's been solid without being spectacular.

I'm enjoying watching this new era of the Canberra Raiders.

[cat]

Good perspective, Cat.

I think it speak volumes of our leaders like Tapine and Papa who have both been great this year. Rapana has also been good.

I've been encouraged by the improvement in Saulo, also.

Levi looks to be gaining confidence and to his credit he's been solid without being spectacular.

I'm enjoying watching this new era of the Canberra Raiders.

I think it also speaks volumes of thr quality human Ricky has recruited and nurtured through the junior teams.

It's either the quality of leaders papa, Taps, Raps and Whitehead have become and/or the quality of young men we have who actually listen and respond to the senior players that is making the difference

Be it the quality of the leaders or the quality of the younger players this wasn't able to be achieved in the Dugan, Fergo, Carney era

[Green Blogger]

Well said Cat. The last time Raiders fans could sit back and say the future looks this bright was in the early 90s. It is time that Don and Ricky started getting more credit for what they have done here. They clearly changed their approach and they have aggresively gone out and recruited the best juniors at other clubs - Savage, Horsburgh, Trevilyan, Mooney, Puru, Strange, Stewart and soon to be Sanders are all the result of that approach and they form a wonderful core for what should be a golden age of Raiders football over the next five years.

[zim]

Watching Fog play it's easy to forget he hasn't even had 100 NRL games. Crazy stats across the team.

[cat]

Something to keep in mind now Fogs is out , Keo has played 12 NRL games

Putting that into perspective our number 1, 6 and 7 have played less then a season of games all together

This team needs the fans supporting them and encouraging not expecting perfection

Our only 2 really experienced players are Papa and Taps and they come off for breaks

[Colk]

Well said Cat. The last time Raiders fans could sit back and say the future looks this bright was in the early 90s. It is time that Don and Ricky started getting more credit for what they have done here. They clearly changed their approach and they have aggresively gone out and recruited the best juniors at other clubs - Savage, Horsburgh, Trevilyan, Mooney, Puru, Strange, Stewart and soon to be Sanders are all the result of that approach and they form a wonderful core for what should be a golden age of Raiders football over the next five years.

Not really. People were saying the same thing when Henry was coach and we had Carney, Zillman etc come through. We’ll see if it works this time

[Billy Walker]

Well said Cat. The last time Raiders fans could sit back and say the future looks this bright was in the early 90s. It is time that Don and Ricky started getting more credit for what they have done here. They clearly changed their approach and they have aggresively gone out and recruited the best juniors at other clubs - Savage, Horsburgh, Trevilyan, Mooney, Puru, Strange, Stewart and soon to be Sanders are all the result of that approach and they form a wonderful core for what should be a golden age of Raiders football over the next five years.

Not really. People were saying the same thing when Henry was coach and we had Carney, Zillman etc come through. We’ll see if it works this time

That’s the spirit

[Finchy]

Well said Cat. The last time Raiders fans could sit back and say the future looks this bright was in the early 90s. It is time that Don and Ricky started getting more credit for what they have done here. They clearly changed their approach and they have aggresively gone out and recruited the best juniors at other clubs - Savage, Horsburgh, Trevilyan, Mooney, Puru, Strange, Stewart and soon to be Sanders are all the result of that approach and they form a wonderful core for what should be a golden age of Raiders football over the next five years.

Not really. People were saying the same thing when Henry was coach and we had Carney, Zillman etc come through. We’ll see if it works this time

Dugan, Milford, Herbert, Waddell, etc. I agree they don’t all work out (or stay).

[Colk]

Well said Cat. The last time Raiders fans could sit back and say the future looks this bright was in the early 90s. It is time that Don and Ricky started getting more credit for what they have done here. They clearly changed their approach and they have aggresively gone out and recruited the best juniors at other clubs - Savage, Horsburgh, Trevilyan, Mooney, Puru, Strange, Stewart and soon to be Sanders are all the result of that approach and they form a wonderful core for what should be a golden age of Raiders football over the next five years.

Not really. People were saying the same thing when Henry was coach and we had Carney, Zillman etc come through. We’ll see if it works this time

That’s the spirit

We also had a better hooker than Danny Levi back in those days

[Colk]

Well said Cat. The last time Raiders fans could sit back and say the future looks this bright was in the early 90s. It is time that Don and Ricky started getting more credit for what they have done here. They clearly changed their approach and they have aggresively gone out and recruited the best juniors at other clubs - Savage, Horsburgh, Trevilyan, Mooney, Puru, Strange, Stewart and soon to be Sanders are all the result of that approach and they form a wonderful core for what should be a golden age of Raiders football over the next five years.

Not really. People were saying the same thing when Henry was coach and we had Carney, Zillman etc come through. We’ll see if it works this time

Dugan, Milford, Herbert, Waddell, etc. I agree they don’t all work out (or stay).

I think these kids like Strange, Stewart and Sanders (if we get him) will be decent first graders. I’m just saying that we have gone through this before

[Billy Walker]

Well said Cat. The last time Raiders fans could sit back and say the future looks this bright was in the early 90s. It is time that Don and Ricky started getting more credit for what they have done here. They clearly changed their approach and they have aggresively gone out and recruited the best juniors at other clubs - Savage, Horsburgh, Trevilyan, Mooney, Puru, Strange, Stewart and soon to be Sanders are all the result of that approach and they form a wonderful core for what should be a golden age of Raiders football over the next five years.

Not really. People were saying the same thing when Henry was coach and we had Carney, Zillman etc come through. We’ll see if it works this time

That’s the spirit

We also had a better hooker than Danny Levi back in those days

He’s our most experienced spine player by quite a way. Whinge all you like, but he isn’t going anywhere so enjoy the show.

[cat]

Well said Cat. The last time Raiders fans could sit back and say the future looks this bright was in the early 90s. It is time that Don and Ricky started getting more credit for what they have done here. They clearly changed their approach and they have aggresively gone out and recruited the best juniors at other clubs - Savage, Horsburgh, Trevilyan, Mooney, Puru, Strange, Stewart and soon to be Sanders are all the result of that approach and they form a wonderful core for what should be a golden age of Raiders football over the next five years.

Not really. People were saying the same thing when Henry was coach and we had Carney, Zillman etc come through. We’ll see if it works this time

That’s the spirit

We also had a better hooker than Danny Levi back in those days

He’s our most experienced spine player by quite a way. Whinge all you like, but he isn’t going anywhere so enjoy the show.

And like it or not Danny and all the other players we have are the players we have

And there isn't really anyone on the open market we are likely to get or are even available

You can either support this team of youthful inexperience and determination or have unrealistic expectations, and complain and whinge each week

I for one am going to love every minute of watching this young team grow

[Finchy]

Not really. People were saying the same thing when Henry was coach and we had Carney, Zillman etc come through. We’ll see if it works this time

That’s the spirit

We also had a better hooker than Danny Levi back in those days

He’s our most experienced spine player by quite a way. Whinge all you like, but he isn’t going anywhere so enjoy the show.

And like it or not Danny and all the other players we have are the players we have

And there isn't really anyone on the open market we are likely to get or are even available

You can either support this team of youthful inexperience and determination or have unrealistic expectations, and complain and whinge each week

I for one am going to love every minute of watching this young team grow

We have Woolford in reserves who's better. And we could have had a go at Koroisau or Mahoney who left their clubs for only 650k. We had 900K free from Hodgo leaving.

[Colk]

Not really. People were saying the same thing when Henry was coach and we had Carney, Zillman etc come through. We’ll see if it works this time

That’s the spirit

We also had a better hooker than Danny Levi back in those days

He’s our most experienced spine player by quite a way. Whinge all you like, but he isn’t going anywhere so enjoy the show.

And like it or not Danny and all the other players we have are the players we have

And there isn't really anyone on the open market we are likely to get or are even available

You can either support this team of youthful inexperience and determination or have unrealistic expectations, and complain and whinge each week

I for one am going to love every minute of watching this young team grow

That second paragraph is a complete fallacy

[Colk]

Well said Cat. The last time Raiders fans could sit back and say the future looks this bright was in the early 90s. It is time that Don and Ricky started getting more credit for what they have done here. They clearly changed their approach and they have aggresively gone out and recruited the best juniors at other clubs - Savage, Horsburgh, Trevilyan, Mooney, Puru, Strange, Stewart and soon to be Sanders are all the result of that approach and they form a wonderful core for what should be a golden age of Raiders football over the next five years.

Not really. People were saying the same thing when Henry was coach and we had Carney, Zillman etc come through. We’ll see if it works this time

That’s the spirit

We also had a better hooker than Danny Levi back in those days

He’s our most experienced spine player by quite a way. Whinge all you like, but he isn’t going anywhere so enjoy the show.

Please. If the best this club can hope for in your opinion is Danny Levi as a hooker then the lack of success that will inevitably happen is deserved.

[Colk]

That’s the spirit

We also had a better hooker than Danny Levi back in those days

He’s our most experienced spine player by quite a way. Whinge all you like, but he isn’t going anywhere so enjoy the show.

And like it or not Danny and all the other players we have are the players we have

And there isn't really anyone on the open market we are likely to get or are even available

You can either support this team of youthful inexperience and determination or have unrealistic expectations, and complain and whinge each week

I for one am going to love every minute of watching this young team grow

We have Woolford in reserves who's better. And we could have had a go at Koroisau or Mahoney who left their clubs for only 650k. We had 900K free from Hodgo leaving.

100%.

[Bluesbrother]

That’s the spirit

We also had a better hooker than Danny Levi back in those days

He’s our most experienced spine player by quite a way. Whinge all you like, but he isn’t going anywhere so enjoy the show.

And like it or not Danny and all the other players we have are the players we have

And there isn't really anyone on the open market we are likely to get or are even available

You can either support this team of youthful inexperience and determination or have unrealistic expectations, and complain and whinge each week

I for one am going to love every minute of watching this young team grow

We have Woolford in reserves who's better. And we could have had a go at Koroisau or Mahoney who left their clubs for only 650k. We had 900K free from Hodgo leaving.

You keep trotting this one out but we didn't have the money at the time. Players get upgraded - Tapine, Timoko, Horse and Young to name a few. Notably, those guys stayed in Sydney. To leave Sydney you're paying over that price and I doubt very much that Api is on anything less than 800k. By the time we upgraded those players mentioned that 900k from Hodgo was more like 450k. You ain't getting a top line hooker to come to your club for that price.

[Colk]

We also had a better hooker than Danny Levi back in those days

He’s our most experienced spine player by quite a way. Whinge all you like, but he isn’t going anywhere so enjoy the show.

And like it or not Danny and all the other players we have are the players we have

And there isn't really anyone on the open market we are likely to get or are even available

You can either support this team of youthful inexperience and determination or have unrealistic expectations, and complain and whinge each week

I for one am going to love every minute of watching this young team grow

We have Woolford in reserves who's better. And we could have had a go at Koroisau or Mahoney who left their clubs for only 650k. We had 900K free from Hodgo leaving.

You keep trotting this one out but we didn't have the money at the time. Players get upgraded - Tapine, Timoko, Horse and Young to name a few. Notably, those guys stayed in Sydney. To leave Sydney you're paying over that price and I doubt very much that Api is on anything less than 800k. By the time we upgraded those players mentioned that 900k from Hodgo was more like 450k. You ain't getting a top line hooker to come to your club for that price.

The point is though that’s not an excuse not to buy somebody. You have to actually sometimes recruit from the outside rather than re-sign and upgrade all the time.

It’s also not an excuse to have Danny Levi as your starting hooker. The club surely has to aim higher than that.