Ethan Sanders signs three year deal with Canberra Raiders

[Ruben Daley]

In 2026, Strange, Sanders and Chevy will still only be 21 years old. I’d like to think we’d be up towards the top of the table but they’ll still be very young for spine players and I think having the premiership cut-off date that soon is unreasonable.

Strange could have 40-50 games under his belt by then and Chevy not far off though I’d anticipate fewer.

But Sanders may only get a couple of NRL games this year and maybe even next. 2026 could be his first season starting full-time.

And that doesn’t account for injuries or loss of form.

For comparison, Mitch Moses debuted at 19 and left the Tigers at 22 at the same time as Teddy who was 24 and when Brooks was also 22. That Tigers team never even made the finals.

That is as talented a trio as any to arise at the one time at the same club but none of them had reached their potential four seasons into their careers when the band broke up.

Now, obviously the Tigers are not an organisation we want to compare ourselves with and that was probably a factor in the lack of success but giving our trio two or three seasons to be Penrith is unrealistic in my opinion.

We’ll have older and more experienced players around them but this is our spine. It’ll take time.

[Regs Revolution]

In 2026, Strange, Sanders and Chevy will still only be 21 years old. I’d like to think we’d be up towards the top of the table but they’ll still be very young for spine players and I think having the premiership cut-off date that soon is unreasonable.

Strange could have 40-50 games under his belt by then and Chevy not far off though I’d anticipate fewer.

But Sanders may only get a couple of NRL games this year and maybe even next. 2026 could be his first season starting full-time.

And that doesn’t account for injuries or loss of form.

For comparison, Mitch Moses debuted at 19 and left the Tigers at 22 at the same time as Teddy who was 24 and when Brooks was also 22. That Tigers team never even made the finals.

That is as talented a trio as any to arise at the one time at the same club but none of them had reached their potential four seasons into their careers when the band broke up.

Now, obviously the Tigers are not an organisation we want to compare ourselves with and that was probably a factor in the lack of success but giving our trio two or three seasons to be Penrith is unrealistic in my opinion.

We’ll have older and more experienced players around them but this is our spine. It’ll take time.

Please just stop with your accurate, rational, logical and sane thinking. It does not belong here.

Only wild speculation, baseless and unreasonable views are welcomed here.

I’d love to throw a question out there to people? In the time that Stuart has been coach, do you believe we have over achieved or under achieved with respect to the cattle we have had at the time?

[Coastalraider]

In 2026, Strange, Sanders and Chevy will still only be 21 years old. I’d like to think we’d be up towards the top of the table but they’ll still be very young for spine players and I think having the premiership cut-off date that soon is unreasonable.

Strange could have 40-50 games under his belt by then and Chevy not far off though I’d anticipate fewer.

But Sanders may only get a couple of NRL games this year and maybe even next. 2026 could be his first season starting full-time.

And that doesn’t account for injuries or loss of form.

For comparison, Mitch Moses debuted at 19 and left the Tigers at 22 at the same time as Teddy who was 24 and when Brooks was also 22. That Tigers team never even made the finals.

That is as talented a trio as any to arise at the one time at the same club but none of them had reached their potential four seasons into their careers when the band broke up.

Now, obviously the Tigers are not an organisation we want to compare ourselves with and that was probably a factor in the lack of success but giving our trio two or three seasons to be Penrith is unrealistic in my opinion.

We’ll have older and more experienced players around them but this is our spine. It’ll take time.

Please just stop with your accurate, rational, logical and sane thinking. It does not belong here.

Only wild speculation, baseless and unreasonable views are welcomed here.

I’d love to throw a question out there to people? In the time that Stuart has been coach, do you believe we have over achieved or under achieved with respect to the cattle we have had at the time?

I’ll throw a parallel to that which I find far more intriguing and harder to answer - in the last decade, regardless of finishing position, how many years do you think we have utilised the squad to the most of their collective abilities?

[Roger Kenworthy]

In 2026, Strange, Sanders and Chevy will still only be 21 years old. I’d like to think we’d be up towards the top of the table but they’ll still be very young for spine players and I think having the premiership cut-off date that soon is unreasonable.

Strange could have 40-50 games under his belt by then and Chevy not far off though I’d anticipate fewer.

But Sanders may only get a couple of NRL games this year and maybe even next. 2026 could be his first season starting full-time.

And that doesn’t account for injuries or loss of form.

For comparison, Mitch Moses debuted at 19 and left the Tigers at 22 at the same time as Teddy who was 24 and when Brooks was also 22. That Tigers team never even made the finals.

That is as talented a trio as any to arise at the one time at the same club but none of them had reached their potential four seasons into their careers when the band broke up.

Now, obviously the Tigers are not an organisation we want to compare ourselves with and that was probably a factor in the lack of success but giving our trio two or three seasons to be Penrith is unrealistic in my opinion.

We’ll have older and more experienced players around them but this is our spine. It’ll take time.

This sort of illustrates the point though. Moses, Brooks and Teddy all went their separate ways due to their lack of quick success. If there isn't early success and the Raiders adopt a plan where they are happy to be at the foot of the ladder for 4 or 5 years while playing the same spine then that'd be fairly uncharted waters.

NRL teams generally don't operate with that much rope. 3 years of no success is generally all it takes to blow things up and start again.

[Mr Squiggle]

Good news, but he's a kid and still needs quality coaching and mentoring, something Ricky has demonstrated over 20+ years that he is incapable of providing, especially for halves and hookers.

[NoMan]

The Tigers were an absolute **** off the field and had a lot of out of control egos from older players which meant the environment for those guys was trash. It’s not comparable to whats in place at Canberra.

I also don’t think its just a trio they are relying on or that the club will stop building talent including senior players. I also think the core of players outside those three is a lot more quality.

I don’t expect top 4 straight away but I am sure the team will be at least in the fight for the 8 given the clubs culture and the fact they were with the worst spine in their history last year.

[Wiki Special]

Being Premiership contenders in 2029 with Stewart/Strange/Sanders is more realistic than 2026, in my opinion. Especially given GE says we have a highly touted 9 coming through the juniors too.

[bayraider]

So can someone say, when we can officially announce his signing??
By my calculations next Friday. GE?

[The Nickman]

You do understand Sanders rocks up in 25 right Rick ?

You do understand that’s a huge dubby right Peej?

I’m tired.

Need rest.

Happens to the best of us, m8.

[The Nickman]

So can someone say, when we can officially announce his signing??
By my calculations next Friday. GE?

Tomorrow.

[Finchy]

So can someone say, when we can officially announce his signing??
By my calculations next Friday. GE?

Tomorrow.

On Team List Tuesday? Oh goody

[Botman]

I’d love to throw a question out there to people? In the time that Stuart has been coach, do you believe we have over achieved or under achieved with respect to the cattle we have had at the time?

It’s his cattle.
He hand picked it… if he’s over performed and the cattle he picked isn’t good enough, its on him
If we under performed because he didn’t get enough out to the talent, it’s on him.

So which ever way you want to go with it, results are results and it’s on him

[Botman]

In 2026, Strange, Sanders and Chevy will still only be 21 years old. I’d like to think we’d be up towards the top of the table but they’ll still be very young for spine players and I think having the premiership cut-off date that soon is unreasonable.

Strange could have 40-50 games under his belt by then and Chevy not far off though I’d anticipate fewer.

But Sanders may only get a couple of NRL games this year and maybe even next. 2026 could be his first season starting full-time.

And that doesn’t account for injuries or loss of form.

For comparison, Mitch Moses debuted at 19 and left the Tigers at 22 at the same time as Teddy who was 24 and when Brooks was also 22. That Tigers team never even made the finals.

That is as talented a trio as any to arise at the one time at the same club but none of them had reached their potential four seasons into their careers when the band broke up.

Now, obviously the Tigers are not an organisation we want to compare ourselves with and that was probably a factor in the lack of success but giving our trio two or three seasons to be Penrith is unrealistic in my opinion.

We’ll have older and more experienced players around them but this is our spine. It’ll take time.

I don’t expect them to be winning premierships, and no one at all suggested a juggernaut like the panthers
So let’s square those strawmen away nice and early

By the end of 2026 and at least 2027, with the talent now as our disposal we should be seeing the team pushing toward the top 4 or at least showing that is a reasonable goal in the near future

The reason the tigers broke up that lot was it didn’t just not translate into any early success. It didn’t translate into success at all
If we fall in the same boat, it is imperative that we do not give up on the talent but rather look at our environment and try and find a way to correct it and allow them to thrive

It’s not premierships we need by 2026-27, it’s success and development to a level where we can honestly and earnestly say that a premiership is an achievable goal

The goal should be that in 5 years time when these lads are 23-24 that we’re pushing for a title
But if it’s not trending the way it should (even accounting for the idea that development is not linear) in 3, then we can’t afford to squander this talent waiting an extra 2 years to keep doing the same thing and hoping for different results

[Finchy]

I’d love to throw a question out there to people? In the time that Stuart has been coach, do you believe we have over achieved or under achieved with respect to the cattle we have had at the time?

It’s his cattle.
He hand picked it… if he’s over performed and the cattle he picked isn’t good enough, its on him
If we under performed because he didn’t get enough out to the talent, it’s on him.

So which ever way you want to go with it, results are results and it’s on him

I feel like if we’ve gone well we’ve overachieved as our roster isn’t as good as most top 4 sides, especially in the spine.

I feel like if we’ve gone poorly we’ve underachieved as our forward pack is as good or better than many top 4 sides.

2014- Par. **** roster
2015- Par. Improved roster.
2016- Over.
2017- Under.
2018- Under.
2019- Over.
2020- Over.
2021- Under.
2022- Under.
2023- Under.

[The Nickman]

I'd put 2020 as a par, actually. We should've made the prelims that year, and we did.

Probably agree with the rest of your ratings though, Finchy.

[greeneyed]

So can someone say, when we can officially announce his signing??
By my calculations next Friday. GE?

Ten days after Ethan Sanders officially notified the Parramatta Eels of his intention to accept an offer from the Canberra Raiders, he can then choose to accept the Canberra Raiders’ offer. Say he notified yesterday, he could then “sign” on next Friday/Saturday. If he notified last Monday, it could be as early as this Thursday/Friday.

[Northern Raider]

I'd put 2020 as a par, actually. We should've made the prelims that year, and we did.

Probably agree with the rest of your ratings though, Finchy.

That's fair. We were grand finalists the previous year so final 4 was reasonable to expect.

[Northern Raider]

So can someone say, when we can officially announce his signing??
By my calculations next Friday. GE?

Ten days after Ethan Sanders officially notified the Parramatta Eels of his intention to accept an offer from the Canberra Raiders, he can then choose to accept the Canberra Raiders’ offer. Say he notified yesterday, he could then “sign” on next Friday/Saturday. If he notified last Monday, it could be as early as this Thursday/Friday.

It's unclear as to when the official 10 day period began so we're guessing on the contract lodging can take place.

[Ruben Daley]

Seems like most people are fairly close to agreeing about what constitutes success and when based on the above comments. We expect the young trio to be supported and developed, so we’re looking dangerous in 2026-7 with strong indications we’re tracking for premiership contention in the following years.

The risk is the club mismanages the situation by doing a Tigers or otherwise undermining the talent we have, which is a genuine concern given how long it’s been since we turned potential into actual results. Not to mention the issues with selections, bench use, strategy etc. we’ve seen over the past decade.

Ricky has shown a decent ability to recruit lesser names who overachieve, including Hosking and, to a lesser extent, Sisagi (and maybe Kaeo) this season.

I’m hopeful this will continue while we develop the youth into top tier talent because that’s the method the Storm and Panthers have both used.

But I do think this should be Ricky’s last chance to get it right.

[Raidersteve]

I’d love to throw a question out there to people? In the time that Stuart has been coach, do you believe we have over achieved or under achieved with respect to the cattle we have had at the time?

It’s his cattle.
He hand picked it… if he’s over performed and the cattle he picked isn’t good enough, its on him
If we under performed because he didn’t get enough out to the talent, it’s on him.

So which ever way you want to go with it, results are results and it’s on him

To suggest the cattle is 100% on Ricky completely ignores any and all challenges the Raiders face in recruitment of players.

In general absolute gun players that win premierships haven't come to Canberra or if they do it is on massive overs and weaken the rest of the side as a result.

You can say that this is Ricky's cattle but I am sure there are a number of players that Ricky would absolutely love to have in his side that just aren't possible. That can't all be on Ricky there is only so much he can do.

We have had good and bad years under Ricky but on paper have generally over achieved.

Sent from my SM-S908E using Tapatalk

[Finchy]

I’d love to throw a question out there to people? In the time that Stuart has been coach, do you believe we have over achieved or under achieved with respect to the cattle we have had at the time?

It’s his cattle.
He hand picked it… if he’s over performed and the cattle he picked isn’t good enough, its on him
If we under performed because he didn’t get enough out to the talent, it’s on him.

So which ever way you want to go with it, results are results and it’s on him

To suggest the cattle is 100% on Ricky completely ignores any and all challenges the Raiders face in recruitment of players.

In general absolute gun players that win premierships haven't come to Canberra or if they do it is on massive overs and weaken the rest of the side as a result.

You can say that this is Ricky's cattle but I am sure there are a number of players that Ricky would absolutely love to have in his side that just aren't possible. That can't all be on Ricky there is only so much he can do.

We have had good and bad years under Ricky but on paper have generally over achieved.

Sent from my SM-S908E using Tapatalk

Agreed. Ricky has tried to get Tedesco, JWH, Mansour, Proctor, Fifita, etc here and there are probably countless others we don't know about. He's picked the cattle that were available to be picked but certainly didn't get his pick of the cattle he's wanted over the years.

[Botman]

Welcome to sports.

There isn’t a coach in the world, not even in sports like soccer, who gets every player he wants. Even the bloke coaching Real Madrid has to accept potential recruits electing to going to other clubs.
Is the premise that unless he gets all his top targets he’s not responsible or accountable to results? And I answer - no, I don’t think you guys think that either.

Everyone is aware of the challenges this club faces with recruitment but the job is the job. You don’t just get to throw your hands up in the air and say “oh it’s too hard so no one judge me for it!”
It is hard. No one is saying it’s not. But that’s the job you signed up for. And like any coach, you can either overcome the challenges a club has or if you can’t, eventually they’ll try and find someone else who can.

You don’t get to bitch about the cattle when you’re the guy picking it for a decade plus.

If it’s not good enough it’s because he’s not been able to overcome the challenges associated with this job to a sufficient level… if the job is too hard, quit and give some one a go.

And FWIW and I’ve said it a few times… Recruitment is not a major issue for this club imo. We’ll never recruit high end superstar spine players, but I don’t think we need to either.
Stuart has done a wonderful job recruiting, he has his misses but for the most part the recruitment has been good.

As a result the club is loaded with talent and talent at the positions that matter, positions that move the needle… but now it’s time for Stuart the coach, the developer to mould these kids into world class footballers. To put an environment and system in place to allow that talent to flourish. To help guide, teach and coach these exceptional young talents into not just being NRL players, not being good footballers but into premiership winners

That’s the job in front of him and if he can’t do it with this group, I don’t want to hear excuses about the cattle

[Finchy]

Welcome to sports.

There isn’t a coach in the world, not even in sports like soccer, who gets every player he wants. Even the bloke coaching Real Madrid has to accept potential recruits electing to going to other clubs.
Is the premise that unless he gets all his top targets he’s not responsible or accountable to results? And I answer - no, I don’t think you guys think that either.

Everyone is aware of the challenges this club faces with recruitment but the job is the job. You don’t just get to throw your hands up in the air and say “oh it’s too hard so no one judge me for it!”
It is hard. No one is saying it’s not. But that’s the job you signed up for. And like any coach, you can either overcome the challenges a club has or if you can’t, eventually they’ll try and find someone else who can.

You don’t get to bitch about the cattle when you’re the guy picking it for a decade plus.

If it’s not good enough it’s because he’s not been able to overcome the challenges associated with this job to a sufficient level… if the job is too hard, quit and give some one a go.

And FWIW and I’ve said it a few times… Recruitment is not a major issue for this club imo. We’ll never recruit high end superstar spine players, but I don’t think we need to either.
Stuart has done a wonderful job recruiting, he has his misses but for the most part the recruitment has been good.

As a result the club is loaded with talent and talent at the positions that matter, positions that move the needle… but now it’s time for Stuart the coach, the developer to mould these kids into world class footballers. To put an environment and system in place to allow that talent to flourish. To help guide, teach and coach these exceptional young talents into not just being NRL players, not being good footballers but into premiership winners

That’s the job in front of him and if he can’t do it with this group, I don’t want to hear excuses about the cattle

I agree that not getting all the cattle you want is part of the job. That's why he's had to adapt and overcome after missing out on so many big fish by raiding ESL and poaching talented juniors.

But surely you can see clubs like the Roosters or Broncos (who can basically sign whoever they want) gives Robbo and Walters an advantage over Ricky when recruitment is never an issue for them?

Roosters have no dramas signing Keary, Tedesco, Crichton, Smith, Sualii, Leniu, Young, etc. We could never recruit the level of talent they do for the same $$$.

[NoMan]

Yeah, the Raiders are real closer to a mid table Premier League team than a Real Madrid.

[Botman]

But surely you can see clubs like the Roosters or Broncos (who can basically sign whoever they want) gives Robbo and Walters an advantage over Ricky when recruitment is never an issue for them?

Roosters have no dramas signing Keary, Tedesco, Crichton, Smith, Sualii, Leniu, Young, etc. We could never recruit the level of talent they do for the same $$$.

So what? Now what?

He’s not coaching the roosters. He did that and once he got the keys to his own car he **** it up.
He’s coaching the raiders and it comes with its own set of unique challenges.
That’s the job he signed up for. The job is the job man. Is it hard? Sure. But he knew that when he took the job.

We can keep talking about how hard it is to recruit established stars to this club and that’s true. But again, it’s not recruitment that’s holding him or this club back.

Stuart’s best attribute is that he’s an excellent recruiter. We are doing fine there given our limitations. I’ve got no issues or complaints about recruitment.

It’s the other stuff that’s held Stuart back as a coach over his career. And that’s the stuff he’s got to do now. There are very few young spine players in Stuart’s coaching resume who he’s developed into world class footballers and there is not a strong history of creating an environment and system for innovative or even just modern attacking football
He’s always been a fairly conservative coach and not particularly tactical on game day

But that’s what we need from him now. High level development of these talented spine players and a modern approach to football and tactics.

And back to the point… he definitely should be afforded time to do that. It’s not going to happen in a year. But in 3 years, we should at least see the fruits of this labour begin to show.

[woppadingo]

Good news, but he's a kid and still needs quality coaching and mentoring, something Ricky has demonstrated over 20+ years that he is incapable of providing, especially for halves and hookers.

I think one of the reasons they have come is they see how the club has gotten the best out of players, and how some have developed under the Raiders system. That and a respect for the culture at the club.

(Re Leilua, Rapana, Tapine. Fogarty, Timoko, even Savage, and others who have come from nothing and become rep playets under Stuart)

[woppadingo]

Good news, but he's a kid and still needs quality coaching and mentoring, something Ricky has demonstrated over 20+ years that he is incapable of providing, especially for halves and hookers.

I think one of the reasons they have come is they see how the club has gotten the best out of players, and how some have developed under the Raiders system. That and a respect for the culture at the club.

(Re Leilua, Rapana, Tapine. Fogarty, Timoko, even Savage, and others who have come from nothing and become rep playets under Stuart)

[Finchy]

But surely you can see clubs like the Roosters or Broncos (who can basically sign whoever they want) gives Robbo and Walters an advantage over Ricky when recruitment is never an issue for them?

Roosters have no dramas signing Keary, Tedesco, Crichton, Smith, Sualii, Leniu, Young, etc. We could never recruit the level of talent they do for the same $$$.

So what? Now what?

He’s not coaching the roosters. He did that and once he got the keys to his own car he **** it up.
He’s coaching the raiders and it comes with its own set of unique challenges.
That’s the job he signed up for. The job is the job man. Is it hard? Sure. But he knew that when he took the job.

We can keep talking about how hard it is to recruit established stars to this club and that’s true. But again, it’s not recruitment that’s holding him or this club back.

Stuart’s best attribute is that he’s an excellent recruiter. We are doing fine there given our limitations. I’ve got no issues or complaints about recruitment.

It’s the other stuff that’s held Stuart back as a coach over his career. And that’s the stuff he’s got to do now. There are very few young spine players in Stuart’s coaching resume who he’s developed into world class footballers and there is not a strong history of creating an environment and system for innovative or even just modern attacking football
He’s always been a fairly conservative coach and not particularly tactical on game day

But that’s what we need from him now. High level development of these talented spine players and a modern approach to football and tactics.

And back to the point… he definitely should be afforded time to do that. It’s not going to happen in a year. But in 3 years, we should at least see the fruits of this labour begin to show.

I’m not saying the recruitment issues compared to the glamour clubs completely absolves Ricky of anything, merely that he has a tougher job with that issue compared to other coaches.

But that aside, I agree he has clear coaching issues that aren’t tied to recruitment. As you pointed out, he struggled at the Roosters in the end, and at Cronulla, and in many seasons here.

Something Bellamy has never done because Bellamy is a better coach who has been able to develop elite talent and get absolute plodders to look a million bucks in their system for 20 odd years.

[Billy Walker]

But surely you can see clubs like the Roosters or Broncos (who can basically sign whoever they want) gives Robbo and Walters an advantage over Ricky when recruitment is never an issue for them?

Roosters have no dramas signing Keary, Tedesco, Crichton, Smith, Sualii, Leniu, Young, etc. We could never recruit the level of talent they do for the same $$$.

So what? Now what?

He’s not coaching the roosters. He did that and once he got the keys to his own car he **** it up.
He’s coaching the raiders and it comes with its own set of unique challenges.
That’s the job he signed up for. The job is the job man. Is it hard? Sure. But he knew that when he took the job.

We can keep talking about how hard it is to recruit established stars to this club and that’s true. But again, it’s not recruitment that’s holding him or this club back.

Stuart’s best attribute is that he’s an excellent recruiter. We are doing fine there given our limitations. I’ve got no issues or complaints about recruitment.

It’s the other stuff that’s held Stuart back as a coach over his career. And that’s the stuff he’s got to do now. There are very few young spine players in Stuart’s coaching resume who he’s developed into world class footballers and there is not a strong history of creating an environment and system for innovative or even just modern attacking football
He’s always been a fairly conservative coach and not particularly tactical on game day

But that’s what we need from him now. High level development of these talented spine players and a modern approach to football and tactics.

And back to the point… he definitely should be afforded time to do that. It’s not going to happen in a year. But in 3 years, we should at least see the fruits of this labour begin to show.

I’m not saying the recruitment issues compared to the glamour clubs completely absolves Ricky of anything, merely that he has a tougher job with that issue compared to other coaches.

But that aside, I agree he has clear coaching issues that aren’t tied to recruitment. As you pointed out, he struggled at the Roosters in the end, and at Cronulla, and in many seasons here.

Something Bellamy has never done because Bellamy is a better coach who has been able to develop elite talent and get absolute plodders to look a million bucks in their system for 20 odd years.

Hope you did a few stretches and limbered up before that epic backflip

[Finchy]

But surely you can see clubs like the Roosters or Broncos (who can basically sign whoever they want) gives Robbo and Walters an advantage over Ricky when recruitment is never an issue for them?

Roosters have no dramas signing Keary, Tedesco, Crichton, Smith, Sualii, Leniu, Young, etc. We could never recruit the level of talent they do for the same $$$.

So what? Now what?

He’s not coaching the roosters. He did that and once he got the keys to his own car he **** it up.
He’s coaching the raiders and it comes with its own set of unique challenges.
That’s the job he signed up for. The job is the job man. Is it hard? Sure. But he knew that when he took the job.

We can keep talking about how hard it is to recruit established stars to this club and that’s true. But again, it’s not recruitment that’s holding him or this club back.

Stuart’s best attribute is that he’s an excellent recruiter. We are doing fine there given our limitations. I’ve got no issues or complaints about recruitment.

It’s the other stuff that’s held Stuart back as a coach over his career. And that’s the stuff he’s got to do now. There are very few young spine players in Stuart’s coaching resume who he’s developed into world class footballers and there is not a strong history of creating an environment and system for innovative or even just modern attacking football
He’s always been a fairly conservative coach and not particularly tactical on game day

But that’s what we need from him now. High level development of these talented spine players and a modern approach to football and tactics.

And back to the point… he definitely should be afforded time to do that. It’s not going to happen in a year. But in 3 years, we should at least see the fruits of this labour begin to show.

I’m not saying the recruitment issues compared to the glamour clubs completely absolves Ricky of anything, merely that he has a tougher job with that issue compared to other coaches.

But that aside, I agree he has clear coaching issues that aren’t tied to recruitment. As you pointed out, he struggled at the Roosters in the end, and at Cronulla, and in many seasons here.

Something Bellamy has never done because Bellamy is a better coach who has been able to develop elite talent and get absolute plodders to look a million bucks in their system for 20 odd years.

Hope you did a few stretches and limbered up before that epic backflip

Nice try Billy, but there was no back flip. Merely pointing out advantages and disadvantages when it comes to recruitment. Coaching ability in general between coaches is a completely different issue.

[Wiki Special]

Regardless of what people think of Ricky as a Coach it appears that the reason we are getting to punt on this trio of junior stars from outside the Raiders system is mostly because of him. The players and their families seem to really appreciate the care he and the club are putting into the players. I'm not sure we'd have any of them agreeing to move to Canberra if he wasn't Coach.

That is my opinion anyway.

[The Nickman]

This whole argument of not being able to buy superstars as an excuse for quite frankly, **** ordinary coaching, is a bit ridiculous to me.

In the last 25 years of the NRL era, the best coach I’ve seen has been Craig Bellamy, hands down.

The best team I’ve seen in the last 25 years, again, hands down, is the Penrith juggernaut of the last five years.

Neither the Melbourne Storm OR the Penrith Panthers have based their successes around buying superstars, in fact they both have a system of developing their own solid junior base and teaching the players to come through with fantastic systems and structures. Essentially every player knows his role on the field.

And this is something our coach has consistently failed at for 11 years. Now, it appears he’s finally figured out the blueprint for success, and the building blocks have been put in place for success in about another half a decade, but why has he taken this long?

And following on from that point, why was he completely unable to build anything from our successes of 2019/20, and in fact the team went completely backwards to the point an entirely new rebuild was even required?

He’s still a very poor coach, in my opinion, although I do have optimism for the recent steps he’s taken for both this season and the next three to four years.

But in the immortal words of Mark Gasnier, “when is enough, too nuff?”

[Dr Zaius]

What number will Sanders be wearing on Sunday GE? Thanks in advance.

[Seiffert82]

Between the terrible coaching, terrible junior development and terrible recruiting I'm surprised we've won a game.

But I do appreciate the irony of this discussion happening in the thread about the Raiders signing the NSW junior Origin halfback from Parramatta for 3 seasons.

I also loved the comparison with our club and Real Madrid when it comes to recruiting challenges. That was a bit left field.

[Northern Raider]

Between the terrible coaching, terrible junior development and terrible recruiting I'm surprised we've won a game.

Made finals 4 of last 5 years inc a GF and PF. Must be doing something right.

We're definitely in reboot mode right now. With such a young group I'm kinda excited about what we might experience as a fan base beyond 2025. Expectations are tempered of course. Been following this club long enough to know that.