Joe Tapine wins the Meninga Medal for the fourth year and Simaima Taufa is the Raiders NRLW Player of the Year for the second time. Photo: Canberra Raiders.
Heading into the Raiders presentation night after the drama of the day before at Canberra Stadium, there was cause for some uncertainty.
Would the mood be sombre given the emotion of the golden point extra time loss to the Broncos?
To the contrary. The mood was remarkably upbeat.
Perhaps the best indication of the positive vibe of the night came in Joe Tapine’s acceptance speech after winning the Meninga Medal, as voted on by his teammates and coaches.
Tapine said there was plenty left in the group as they are forced to take a different pathway to the premiership, starting with the Sharks semi-final on Saturday night at Canberra Stadium.
Tapine’s words are a comfort for Raiders fans still smarting from the loss to the Broncos.
His dominance for the Raiders in the NRL was matched this season in the NRLW by Canberra co-captain, Simaima Taufa.
In winning the Meninga Medal for the best and fairest Raiders player in the NRWL for the second year in a row, she demonstrated what a key player she has been since the establishment of the Canberra NRLW team in 2023.
The most surprising award of the night went to Corey Horsburgh, who shared the NRL Coaches Award with Simi Sasagi.
Often referred to as the ‘teacher’s pet’ award, Horsburgh was long odds this time last year to be even considered for the honour, given his falling out with coach Ricky Stuart.
But to his credit, Horsburgh changed his attitude to become a key player in the Raiders’ outstanding season.
Undoubtedly, the most emotional moment of the night came when the Raiders’ NRL wellbeing manager, Andrew Bishop, was presented with the Fred Daly Club Person of the Year.
Bishop spoke of his love for the club and what it meant to him every day going to work with a desire to help the club win a premiership.
Life membership to the club was bolstered by three, with Jason Croker, Jarrod Croker and Josh Papali’i becoming life members 11, 12 and 13.
Papali’i is the first to be inducted while still playing.
Savelio Tamale won the Peter Mulholland NRL Rookie of the Year award while Jordyn Preston won the NRLW Coaches Award in her first season for the club. Eighteen-year-old fullback Elise Simpson was named the Peter Mulholland NRLW Rookie of the Year after her most impressive debut season.
This awards night certainly set the perfect tempo in the lead up to Saturday night’s semi-final.
The Raiders will take on the Sharks at GIO on Saturday, 20 September. Get your tickets at Ticketek.
