Fans need to be patient this season after such an incredible 2025 season. Photo: Jaye Grieshaber.
Watching the Raiders struggle to score tries this season has been hard, given the exhibition they provided in 2025.
The young Raiders tore teams apart with their brilliant attack and expectations were high that it would continue this season.
It hasn’t happened in 2026, raising questions about what has gone wrong with the same group of players, aside from Ethan Sanders replacing Jamal Fogarty.
The predictable, safe nature of the attack was there for all to see against the Roosters and for 62 minutes against Parramatta.
Some of the questions relate to a possible impact on the confidence of some team members in the wake of losses to the Broncos and the Sharks in last year’s finals.
Ethan Sanders, one of the Raiders’ young players. Photo: Jaye Grieshaber.
Is it simply that rival teams now have a better understanding of the Raiders’ attacking players?
Or is it a young team that may have over-excelled in 2025, and we need to show more patience with young players, especially young halfbacks?
Beyond the obvious, it is worth looking at the statistics when comparing this season with last year.
I’m not sure how accurate AI is at analysing statistics, but I will give it a go.
In the 2025 regular season, the Raiders averaged 2.27 line breaks and 4.62 tries per game.
So far in 2026, the Raiders are averaging 4.6 line breaks. Kaeo Weekes is the leading Raider with eight tries, but they have only scored an average of 3.4 tries through 13 matches.
Ethan Sanders and Kaeo Weekes celebrating a try in a game against the Penrith Panthers in May this year. Photo: Jaye Grieshaber.
So, there are more line breaks this season on average, but fewer tries.
A conclusion arising from these AI statistics reflects an inability to capitalise on opportunities through dropped balls, poor decision-making, or a lack of support play, or it could be (to repeat a point) that defences are now better at reading the Raiders?
On social media, after the Parramatta game, Ricky Stuart was getting plenty of free advice, but he held firm in his support for his young players.
“It’s a time where they need their coach to be around them and supporting them,” Stuart said.
“I’ve got a lot of players in there who are very young in their footy careers. As head coach, it’s my job to be careful regarding where they’re at, at the moment. You don’t want to break anybody’s spirit.”
From my point of view, it’s the right approach.
There is a theory that coaches will lose the dressing room with relentless blow-ups every time the team loses.
It might be effective once or twice, but young players will either go into their shells or tune out.
The problems in attack are fixable; as fans, we need to be patient. Abusing players on social media does little to fix a problem.
The Raiders’ next home game is against the Dragons at GIO on 28 June. Get your tickets at Ticketek.
