Where now for the Raiders?

I’m not a Raiders supporter, but they’re local and I’d like to see them doing well.

My question for the ‘management’ would be: why bother buying wingers from other clubs?
You could have Ken Irvine playing outside Jarrod Croker and it would make no difference.
This guy consistently kicks more goals each game than he makes passes.

Learoyd Lahrs is very unhappy camper and is looking at greener pastures.
If Jarod Crocker keeps punching the ground he will dig his way though to China with the amount of tackles he is now missing. The left side defense or the lack of it – they appear to be directing traffic to their own try line.

The word is the cheque book is coming out and there are some worried current players.

Steve Browne said :

Ricky Stuart in all the post match press conferences this year after his side has been flogged goes on about how his team is trying and that the players are upset in the dressing rooms so he wants to be careful what he says. After yesterdays showing I think it is clear a number of players have been told they are going to be cut next year – hence why they really don’t care. The raiders are in a shambles. Ricky has also come out and said he wants to ‘protect’ players like Mitch Cornish as he needs to gain some further ‘strength’ before he gains a regular role in first grade. I bet Mitch Cornish would not be brushed aside as easily as Terry Campese was yesterday when trying to tackle!

Full credit to all you Raiders fans who turned up yesterday and stuck by the side until the final whistle.

What do you suggest the team needs to do (outside of calls for sacking the coach – Ricky has inherited this below par squad so needs some time to turn things around).

What happened to Tom Learoyd-Lahrs? Is he injured?

Learoyd-Lahrs has been playing for Mounties all year as far as I know. Out of favour with Ricky for some reason. He may get the call-up in the next few weeks though, given the injuries from yesterday’s game and the second-tier salary cap restrictions.

We won’t know until next year but I think Ricky’s plan for Cornish is right. The step up from U20’s to first grade is often underestimated, giving Cornish a year with Mounties to battle-harden could be the right move, particularly from a defensive perspective.

Ricky Stuart in all the post match press conferences this year after his side has been flogged goes on about how his team is trying and that the players are upset in the dressing rooms so he wants to be careful what he says. After yesterdays showing I think it is clear a number of players have been told they are going to be cut next year – hence why they really don’t care. The raiders are in a shambles. Ricky has also come out and said he wants to ‘protect’ players like Mitch Cornish as he needs to gain some further ‘strength’ before he gains a regular role in first grade. I bet Mitch Cornish would not be brushed aside as easily as Terry Campese was yesterday when trying to tackle!

Full credit to all you Raiders fans who turned up yesterday and stuck by the side until the final whistle.

What do you suggest the team needs to do (outside of calls for sacking the coach – Ricky has inherited this below par squad so needs some time to turn things around).

What happened to Tom Learoyd-Lahrs? Is he injured?

I disagree. Having a not-so-successful Holden Cup team could actually be a good thing for the Raiders. The current crop will have to work hard, probably through the NSW Cup side, to break into first grade. Our success at the junior level in the past, I feel, has just inflated the players’ egos and has led to the poor attitude of recent senior teams/players. Dugan is the best example of this, he was in that U20’s side that won the comp in 2008(?), came into first grade thinking he was better than everyone else, and eventually got the boot for his d*ckhead attitude/behaviour.

Immediately withdraw all direct and backdoor government funding – there are already enough lost causes being funded by us ratepayers.
I think there are more people in Canberra that support the Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm than the “local” Raiders.
Even the NRL treats the Raiders with contempt.

mountainman said :

Its starts at the top, Don Furners Jnr and the culture he has created has bogged down the raiders for years. And campo should have been off the field after his 35th minor injury, he only got the jump off due to being Davids nephew.The real money for these guys are the clubs they own and this seems to distract the management team.

You mean the culture of getting rid of grubs like Carney, Dugan and Ferguson only for them to be picked up by other clubs?

The problem is with the playing group. The Raiders team that won the wooden spoon in 1982 lacked ability but played with passion and heart. I remember “Nana” Grant, Jon Hardy and John McLeod ripping and tearing in and hurting the opposition with hard running and tackling.

The 2014 team lack ability and ticker and can’t expect supporters to show up to performances like that.

I say sack the lot of them and bring in the best players from the local A Grade comp – they would relish the opportunity to play in the NRL and would definitely play with enthusiasm and heart.

Its starts at the top, Don Furners Jnr and the culture he has created has bogged down the raiders for years. And campo should have been off the field after his 35th minor injury, he only got the jump off due to being Davids nephew.The real money for these guys are the clubs they own and this seems to distract the management team.

Look at it this way; they can’t get any worse.