From the highs of the Titans victory to the lows of the Storm loss, the rollercoaster season continues.
Not all losses feel the same and this one erred on the side of more disappointing than others.
Not just because we lost but because of the way we lost.
The boys had a really good shot at making in four it a row in Melbourne.
We had more ball, more penalties, and at times, a lot more enthusiasm.
But sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. That last bounce, that last pass, that crucial call.
Some days it’s just not meant to be. After Proctor opened the scoring with a bit of a lucky try, it just seemed like one of those ‘not meant to be’ kind of days.
A shot at redemption is on offer this weekend however, against the South Sydney Burgesses… I mean Rabbitohs.
It’s a game I’m really looking forward to for a variety of reasons.
Number one, I think we have a real shot at winning this game.
The bookies and ‘experts’ have written us off as usual, but it’s not a lost cause by any stretch.
Follow the Raiders long enough and expect to witness miracles from time to time.
Monday night, in a cool, dare I say cold stadium, could be one of those miracles.
It wasn’t beyond us in Round 4 this year and it’s not beyond us this Monday night.
Anthony Milford has been in red hot form lately, and expect him to be out to impress against one of the best fullbacks in the competition, Greg Inglis.
Going unnoticed by many, but not Raiders fans, Jarrod Croker is having one of the best seasons of his career.
Expect him to be gunning for a very big performance against the less experienced, Kirisome Auva’a.
One of the real highlights though for any Raiders v Rabbitohs fixture, is the battle of the forward packs.
Without fail, both packs rip into each other, no holds barred.
It’s like a scene out of 300, only more clothing and less Computer-generated Imagery.
Plus I have no doubt, both packs would claim they’re better looking too, but I’ll save that for my gossip column (small caveat – no such column exists).
And getting back on track, another reason to be excited about this Monday’s game - we’re at home! Finally!
It feels like an age since I’ve last seen that frosty turf and I miss it badly!
I might go for a practice drive to the ground this weekend to make sure I still know the way. Did I mention it’s been a long time?
So get on down to GIO Stadium Canberra this Monday and cheer the boys home!
There’s not too long to go this year but there sure is a lot of pride left to salvage.
If nothing else, we can still ruin a few teams’ finals parties by being a pest.
And I’m hopeful we can be the biggest pest in the NRL for the next six weeks.
Come on Raiders!!!
