As they say, when one door closes, another one opens. Or in the case of the Raiders, when one hoodoo ends, we say goodbye to another.
I couldn’t give you the stats on the last time the Raiders went back to back, but who cares? Consider that hoodoo smashed!
Not only was it great to see the boys get up on the weekend, but it was the manner in which they won, which was pleasing.
Despite being in the game on the scoreboard, the Tigers were never actually in the game.
The boys defended well, they ran harder and they were clearly the more hungry out of the sides.
If that Raiders side had a few more games under their belt together, their game would have flowed more smoothly, and they would have won by 40. Well played!
A few bright stars really stood out. Dane Tilse continues his rise in form and the whole forward pack in general was very impressive.
Vaughan off the bench worked harder than Lindsay Lohan’s publicist.
But a very special mention goes out to Jack Wighton.
Wighton had an outstanding game in what was only his second at fullback.
His positioning was much improved and he was going through more holes than Augusta National.
It was pleasing to watch for the sake we got up, but it was also nice to see improvement in the boys.
Mitch Cornish was a key part of that improvement and I’m looking forward to see how he develops.
There’s no better time to test that development than this weekend against Parramatta.
If you think there’s no reason to get yourself to the game, then think again.
First of all, Parra fans didn’t get their chance to jeer former coach Ricky Stuart earlier this year as the game was taken ‘slightly’ up the road to Darwin.
Away fans will be Commander Keen to travel down from Sydney to send a few boos in Ricky’s direction. Don’t allow us to be outnumbered, Raiders fans!
But most importantly, Parramatta needs to win this weekend to make the finals.
Personally, I’d like nothing more than to see those dreams shattered.
Call me bitter, call me what you like, but if we can’t make the finals, I’d sure as heck like to make sure someone else misses out.
And to finish on a less bitter note, as we’ve missed the finals, this is my last ‘From the stands’ for 2014.
Despite the less than pleasing season on the field, it’s been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to write this column every week.
I love this club like family and win, lose or draw, nothing is going to change that.
So thank you for reading along and I hope to see you all at the game this weekend. Go Raiders!
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS to the match against the Parramatta Eels at GIO Stadium Canberra on Saturday at 5:30pm.
