There have been bigger losing margins in the club’s proud 32-year history, but you’d be hard pressed to find a more inept performance from a team in lime green than the one on Sunday afternoon.

The Raiders could consider themselves fortunate only to go down by 36 points to the Titans.

Some even joked they were flattered with a nil beside their name.

Thirty of those Titans points came in the one of the most lop-sided halves of rugby league.

We’re talking a disparity akin to Sonny Bill Williams stepping in the ring with an Auckland garbage collector.

Sure, you could’ve fried an egg on the sweltering Skilled Park surface, with water breaks after 20 minutes and extended half-time breaks used to counter the heat.

Sure, the sudden axing mid-week of Josh Dugan, the Raiders’ highest profile and most expensive player, sent a shudder through the club.

But for professional footballers, those circumstances are no excuse for the pathetic effort dished up on Sunday.

Raiders coach David Furner struggled to hide his frustration at his team’s inability to perform the simplest of tasks – holding on to the ball.

“Worse than disappointing, that was pretty bad,’’ Furner said.

“You can talk about possession until you’re blue in the face, but you’ve got to go out there and execute. It could be easy to say it [the heat and the Dugan saga] probably did affect us, but we’ve got to be bigger than that.

“It’s not panic stations, but it’s not a good looking game.’’

That’s especially when you take into account last week’s 32-10 season-opening loss to the Penrith Panthers.

Pre-season expectations of featuring in the top four appear miles away, with the wooden spoon appearing a more realistic proposition.

It was the second time in the space of 12 months the Raiders have been held scoreless, a 40-0 belting by the Wests Tigers the trigger for a crisis camp on the Central Coast and sparking an end of season resurgence.

Raiders co-captain David Shillington used Cronulla’s emotional win over the Titans last week – in the midst of the Sharks being investigated by ASADA – as proof the Dugan situation or the extreme weather shouldn’t have resulted in such a dramatic downfall.

“I don’t want to use it as an excuse, because the Sharks had a good win after a horror week last week,’’ Shillington said.

“There’s got to be pride in the jersey, because there’s a lack of energy and effort and motivation from people pushing up in support and getting numbers in the tackle.

“We’re saying and doing the right things, but we’re just dropping it on the second and third play on our own end.’’

Perhaps the only positive is next Sunday’s opponent, and the more friendly 6.30pm timeslot.

You have to go back to 2000 to find the last time St George Illawarra tasted success in the ACT.

But, even with the Dragons looking decidedly sluggish through their first two losses, they’d back themselves to end their hoodoo against this rabble of a side.

Furner has hinted at changes, but first must look over a video of the game which should be rated R18+ for extreme horror.

He does have options.

Injured forwards Joel Thompson (shoulder) and Brett White (bicep) are expected to be available for selection, while hooker Glen Buttriss is sure to be considered after playing more than 70 minutes in the NSW Cup on Saturday.

They could also be tempted to send an SOS to star centre Blake Ferguson and re-instate the Country representative.

Ferguson crossed for two tries for Mounties in his first game since being stood down indefinitely for his role in Dugan-gate.

Furner hasn’t considered that prospect. Not yet, anyway.

“That’s the furthest thing from my mind,’’ Furner said.

“I just need to look at individual performances there today then we’ll have a look.

“That’s where we’re at.’’

The Raiders' poor day was capped off when Tom Learoyd-Lahrs was placed on report for a shoulder charge on Ryan James late in the match.

GOLD COAST TITANS 36 (A Kelly 2 M Srama 2 G Bird K Gordon tries A Sezer 6 goals) bt CANBERRA RAIDERS 0 at Skilled Park. Referees: Adam Devcich, Henry Perenara. Crowd: 12,267.