PLAYING FOR THE FUTURE
He’s unsigned for next season, but Raiders hooker Travis Waddell showed he’s worth a punt with his best game of the year. Often criticised for his lack of running out of dummy-half, Waddell chanced his arm to burrow his way over the tryline for his first four-pointer of the season. He also racked up 25 tackles in an impressive first half before being replaced early after the break for Shaun Berrigan. Waddell’s defence was crucial in a first half where the Raiders had to tackle their way out of trouble. A two-point deficit could have been much larger without Waddell there to plug the gaps in the middle of the field.
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INDIVIDUAL DUEL
Blake Ferguson and Jack Reed pestered each other for the entire 80 minutes in a sensational contest between the two quality centres. Both had their moments. Ferguson put a shot on the England international early in the contest, only for Reed to make his mark on the game, setting up Alex Glenn with a lovely inside ball for the Broncos’ opening try. The pair also got to each other on the half-time break, getting reprimanded by the referees as the teams left the field. One-on-one battles rarely live up to their billing, but this one was right up there.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
It’s not a fortress yet, but the loyal fans of the Canberra Raiders were treated to a rare victory at home. The Raiders had won just three of their previous nine games at Canberra Stadium, and were coming off two big losses against the Gold Coast Titans and the Newcastle Knights. Players were desperate to reward their fans with a better performance, and they duly delivered. The Raiders defended brilliantly in the first half before unleashing the shackles and playing some exciting attacking football after the break. Expect quite a few more than the 9850 who showed up to return in a fortnight’s time for the match against the Roosters.
HOT AND COLD
Writing them off one week, back in finals contention the next. Good luck knowing which Raiders side will turn up. If this one can be there on a consistent basis, finals football is well within reach. Results fell the Raiders’ way to move them within striking distance of the top eight. They have a favourable draw to finish the season, with winnable matches against Penrith and the Sydney Roosters coming up. But that would mean the Raiders stringing together three wins in a row for the first time since late 2010. Keeping a lid on the victory will be the mantra at Raiders HQ this week.
SIMPLE STUFF
More than any other side in the competition, the Raiders rely on a high completion rate to give themselves a chance. They were on song in that department in the first half, finishing 18 of their 19 sets before ending the game with a still adequate 87 per cent completion rate. That gave the Broncos very little ball in their danger end and allowed the Raiders to set their defensive line. And when the Broncos did get on the attack, the Raiders were up to the challenge of making the desperate plays at crucial times.
