Before their eventual sackings this year, neither Blake Ferguson nor Josh Dugan had the respect and courage to personally appear before the Canberra board that had previously shown them extraordinary patience and loyalty.
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Would either of them have the decency now to apologise to their former Raiders teammates, in particular Mitch Cornish?
On Wednesday evening, during the Raiders' training session, team manager John Bonasera handed over a wad of 40 tickets to Cornish, a young promising halfback.
The tickets were for Cornish's family and friends, mainly from his home town of Goulburn.
That was before the NRL stripped the 20-year-old of his own golden ticket to Sunday's game against Cronulla, denying Cornish a chance to make his NRL debut because of a second-tier salary-cap issue.
Cornish has inadvertently become a victim of blatant selfishness from Dugan and Ferguson. The pair didn't just waste their talent in Canberra, they wasted salary-cap space, too.
Although Dugan was sacked after just one match this season, during which he was heckled by Penrith opponents for a ''soft'' performance, he would have been paid about a quarter of his $550,000 annual salary by then because NRL contracts begin in November. That amount counts in Canberra's 2013 salary cap.
Ferguson was on about $300,000 this season but was suspended for seven games for off-field behaviour. Make that 11 games in total when you include the last four matches of the season, where Ferguson hasn't even bothered to turn up and watch his teammates play.
Technically, Cornish could not take the place of Dugan or Ferguson because they all play different positions. But the lack of commitment shown by two of Canberra's highest-paid players has virtually left the Raiders with an NRL squad of 23 available players in their NRL salary cap this year instead of 25.
So the Raiders have dug deep into their ranks, therefore using up their $375,000 second-tier cap.
And now someone who wants to play for the Raiders is being denied the opportunity, while two others leave without any consideration for the opportunity they have had.
Dugan tweeted on Friday ''plenty of money there now'' in terms of the Raiders' salary cap.
But, at this time of year, who is left to spend it on for next year? The pair have thrown Canberra's recruitment plans into chaos.
The NRL failed to de-register Dugan despite him virtually walking out on a two-year contract at the Raiders. They must not make the same mistake with Ferguson because he has brought the game into disrepute and needs to be de-registered as an example to other players.
The NRL also desperately needs to address the second-tier issue before next season.
In Cornish's case, they have applied the rules to the letter. The Raiders have a fit and ready halfback in Sam Williams, so Canberra must play him in preference to Cornish.
But the NRL is able to decide each second-tier salary cap issue on individual merits. Why was the commonsense rule not applied?
Sunday's game between the Raiders and Sharks is virtually a dead rubber.
The NRL highlights the game can impact on the finals series, given the Sharks can leapfrog Canterbury into fifth spot by beating the Raiders.
But the Sharks don't seem particularly interested in this game either. Sharks star Todd Carney endorsed Cornish's selection, while Cronulla has indicated it will be resting some stars before the finals. Skipper Paul Gallen is suspended.
All season, the spotlight has been on the Raiders for every wrong reason imaginable. From spitting on people at a music festival to alcopops on rooftops.
There has been a player charged with indecent assault and another charged with the first doping offences from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority investigation.
There has been a player revolt, resulting in the first coach to be sacked in 32 years. Not to mention the forgettable club record 68-4 defeat at home to Melbourne.
Nothing seems like a surprise any more, only that St Kilda's AFL players set fire to a dwarf on Mad Monday before Raiders players got the chance.
Cornish's selection was a feel-good story to finish the season from hell but now the NRL has turned it into another Canberra controversy.
The NRL has let down the Raiders in this final game, which kicks off at the ridiculous 7pm time slot on Sunday.
What a difference a year in rugby league makes. Canberra's last home game, last year, was a final against the Sharks, where Ferguson scored two tries in front of a crowd of 24,450.
Having done the sums, the Raiders need a crowd of 7192 at Canberra Stadium on Sunday night to avoid their worst home crowd aggregate since 2001. It's a really tough sell for the Raiders.
Thankfully, the crowd will be boosted by Cornish's 40 family and friends, who are still intending to be there.
They could feel cheated. Instead, it's refreshing to see people who put the game and club first, not just themselves.
