The Bigger Picture

[Guest]

Just finished watching the Raiders win

Got me thinking about a few things

Notwithstanding the fact that we're 3 from 5. which we'd all have taken, and that my hopes remain relatively high, it's interesting to compare us and them on some levels.

Firstly to the Raiders. What a nice side they have building.

What about their backs? Vidot, brilliant - superstar in the making, Duggan (sic?) likewise, Thompson, Croker - all very, very good

Campese. A bit like Braith, but just that bit better at, well, everything.

Then there's Shillo. The disbelievers on here will eat their words within 2 years. At 25yo he continues to improve. At 31 with Ryles, we just hope he stays semi-fit, then we just hope

The only spark we have is a bought player in Carney, that we were lucky to get. Can you imagine if we didn't have him? We'd be 0 from 5 or maybe 1 from 5. I leave Pearce out because as far as spark goes, although he's improving, he's 2 classes below Carney. Obviously no need to mention Braith here.

The players we look to at the moment are guys like Conn, Kouparitsas, Guerra, Graham, Ryles. Common denominator(s)?

We have Mini and Sam out wide. I believe Mini is close to finished, but if he is to be given the shot he deserves, he goes to fullback. Sam is a great trier, but lets face it, he's no Vidot. Sam's renowned for running from dummy half out of the defensive 20, Vidot for brilliant speed and scary attack. And Mini is no Duggan. Duggan is brilliant.

I love Mitch Aubusson. He's among our very best, no doubt. Maybe that's a worry though.

I don't love brother James. Not in the top 10 hookers in the comp.

Generally, we don't unearth players.

Canberra's biggest names made those names there.

Campese, Duggan, Tongue, Croker, Leahroyd Lars, Thompson, Vidot, all of them pretty much, except Logan (who still goes excellent, seems like 20 years ago he played here), Tilse, Shillo, and no doubt 1 or 2 others.

Braith? - made name elsewhere (same place he left leg at before coming here)

Carney? - used to play for the Raiders, believe it or not...

Pearce - yes, he did indeed make his name here. But he's the only one

We don't have any other stars

They'll be very hard to beat on Saturday the Raiders, and deserve clear favouritism.

[Billy Gunn]

Good summary and interesting read, but please try to leave the Anasta undertones out of a few posts it's getting tiring and you ruin the rest of the post.

would you have been that glowing about them this time last week when the had 30 to blot scored against them in the final 25 minutes?

like our side when the raiders are hot they look dynamite but it just depends which team turns up each week.

[BUDDY]

They also beat a team who should be 0-5 and lost to the Sharks just last week.

[TheLoneRooster]

Ah the Raiders, I do enjoy watching them play as I think they're a very good side. Croker, Dugan, Fensom, Joel Thompson, Tongue - there's some great players young and older. Not once tonight did they look pathetic, amateurish, uninterested or unfit which is something I can't say about the Roosters. "The Anus" is now calling the Roosters "The Sydney Ice Cubes" which is bloody funny but oh so true - add heat and they melt.

Rd 1 - beat an underdone vermin
Rd 2 - should have smashed the tigpies but didn't and went to sleep in the last 20
Rd 3 - I have suppressed that memory
Rd 4 - lucky to overcome an U20s boncos side
Rd 5 - another poor display by this seemingly unfit and clueless side

Only the wins in Rd 1 and to a lesser extent Rd 2 had some merit - in the other games they were shyte. As others have said, it isn't the losing that bothers me, it is the manner of losing that annoys me so much. I thought this type of form was going to be left in 2009 but alas I was wrong.

[Kingbilly]

A little deeper.
Look at alot of those kids for Canberra. They came from a sensational NYC team that won the comp 2 years ago. That might imply a bit or discipline and a decent attitude.

What has been missing at the Roosters, discipline and a decent attitude. Especially in the NYC. I wish to exclude 2 juniors from those comments, Luke Towers and Tom Symonds.
IF some of these other players had been kicked up the arse a few times we might have a much better team.

The Rot was there and its going to take more than 1 offseason to kill it off

[Guest]

They also beat a team who should be 0-5 and lost to the Sharks just last week.

Like I said, it's the bigger picture I'm referring to, not form lines from the last 2weeks.

They would appear to have so much more upside than us, if not this year, than in the next couple absolutely. Of course, they'll struggle to keep all those players. We'll no doubt be lurking.

We have a somwhat ageing, composite side, made up predominantly of guys who aren't that young, and have come from other clubs. Some we've paid big money for. Some we (hopefully) didn't have to, because they were not players in demand.

They're doing something right that we aren't

[Guest]

Canberra are also tough. We're not.

[Billy Gunn]

Canberra are also tough. We're not.

how tough were they last week....??

[Guest]

Josh Dugan is amazing. This kid will go all the way.

Vidot is next in line.

[Red.]

I don't know what you're story is TOK but you are full of shit IMO.

There is plenty of exciting young talent at the Roosters.

JWH, Pearce, Aubbusson, Cherrington, Symonds, Jones and SKD are all under 23 and have a wealth of first grade experience.

Add to that youngsters like Cordner, Williamson, Blair, Lowe, Moeakiola, Miller and more and the club is headed in the right direction.

[horrie hastings]

how tough were they last week....??

What they did in the first 30 mins against the Tigers would be enough to beat us at the moment.

[Guest]

Whatever, every year everyone crows on about the Raiders and their youth, yet in the last 5 years what have they done? Underachieved every year. This year will be the same. Good young talent, no structure to speak of.

As for their young stars:
Dugan - star through and through
Vidot - great attacking player, shady under the bomb
Crocker - great player, undersized, fantastic footwork
Thompson - stop gap second rower playing centre, big and fast, horrible defence
Campese - quality, real football brain
Bronson Harrison - star
Fensom - I can't believe you haven't mentioned him, he has I pressed me the most apart from Dugan.
Shillington is garbage, Tilse on the other hand is going great guns

I think you got carried away by today's impressive victory.

[Cockadoodledoo]

Whatever, every year everyone crows on about the Raiders and their youth, yet in the last 5 years what have they done? Underachieved every year. This year will be the same. Good young talent, no structure to speak of.

As for their young stars:
Dugan - star through and through
Vidot - great attacking player, shady under the bomb
Crocker - great player, undersized, fantastic footwork
Thompson - stop gap second rower playing centre, big and fast, horrible defence
Campese - quality, real football brain
Bronson Harrison - star
Fensom - I can't believe you haven't mentioned him, he has I pressed me the most apart from Dugan.
Shillington is garbage, Tilse on the other hand is going great guns

I think you got carried away by today's impressive victory.

I know the stats on nrl.com can be a little dodgy and they will update later but he had 10 hitups for 69 metres and 11 tackles and 7 missed and an error thrown in. I would rather Logan than this once every 2 month performer.

[Guest]

Logan has certainly grown a leg this season. Honest toiler.

[crikey chris]

In a couple of years, Josh Duggan will be vying with Billy Slater for the Aussie fullback jumper.

Crikey.