NYC Scoop: RaidersIt has been four years since the Canberra Raiders won the inaugural NYC title in 2008, and with a new coach at the helm in 2012, the Raiders have a roster that could make some waves this season.
Andrew Dunemann is no stranger to Canberra having played there in 2007, and he rejoined the club this year to oversee the NYC program after two years as an assistant coach in Newcastle.
He spent some time chatting with
www.raiders.com.au about how the season had unfolded so far for the NYC Raiders.
“I thought we played really tough in Round 1 against the Storm and again on the weekend and unfortunately we didn’t get the result but I was really proud of them. Hopefully we can keep those efforts going we’ll win more games than we lose.”
The 16-10 win over the Storm in week one was followed by a 40-26 victory on the Gold Coast and last Sunday despite suffering a 34-24 loss to the Roosters, Dunemann remained positive given the absence of their halfback and captain.
“We got ourselves in a winning position (against the Roosters), but just a couple of brain explosions when we had the footy cost us. So a bit disappointed I thought we played some good footy, especially without Mitch Cornish who’s been our star player this year.”
Dunemann believes that defence is becoming a real focus for NYC coaches and the Raiders are adjusting with the times.
“Just defensively, we did a lot of work on it and we probably did about three quarters of our training on defence at the start of the year. Just at certain times we’re having some mental breakdowns which let in some soft points. And I think for all NYC teams that’s gotta be the focus - defence.
“You’d like to think there will be improvement defensively across the NYC, and some of the games I’ve seen this year the defence has been where it needs to be, it needs to be tough games, and we don’t want touch footy stuff out there.”
Another player that might have been handy to have lineup against the Roosters, was Jack Wighton.
“To be honest, I didn’t even plan to having him for one game. I had a look at his footage when I first got here and thought, we’ve got a fair player here,” Dunemann explained. “He was always going to be in first grade for the majority of the year I thought, and he trained really well and deserves his chance.
“He’s a great player and a great talent.”
Wighton has played the past two games on the wing in the NRL and Dunemann endorsed his transition to that position.
“Without a doubt (he can make the transition to the wing), he’s just a footballer. I think ideally he’ll end up in the centres and you could even throw him at fullback and he’ll do the job as well.”
As for Mitchell Cornish, Dunemann explained that he’d missed the Roosters game with a curious injury.
“He had a big boil on his back, it looked like he’d been shot, dead set looked like a bullet wound.
“I think from the first week I was here I knew I had a fair player on my hands, I think if he’d played the Roosters the result would have been different. He’s an outstanding young player and a really good kid as well, and he’s ticking all boxes. I just hope he gets back on the field soon because we’re definitely a different side when he is.”
Dunemann was cautious about getting too far ahead on Cornish’s future prospects but said the talent was certainly there to find himself in the NRL down the track.
“He’s 18 and I’ll definitely have him this year, I’d like to think that by the time next year comes around he might advance but we need to take it one step at a time and he needs to have a good season with us first.”
But Wighton and Cornish aren’t the only players worth keeping an eye out for at Canberra Stadium.
“Now Edrick Lee, he could be anything that boy. If he commits himself he’ll be one of the stars of the game I’ve got no doubt. The way he plays and his style will make him a fan favourite, his late footwork and speed and defensively he’s pretty good as well, so he’s definitely a player of the future.”
The roster looks experienced based on the high number of retained players from last year’s squad, but Dunemann said the stats didn’t tell the whole truth.
“A lot of the current roster came up from the SG Ball last year and ended up in the 20s, I wouldn’t say we have an team that has that much experience but when the SG Ball season finishes this year, we’re looking to bring some more guys through the same way.”
An aspect of the job that Dunemann has embraced has been dealing with the differences in maturity from an NRL to an NYC player.
“I’ve been an assistant coach in the NRL the last few years (at Newcastle), and NYC is a bit different. It’s tough you’ve got to get the right balance definitely, although you want to keep your demands and principles high, you’ve got to remember that at the end of the day you're dealing with kids or young men.
“The way you deal with them compared to adults is completely different.”
The NYC Raiders travel to Campbelltown Stadium this Monday night for their Round 4 clash, with kickoff at 4:45pm. Canberra are back at home in Round 5 with another Monday night game against the Cowboys and Dunemann says getting down to the game is worth it for the post try celebrations alone.
“They’ve got their little crews they hang around in, you see a few wild try celebrations which I would call pretty amusing if I’m honest. The boys seem to bond pretty well and they are a good bunch of guys, which is the main thing.”
Source: Raiders
Topic: Dunemann: "I think for all NYC teams that’s gotta be the focus - defence"
