Season Review: Canberra RaidersThe Raiders had high hopes for 2011 after a big finish to 2010, but a knee injury to Terry Campese, and ongoing problems for Matt Orford derailed the start of the season, something from which the Raiders would never fully recover.
Add to that the loss of Origin props David Shillington and Tom Learoyd-Lahrs for long periods, and the Raiders season has been destroyed by injuries.
They were able to gain something from the season though, with plenty of young talent blooded and some exciting halves found.
We take a look at the highlights of the season that was.
Best team performance: The victory over Melbourne at AAMI Park in round 10 was one of the upsets of the season, and showcased exactly what the Raiders can do when they get the opportunity.
There was some scintillating attacking football, mixed with brutal defence and a quality kicking game from Josh McCrone and Sam Williams.
Worst team performance: In the middle of an early season string of losses, the Raiders ran into a hot Tigers side and found out the hard way what Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah can do to a team.
While the Tigers were on, the Raiders were most definitely off, with many errors and missed tackles making the Tigers’ job that little bit easier.
Best individual performance: Shaun Fensom is the defensive machine that the Raiders have relied upon in 2011, and he hasn’t let anyone down. In the round 11 victory over the Bulldogs, Fensom racked up 75 tackles, a club record for any one game.
The disappointment: The absence of Raiders lynchpin Terry Campese for all but 10 minutes of the round 13 clash with the Cowboys is by far the biggest disappointment for Canberra fans.
Even after a slow start, the return of Campese was hoped to be the turning point in the season, much like in 2010 when they went on a late winning run to make the semi finals. Alas, he lasted just 10 minutes before suffering another injury.
Season high point: The hoodoo that the Raiders hold over the St George Illawarra Dragons looked to have been broken in round 20 when Jamie Soward kicked a field goal with just a minute left on the clock.
Not so, though… after regaining the ball from the kick-off, the Raiders moved downfield, and Josh Dugan chased through a Josh McCrone grubber to score and give the Raiders a 24-19 victory over the shattered Dragons.
The leader: Alan Tongue – In a hard year for a captain, Tongue has showed plenty class, battling through the tough times and always with a smile on his face.
His inspirational efforts throughout the year kept the Raiders in many games, and it was a fitting reward for his efforts to score a try in his final game at home.
The rookie: Sam Williams – After making his debut as a late call up in round one against the Sharks, Williams has fitted in quite nicely at the Raiders.
With Matt Orford missing for large parts of the year, Williams has been forced to step up. At only 20, he has plenty of football left in him and could be the long term answer the Raiders have been looking for at halfback.
Stats leader: Shaun Fensom – Fensom dominates not only his club, but the whole competition in the statistics department. Known as a dream team gun, he tops the Raiders’ tackle count with 1110, as well as their offload count with 35. He also averages 84.6m per game, and has made just six errors in 23 matches.
The surprise packet: Josh McCrone – After Terry Campese went down in last year’s semi-final loss to the Tigers, many people were writing Canberra’s season off.
In his place, McCrone has stepped up and showed his class, directing the team around the field and being the halves leader.
Try of the year: Blake Ferguson scored some cracking tries in 2011, and his trademark chip and chase was on show in the aforementioned win over the Storm.
With little room to move, Ferguson chipped for himself, regathered and tip-toed down the touch line past Billy Slater to score and wrap up a memorable victory for the Green Machine.
Source: Raiders.com.au
Topic: Season Review: Canberra Raiders
